The Tarot, like the Kabbalah, has its origins shrouded in mystery. However, the first known pack was found in Italy in 1415 and was beautifully hand-painted for the young duke of Milan, Filippo Maria Visconti. There are 78 cards in a pack - 22 cards in the Major Arcana and 56 cards in the Minor Arcana. These archetypal figures represent what Jung calls the collective unconscious. They are like the biblical characters in that they are universal and transcend space and time. Both the Bible and the Tarot are seen as symbols of the inner laws that rule humanity. Each one illustrates the interminable conflict between good and evil and relates it to our internal struggle within the lives of every man and woman. The divinatory arts enable one to transcend space and time and to cross the threshold beyond earthly time. In the mystical world there is no such separation of time such as past, present and future, because they are crystallized into a single present moment.

There has always existed in Judaism a deep-seated supernatural component. Since its foundation until the nineteenth century, Judaism has acknowledged and rejoiced in the supernatural. However, with the commencement of the technological age and in order to live to tell the tale, Judaism had to conform to the rest of the scientific world. There are also warnings in the Torah about enquiring into certain aspects of supernatural encounters. In Deuteronomy 18:9-14 it states: "When thou art come into the land which the Lord thy G-d giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations. There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, one that useth divination, a soothsayer, or an enchanter, or a sorcerer, or a charmer, or one that consulteth a ghost or a familiar spirit, or a necromancer. For whosoever doeth these things is an abomination unto the Lord; and because of these abominations the Lord thy G-d is driving them out from before thee. Thou shalt be whole-hearted with the Lord thy G-d"

Throughout the ages, however these warnings have been interpreted in a variety of means. For instance the above excerpt seemingly prohibits any type of occult session whereby one is trying to call up spirits. However, the Talmud and the Zohar is replete with anecdotes of rabbis who are guided by their deceased teachers who call on them, sometimes in their dreams or while they are meditating to inspire them in their writings, teachings or in their life's directions.

JACOB/Swords 6-10

The Bible, in where the initial warnings stem from, portray most of our heroes and heroines as delving into the occult arts and also displaying amazing supernatural powers. In Genesis 25:21, Rebecca approached a woman who consulted with oracles for advice and was informed that the twins she was nurturing inside her womb had already begun a lasting battle for authority over each other. Jacob managed to connect with G-d through his dreams in Genesis 37:5 ff. Joseph is the most famous biblical figure for his powerful dreams as they foreshadowed his whole life and all those around him, as explained in Genesis 37:5 ff. Moses showed the greatest talent with his supernatural powers. He was able to turn his rod into a serpent and amongst other great things he miraculously parted the Red Sea.

JOSEPH/Pentacles 6-10

MOSES/Wands 1-5

MOSES/Wands 6-10.

The most fascinating of oracles is the Urim and Tummim which the Priests continued to use through the early centuries and is explained in Exodus 28:30. The High Priest wore an ephod, which was a garment, and on it was a breastplate, which was inlaid with twelve precious stones engraved with the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. The way the oracle worked was that when a person consulted the High Priest, the letters of the tribal names engraved on the precious stones would miraculously protrude and the message would be spelled out in this way to the enquirer. David, Saul and Joshua inquired of the Urim and Thummin frequently. The Bible also speaks of other methods of divination such as the throwing of lots and the biblical conception that the divine spirit is echoed in the spread of the lots is noticeably communicated in Proverbs 16:33: "The lots is cast from one's bosom, but all of its decisions derive from the Lord." Prediction of the future and divination of all sorts was also sent by G-d through dreams, and through prophecy.

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