Love reading questions: The Tarot You Didn’t Know (Sola-Busca, Marseille, and the Budget Egyptian Mystic) - blog post #2772

If you thought Tarot was just about “what does he feel for me?” or “which deck suits retrograde Mercury?” — buckle your cloaks and tie your hoods. We’re going on an archaeological adventure through the dusty, strange, and surprisingly inspiring chapters of Tarot cards history. A journey so weird, it deserves its own Netflix series — or at least one of those whispered YouTube videos with someone in a pentagram sweater murmuring, “They’ve hidden this from us for centuries...”

Sola-Busca: The First Art-House Tarot Deck

Around 1491 (yes, just before America got discovered), a Milanese aristocrat woke up and thought, “Why not commission a custom Tarot deck, one that doesn’t look like everyone else’s?” Thus, the Sola-Busca Tarot was born — the luxurious whim of a wealthy family with a taste for dramatic aesthetics.

This wasn’t just a deck — it was an antique fever dream. Instead of your usual goddesses and chariots, you get.… Nimrod, Nebuchadnezzar, and other escapees from a history class. Ancient Greek and Roman heroes strike regal poses on the cards like, “Yes, I’m in your Tarot deck. Get over it.”

And here’s the kicker — these were the first illustrated number cards ever. Before this, minor arcana looked like sad geometry homework: swords, cups, and more swords. But Sola-Busca delivered full-blown scenes, alchemical allegories, and Renaissance art vibes. The suits? Forget pentacles and chalices — try disks, clubs, amphorae, and swords. It’s giving “Olympic starter pack” energy.

This beauty, by the way, sat hidden in a private collection for 420 years until the Italian government finally bought it in 2008. Somewhere, a Florentine spirit clapped and said, “Finally!” (Probably during a free angel card reading love session.)

Pamela Colman Smith: Queen of Inspired Copy-Paste

If you thought the Waite-Smith deck was 100% original — sorry to pop your oracle card reading free online bubble. Pamela Colman Smith was clearly inspired by Sola-Busca, and she wasn’t shy about it. Some examples visible even to a beginner with love reading questions:

• 3 of Swords → That same heartbreak motif, now with bonus existential dread.
• Polyxena → Queen of Cups, staring into her cup like she dropped her iPhone in it.
• 7 of Swords → Our sneaky guy on the run with swords and guilt.
• 10 of Swords → Or was that Wands? Either way, something heavy and dramatic.
• 6 of Disks → Also Ten of Wands vibes. Pamela really had a “carry the emotional burden of the world” phase.

Bold? Yes. Brilliant? Absolutely. Legally dubious? Well, no one sued.

Marseille Tarot Deck: Vintage French and Proud of It

Now let’s zip over to 16th-century France, where card printing was booming like vineyards. Marseille didn’t yet know it would become a brand name — Tarot cards with geographical swagger. Like Champagne, but with more swords and fewer grapes.

These decks were printed using woodblocks and looked like your middle-school zine had a medieval baby. Were they crude? Yes. Mass-produced? Very. But accessible? Definitely — this was Tarot for the people, not just castle-dwelling alchemists.

Ironically, these rough-and-ready drawings are now restored with all the reverence of cathedral frescoes. Shoutout to Alejandro Jodorowsky — director, psychotherapist, and Marseille Tarot evangelist — who, with Philippe Camoin, revived the spirit of old decks with full angel card readings near me devotion.

The Marseille Aesthetic:

Let’s call it “intentionally rugged.”

• Colors: Red, yellow, blue, green. Beige if someone ran out of ink.
• Lines: Bold, black, and thick enough to survive the apocalypse.
• Backgrounds: White as unfinished notebook pages.

Faces show it all — confusion, anguish, the look of “I was just asked to pose, and now I’m the Knight of Coins.” This is local psychic readings energy with a historical twist. Honest and unfiltered, no Photoshop, no AI — just vibes.

The Egyptian Theory of Tarot Cards: Occult Fanfiction at Its Finest

Now for a crowd favorite: the belief that Tarot came from Ancient Egypt. Spoiler — it didn’t.

In 1781, Antoine Court de Gébelin — pastor, Freemason, and high-functioning overthinker — published volume eight of The Primeval World, in which he claimed Tarot was actually The Book of Thoth, packed with encrypted human wisdom. No sources, just vibes.

His proof? Intuition. Inner knowing. Possibly an angel card reading online after a strong espresso. The world said, “Sounds mystical!” and a new era of Tarot-as-esoteric-oracle was born. Despite historians waving dusty documents in protest, Court de Gébelin gave us the mythos we now associate with spiritual tools and future readings near me.

In Summary:

• Sola-Busca Tarot – High-concept Renaissance art with alchemy and amphorae.
• Marseille Tarot – French vintage Tarot with woodblock grit and serious angel card reading near me charm.
• Egyptian Theory – Glorious nonsense that birthed half the psychic relationship reading industry.