Tarot Today- My First and Next Book

I feel a lot of people are both repelled and intrigued by the use of tarot cards. As a professional reader, I am one of those who feel that with card usage, the reputation of these decks goes before reality. Fear and religious angst labeled a person using them, especially professionally.

In medieval Europe, any type of gaming cards was banned by the Catholic church. They became known as, "The Devil's Bible." The cause? Gambling. A man who gambled all of his money away could not feed his family; therefore, they starved.
The church also considered cards to be plates of vanity and in some ways, they were right. The original decks were made up of wealthy society's portraits of family and those who served them, much like the pieces in a game of chess.
Gambling and divination came later.

A folklore story once told by the Rom people (Gypsies) states that during the Crusades in the 1100s, soldiers that came back to Europe from fighting in the Near and Middle Eastern countries brought with them decks of cards covered in symbols. These symbols were said to unlock the door to the universe and if read, had the abilities to be able to see ahead into the future. The Rom told many "gringos" or "gadje" they had sets of these cards that were passed down through their families and had the ability to read them.
Many crept into the tents of Romany men and women when they passed through farm areas or cities to get their palm or cards read.

More later...