Okay, so I’ve been getting super into history lately, like REALLY into it. And, because I’m also a bit of a tarot nerd, I had this kinda wacky idea: could I use tarot decks to, like, deepen my historical studies? I mean, it sounds a bit out there, but I figured, why not give it a shot?
So, first, I dug out all my tarot decks. I’ve got a few, some more traditional, some pretty artsy. I laid them all out on my table and just kinda stared at them for a while, thinking about which ones might actually, you know, work for this.
Choosing the Right Decks
- The Rider-Waite-Smith Deck: This one was a no-brainer. It’s, like, the classic, right? So many books and resources use it, so I figured it’d be a good starting point. Plus, the imagery is pretty straightforward, which I thought would be helpful.
- The Thoth Tarot: A little more complex. I’m not that expert, but I decided to put it on the table.
- Some historical-themed decks: I actually found a couple of decks online that were specifically based on historical periods or figures! There was one based on the Renaissance, and another on, like, Victorian England. I ordered those immediately, because, duh, perfect!
My “Experiment” Process
My study focused on 19th-century Europe. I picked up a deck to help me with the topic.
What I mainly did was to pick up 3 cards. The first card represents the general social situation, and I got “The Tower”. Oh, that indicated a big change, so-called revolution. The second and third cards represented two opposite political parties, so I was able to dive deeper into the details.
It’s still early days, but I’m actually finding this pretty helpful! It’s not about, like, predicting the future or anything. It’s more about using the cards as prompts, to spark new ideas and make me think about things from different angles. I feel like I’m getting a better, more nuanced understanding of the periods I’m studying. Tarot helped me to build the big picture of a historical event, and it was really amazing.
So, yeah, that’s my little tarot-meets-history project. Maybe I’m totally off my rocker, but it’s been fun, and I feel like I’m learning something, so I’m gonna keep at it!
