Gypsy and Romani Tarot

In every good story set between the Middle Ages and the French Revolution, we find a female character who foretells the future thanks to her clairvoyant gifts. Whether they are named Venus, Esmeralda or Peaky Blinders, they are all bohemian women of fatal beauty, who know how to read the lines of the hand, in the reflection of a crystal ball or through the cards.

As for cartomancy, it was these fortune tellers who were at its origin. It therefore seems logical that they may have had their own Oracle at some point: The Gypsy tarot.

It was in the Arabian peninsulas of ancient Persia, then all along Eastern Europe, that the nomadic Gypsy and Romani peoples met the merchants who came from Asia along the famous Silk Road. Very quickly, between fabrics, semi-precious stones and exotic herbs, the bohemian women were going to discover playing cards on the stalls of these travelling merchants.

We are in the 12^th century, in the heart of the medieval era of the Middle Ages, and these women who are often endowed with the gift of clairvoyance, which they pass down from mother to daughter, are going to make these playing cards their own, cards that came from ancestral India and China. So much so that they would give them strange meanings and strong symbolism, in order to be able to use them as a new divination accessory.

By inventing divinatory readings, carried out through the interpretation of the cards to predict the future of a querent, these wandering fortune tellers did not know that they were creating what would later be called cartomancy. Upon arriving in Central Europe and particularly in France, in Spain and Italy, this new divination trend was very well established.

And the bohemian women who practised it were going to enjoy great success with the population, because everyone was very intrigued by these divinatory card games, which overshadowed the ancestral prediction practices that were astrological horoscopes and readings in the lines of the hand or through a crystal ball. Everyone therefore wanted to have their cards read, whether they were a pauper or close to the royal family; all social classes saw in the cards a new entertainment as mysterious as it was amusing.

It was in the middle of the 16^th century that the very first tarot deck arrived, coming from Italy, and cartomancy was going to be turned upside down. Much more esoteric, with its many kabbalistic and occult symbols, this tarot deck would interest many seers, but also learned alchemist men such as Leonardo da Vinci or Nostradamus, who saw in it the best tool to make predictions of the future.

So, many tarot decks were going to come into being, including the famous Tarot of Marseille, which, with its 22 major arcana of highly symbolic representations, would become the most complete divinatory card game. Which it still is today, by the way.

But others followed, such as the Belline Oracle, the Rider Waite or the Lenormand tarot.

Later, we witnessed the arrival of the Egyptian tarot, the Persian tarot and certain tarots based on Hindu and Buddhist philosophies and spiritualities.

So, why not create one directly inspired by the nomadic philosophy of life of the gypsy and bohemian women ? After all, they were the creators of these divinatory readings through the cards and were therefore also the initiators of what was already being called tarot reading.

We could therefore witness the arrival of the Gypsy tarot deck, which was dedicated to them and which respected the traditions and cultural codes of gypsy life, while being extremely effective during divinatory readings.

Like any good divinatory tarot deck, the Gypsy tarot was going to deal with subjects ever so important in life, namely those of love, work, health and money. While it too would be greatly inspired by the very famous Tarot of Marseille, it would set itself apart by being heavily influenced by the warm colours typical of gypsy culture. Thus, the 4 most representative colours of the rainbow came to dominate the set of 38 cards.

• The colour Blue would speak to us of everything relating to the feminine and to the sacred faith so important among Romani populations.
• The colour Yellow would tell us about everything concerning the celestial bodies that make up our universe.
• The colour Red would relate to everything that is masculine and to the various passions as well as the desires found within human nature.
• Finally, the colour Green which would symbolise the initiatory journey of a complete life and the best path to follow in order to reach happiness.

The Gypsy tarot is therefore made up of 38 cards that are very powerful when drawn during a divinatory reading. As in the Tarot of Marseille, we find 22 major arcana, but which, here, are not numbered.

On the other hand, the 4 suits Cups, Coins, Swords and Wands are replaced by the signs named Gitanos, Gipsys, Manouches and Roma.

Each of the cards making up this deck has its own meaning and its symbolism stems from its depiction and from the colour to which it is assigned.

As with all tarots or Oracles, it will be essential to know them all like the back of your hand before being able to use them in a reading, because not only do they have important meanings, but they can also combine with one another when they are drawn together.

For example, the card representing the Father always evokes events belonging to the past.

The one of the Mother speaks to us of the present and of what we are right now.

As for the one of the Child, it always indicates situations to come in the future.

Combined with one another, the meaning of these cards can vary depending on the order in which they are drawn.

All the details and characteristics of the Gypsy tarot are recounted in several books written by the psychotherapist journalist Tchalaï Unger, who is a scholar of this Romani tarot.

His works are available in esoteric shops or online via retail sites that offer free delivery.

Nowadays, you can find free clairvoyance online or by phone. While these remote consultations will never replace an in-person session facing the tarot reader, they are nonetheless very effective for making predictions about your future thanks to divinatory readings.

Whether you are in a relationship, happy or not, or single in search of a new love adventure, awaiting an answer of a professional or medical nature, or in a situation that could bring you money, the cards of the Gypsy tarot are there to answer your questions.

During a cross reading, for example, they will be able to make you plenty of revelations about your personality, your past achievements that are somewhat buried, your present, but above all about events to come soon in your destiny.

And whether these revelations are favourable or not to you, they will allow you to move forward, because you will know what awaits you.

Meaning of the 22 cards of the Gypsy Tarot