Survey of Tarot Ordering: Sequence Development Since the 15th Century

[Tarot Index]



The first examples of Tarot, in the Visconti-Sforza Tarot cards, from the mid-15th century, are un-numbered and un-titled. The first enumerated list is the Sermones de Ludo Cum Alis from the late 15th century (Kaplan, Encyclopedia of Tarot).

Semantic Drift in the Tarot: 1450 to 2000

  Sermones:
15th
Metropolitan:
15th
Rosenwald:
16th
Maison
Academique: 1659
Vievil:
17th
Marseilles:
18th
Levi:
19th
Rider-Waite:
20th
Crowley:
20th
Revived Tarot:
21st
 
--     Fool     Fool Fool   Fool Fool Fool 1
1 Juggler Magician Magician Juggler Magician Magician Magician Magician Magician World 2
2 Empress Empress Popess Popess Popess Popess Popess Priestess Priestess Wheel 3
3 Emperor Popess Empress Emperor Empress Empress Empress Empress Empress Tower 4
4 Popess Emperor Emperor Empress Emperor Emperor Emperor Emperor Star Emperor 5
5 Pope Pope Pope Pope Pope Pope Pope Hierophant Hierophant Hierophant 6
6 Temperance Temperance Lovers Lovers Lovers Lovers Lovers Lovers Lovers Lovers 7
7 Lovers Chariot Temperance Justice Chariot Chariot Chariot Chariot Chariot Chariot 8
8 Chariot Lovers Justice Justice Chariot Justice Justice Strength Strength Strength 9
9 Strength Strength Strength Hermit Strength Hermit Hermit Hermit Hermit Hermit 10
10 Wheel Wheel Chariot Wheel Wheel Wheel Wheel Wheel Wheel Sun 11
11 Hermit/Time Hermit/Time Hanged Man Strength Old Man Strength Strength Justice Justice Justice 12
12 Hanged Man Hanged Man Hermit/Time Hanged Man Hanged Man Hanged Man Hanged Man Hanged Man Hanged Man Hanged Man 13
13 Death Death Death Death Death Death Death Death Death Death 14
14 Devil Devil Wheel Temperance Temperance Temperance Temperance Temperance Temperance Temperance 15
15 Arrow Tower Devil Devil Devil Devil Devil Devil Devil Devil 16
16 Star Star Tower House of God Lightning House of God House of God Tower Tower Empress 17
17 Moon Moon Star Star Stars Star Star Star Emperor Star 18
18 Sun Sun Moon Moon Moon Moon Moon Moon Moon Moon 19
19 Angel Angel Sun Sun Sun Sun Sun Sun Sun Magician 20
20 Justice Justice World Judgment Judgment Judgment Judgment Judgment Judgment Judgment 21
21 World World Judgment World World World Fool World World Priestess 22
-- Fool         Fool         World        
 
Source: Stuart Kaplan, Encyclopedia of the Tarot, Vol 2, p.191-196 US Games Systems, 1994 + Sepher Yetsira


A few notes. The early renditions have both planets and signs out of place (and two or three of three elements). The obviousness of the astrological system embedded in the Tarot took 300+ years to sink in, and the Tarot de Marseilles in the 18th century still got the Lion and the Scales reversed, finally corrected in the 20th by Rider-Waite (and the order screwed up again by the wannabe fake magician Crowley). Only two Tarot are consistently accurate: The Pope/Hierophant and Death. And we're only talking about the signs. The planets remained displaced/encoded despite their obvious symbolism, enabled by an ignorance of the Hebrew and astrological sources, even as simple as the geocentric order of the planets. See: Traditional Tarot Sequencing and Mis-Interpretation and The Revived Tarot: Obscuring the Origins and Contaminating the Sources. Yet the myth goes on, entranced minds unaware of their inner structure, teetering on the edge of the revelation of the images in front of their eyes.