Calling Cards – Part 1

I recently wrote that it’s helpful to push back on bad faith arguments by conceding the points that are actually true.

Rather than declare it all to be BS, why not try a more generous approach, one that actually tries to separate the truth from the nonsense?

As much as we may not want to admit it, such an approach is also warranted for the various conspiracy theories out there.

Now, I don’t know how much time and effort I would be willing to dive into various crackpot positions and actually try to sort out what’s rooted in truth. I’m a nerd, but not a masochist!

Still, we can at least try to do so when the opportunity presents itself. 

In this spirit, here’s an article about a historical artifact that seems to point to some classic elements of conspiracy theories even today.

This one has to do with Tarocchi cards, the Italian gaming decks that eventually spread around Europe, and are now referred to via the French name:

Tarot.

First, what is Tarocchi?

It descended from the 52-card playing deck we all know and love. 

Like that deck, there are 4 suits:

Clubs, cups, swords, and coins.

The deck has 10 number cards per suit. 

There are also court cards, but instead of a king, queen, and jack for each suit, tarocchi has a king, queen, knight, and jack (or “knave”). 

In place of the Joker card, there are 22 trump cards, which tend to sport striking artwork to denote their special role in the game.

You have the Fool, The Pope, The Devil, Death, etc. 

One notable thing about Tarot is its connection to occultism. In the 1800s, Tarot decks became important ceremonial instruments for Western Esoteric groups like the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. Among those eccentric mystics, who liked to spell “magick” with too many consonants, Tarot was an essential tool in their arsenal.

In England and the US, almost all Tarot decks available today are based on the cards designed by A. E. Waite and illustrated by Pamela Coleman Smith (the “Rider-Waite-Smith” deck). You probably recognize at least some of the designs. 

Those designs were derived from Waite’s knowledge as a former member of the Golden Dawn. The intentionally-infamous magician Aleister Crowley also made his own Tarot deck, with beautiful modernist designs courtesy of the Lady Frieda Harris.

Why were Tarot cards so important for occultists like Waite and Crowley? That’s a topic unto itself. The short answer is that the unique structure of the deck happened to fit quite nicely with their particular ritual practices. 

The main point I’m getting to is that while there was indeed a heavy association of Tarot cards with secretive exclusive groups who were often suspected of being devil worshippers – i.e., the perfect recipe for conspiracy theories!- occultist Tarot only seemed to start some time in the 1800s.

Before then, Tarot cards were treated like any game deck.

Sure, street diviners would use them to read fortunes, but street diviners used pretty much anything to read fortunes.

The earliest Tarocchi/Tarot decks that we have were just gaming decks. Sometimes they were simple street fare like the Marseilles Tarot designs, and sometimes they were elaborate and expensive gifts for the rich nobility, like the Visconti-Sforza Tarocchi. 

But the cards held no strange or nefarious associations. They were simply cards.

….Well, for the most part.

The Sola-Busca cards from the late 15th century Italy – the oldest complete Tarocchi deck available…

they may actually be an important exception…

to be continued…

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