Tarot: a history of symbols, a family history

Before becoming a tool in my work, Tarot was part of my life

I grew up surrounded by birth charts, symbols and archetypes, in a family where astrology and card reading were passed down through generations

My maternal grandfather used Tarot in his astrology practice in Lugano for over thirty years. He came from a family tradition: my great-grandfather also worked with astrology and Tarot. My father and many of my uncles used Sibyl cards, which are different from Tarot but belonged to the same family environment

I began studying Tarot at fourteen. Since then, the cards have accompanied me as a personal tool for introspection: a language through which I can observe what I am experiencing, explore my questions and recognise perspectives that I sometimes struggle to see

To explain my approach, I want to begin with the history of these images and the ideas that have enriched their interpretation

A history spanning centuries

Historical evidence places Tarot in fifteenth-century Italy, where the cards were used for games. Among the oldest surviving examples are those painted for the Visconti and Sforza families, belonging to the world of the Renaissance courts

The association with divination and occult knowledge developed in later centuries. The history of Tarot therefore includes different uses and interpretations, which have changed over time

The figures have continued to arouse interest beyond the game: characters, gestures and scenes have become the subject of philosophical and esoteric interpretations and, more recently, of paths towards self-knowledge

It is useful to distinguish documented history from symbolic interpretations. We can explore the depth of an image without having to regard every story about its origins as historical fact

The symbol as a space for reflection

In Le Tarot. Essai d’interprétation selon les principes de l’hermétisme, published in 1946, Jean Chaboseau explores the cards through Hermetic symbolism, relating them to alchemy, astrology and Kabbalah

In the introduction, H.-M. de Campigny reflects on the possibility of using the same figures both for divination and for contemplating symbols. His thinking is esoteric, but it contains an insight that feels close to me: an image can offer material for meditation and open questions that go beyond the search for a prediction

A symbol cannot be reduced to a definition. We can look at it again and notice something we previously missed, because our experience has changed in the meantime

The card remains the same, but the way we encounter it changes

Jodorowsky and self-knowledge

This perspective finds a contemporary reference in the work of Alejandro Jodorowsky

In The Way of Tarot, written together with Marianne Costa, Tarot is presented as a tool for self-knowledge. Through tarology, the authors explore the language of images as a mirror of the inner world and an opportunity for creative expression

This is an approach that feels close to my own: observing the cards can help us give visible form to what we are experiencing

The gazes, postures, objects and relationships between the figures become starting points for reflection. What emerges takes on meaning through dialogue with the person and their experience

From family tradition to my own path

My family introduced me to this language in childhood. The study I began at fourteen and continued over time allowed me to develop my own personal way of using it

Tarot has been a presence I could return to during times of transition, when I needed to bring things into order or better understand what I was feeling

I learned to observe before interpreting. To pause over a detail, recognise a reaction and allow a question to mature without immediately filling every space with an answer

When I speak of archetypes, I mean figures and situations through which we can recognise recurring human experiences: the desire to begin, the difficulty of choosing, the need for protection and the courage to change

These images can help us name what we are experiencing and look at it from a different perspective

What happens in my readings

My readings are not about the future, do not give advice and do not claim to reveal hidden answers

I use symbolism and archetypes to help you visualise a situation with greater clarity

When you feel confused or stuck, thoughts, emotions and expectations can overlap. It becomes difficult to distinguish what you want, what you fear and what you feel you should do

The cards offer a starting point. We can observe which figure draws your attention, what it evokes in you and which associations arise

When looking at the Wheel of Fortune, for example, we might explore a cycle you feel is repeating. With the Hermit, we might consider your relationship with time, searching or solitude. These are possible ways of reading the cards, and they acquire meaning through comparison with what you are experiencing

Your voice remains central. You may recognise yourself in an interpretation, change it or feel that it does not resonate with you

Making your own vision clearer

For me, Tarot can be a powerful tool for introspection precisely because it makes something observable that still feels confused within us

A reading can support you in bringing a tension into focus, formulating a question or recognising the perspective from which you are looking at a situation

Clarity does not mean having all the answers immediately. Sometimes it means being able to distinguish the important questions, or realising that a possibility exists that we had not considered

This is the value Tarot has had in my life, from the age of fourteen until today. And this is the space I wish to offer in my readings

A space in which to listen to yourself, see with greater clarity and regain the freedom to choose