Is Tarot dying?

[Mabuse]

I favor a more gamer friendly business model.

I want to be provocative.
Tarot is dying.
What are "we" doing to prevent that?

I made a comment on the American amazoncom website that Tarot cards can become more popular if they would more greatly explore the Tarocchi/Tarock game playing side. American Tarot does not seem enjoy the same pluralism it does in European countries. It is for this reason I became a Tarot game advocate. It is my opinion that Tarot has not fully penetrated Anglo-American culture because the games for which the cards were created have yet to be imported in a major way.

BTW if you go to Google Trends and type "tarot" you will find the topic more popular amongst Spanish speakers than speakers of other languages. Something to think about. Here in the US, Tarot is not only popular amongst the Spanish speakers but also the French speakers! Tarot's popularity with English speakers is near the bottom compared to other languages.

 

[philebus]

I bet the players of the Tarot game in XIX century Europe sneered at the occultist appropriating of their game, and thought: "what the hell, Tarot is for gaming and it will always be so".
If it weren't for those changing and evolving Tarot (and actually doing it despite the gamers) Tarot would have already been dead.

I'll get the pedantry out of the way first. In the 19th century, tarot players wouldn't have noticed occultists unless they were in France - those notions didn't really travel until the 20th century.

But really, why would tarot be dead were it not for occultists? Tarot games are not played too much in Italy anymore - but even that depends upon where you are. Italy still prints regional packs such as the Bolognese and the Sicilian, which are not much used for anything but card games. In the rest of Europe, tarot is still played in many forms and often with great popularity - in France it is reported as their second most popular card game. Without, I think, any help from occultists. I would suggest that it is in part due to the popular myths that occultists have spread over the last century that has hindered further spread and resurgence of the games. In England, those myths make it difficult for me to persuade people to try the games - even with the French packs!

Further, in what way do you think that tarot has evolved "in spite of gamers"? Have you looked at any of the packs used to play tarot games of late? Have you seen the variety in them? From the use of French suits, or the novel Slovenian presentation of them, to the myriad of trump designs. Occult tarot is not the only 'game' in town, nor is it the keeper of the flame, nor is it the only source of development and popularity.

I'm not about to deny any credit to occult tarot for development - I wouldn't have such a growing collection of occult packs if I were. But please, take a broader view.

 

[gregory]

I made a comment on the American amazoncom website that Tarot cards can become more popular if they would more greatly explore the Tarocchi/Tarock game playing side. American Tarot does not seem enjoy the same pluralism it does in European countries. It is for this reason I became a Tarot game advocate. It is my opinion that Tarot has not fully penetrated Anglo-American culture because the games for which the cards were created have yet to be imported in a major way.

I don't think that would help particularly with helping TAROT to survive. I have played the game but it doesn't interest me in the least, well, any more than - say - scrabble - it's just another game - and I am sure the far more interesting and symbolic side would never have struck me as a result of playing the game.

 

[philebus]

I don't think that would help particularly with helping TAROT to survive. I have played the game but it doesn't interest me in the least, well, any more than - say - scrabble - it's just another game - and I am sure the far more interesting and symbolic side would never have struck me as a result of playing the game.

Which is fair enough - but I understand the point to be that there is potentially a broader market than just those intersted in symbolism and card reading. One need not preclude the other.

 

[Eowyn]

BTW if you go to Google Trends and type "tarot" you will find the topic more popular amongst Spanish speakers than speakers of other languages. Something to think about. Here in the US, Tarot is not only popular amongst the Spanish speakers but also the French speakers! Tarot's popularity with English speakers is near the bottom compared to other languages.

Probably. We have a big heritage of spanish playing cards fortune-telling.

Specially into Italian and Spanish families that came from Europe years ago and established here (southamerica). And maybe that's why for us tarot is more common, among men and women.

 

[gregory]

Which is fair enough - but I understand the point to be that there is potentially a broader market than just those intersted in symbolism and card reading. One need not preclude the other.

True. But I don't think that's what Ric meant when he posed the question, if you look at the dates he listed etc !

 

[Linda Gomez]

Tarot and The Fates

Does God exist? God is dead! And the fate of tarot is in question. Interesting. I think tarot as a deck of presumed fortune-telling cards will survive even the longest and coldest of winters; however, what I think is dying is the serious study of tarot and teachers and mentors to carry forward the ancient knowledge albeit, this knowledge is always present and available to seekers. Knowing how to effectively learn from the tarot takes serious study. I wonder if the mystery schools are surviving the economic struggles. Perhaps the electronic age has been a blessing in the dissemination of the mysteries, or perhaps it is just another veil. Very thought provoking. I hadn't given it much thought until you posed the query.

 

[Eowyn]

I hope I don't get away from topic too much. But you see, this place congregates tarot collectors, readers, studious, artists and publishers. Even a couple of sceptics. We are connecting by tarot, thought tarot. If there is winter coming, if there is Death around, I want to be here when it happens. In case if it's like Death, it wont be subtle. If comes like a season's change, there will be signs everywhere, like plum blossoms. How ever it will be, will we be a central piece of this change? How are we contributing to it?

 

[Mabuse]

I don't think that would help particularly with helping TAROT to survive. I have played the game but it doesn't interest me in the least, well, any more than - say - scrabble - it's just another game - and I am sure the far more interesting and symbolic side would never have struck me as a result of playing the game.

In case one in curious as to what led to such thoughts on the business model of Tarot, I will give you an interesting quote from the tarotpassages website.
This quote appears in an interview with Tarot historian Ron Decker conducted by Alma Puissegur. Decker here is speaking of The United States Playing Card Company Museum
"Ron is still trying to build up tarot in the collection, as curators of the collection had previously neglected fortune telling decks. Now, with the understanding that tarot was once played as a card game, he is able to add to these decks. The theme of the collection has always been 'playing cards'.
The above quotation inspired me to become a Tarot game advocate. I believe that awareness of Tarot as a card game would lead to these cards becoming more accepted in places such as the American public school system. I also believe such awareness could also expand the role that Tarot could play in our leisure activities.

 

[gregory]

Um..... Decker IS referring to his interest in the game only..... Ric referred to the "rebirth" in the 70s. I don't think the game has had these ups and downs - certainly not in Europe, where one sees it played in cafeterias and camp sites all the time.

I think your perspective is very much an US one. OK the game hasn't caught on there, perhaps. But I doubt that making it do so would make that much difference as a worldwide thing. It will stay big as a game within Europe, whatever happens to tarot as a reading, study, esoteric thing. I honestly doubt very much whether seeing it played more in the US will have any significant effect. I can see the GAME cards being accepted in schools. But in the US at least - I bet any hint of reading the cards would bring out the moral majority like a shot.