Tarot

Another system is the Tarot, whose name comes from the Italian term "tarochi," meaning "trumps." It's a set of two decks of cards. The Tarot consists of the Major Arcana, 22 cards symbolizing death, wisdom, and so on, and the Minor Arcana, 56 cards representing wands, swords, cups, and pentacles (each deck also includes a card called a squire).

The Tarot was likely brought to Europe by the Roma; the earliest known Tarot deck is housed at the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris. The modern deck was developed in 1910 by occultist Arthur Edward Waite.

According to some, the illustrations on Tarot cards come from the Egyptian Book of Thoth, while others believe they come from the Hebrew alphabet.

Carl Jung saw these illustrations as archetypal images emanating from the human soul. However, many amateurs, by shuffling and re-laying the cards, can obtain the answers they desire.