First, a history lesson...
To put the Universal Tarot in its correct context we need to take a brief look at the history of tarot cards, & by extension playing cards also; and we need to lay a few misconceptions to rest.
Contrary to popular belief playing cards were around long before the tarot…
Playing cards (and the minor arcana, the part of the tarot that shares its origins with today’s well-known playing card deck) can be sourced to the Mamelukes of Egypt, probably as early as the 13th century CE.
The Mameluke playing decks had 4 suits: coins, cups, polo-sticks and scimitars.
Each suit had 10 numeral (or pip) cards and 3 court (or picture) cards; the king, the viceroy (deputy-king or over-deputy) and the second- (or under-) deputy; all of which were male.
The cards appeared in Europe between about 1350 and 1370 CE…
In Italy the 4 suits generally became coins, cups, batons (straight short staves replacing the polo-sticks) & "spada" (swords, curved like scimitars); the court cards became king, cavalier (or knight) & foot-soldier. The numerals often only numbered 1-7.
Similar playing card decks appearing in Spain at about the same time…
The suits were coins, cups, clubs (heavy rough-hewn sticks) and “espada” (swords – straight this time). The court cards were king, cavalier (or knight) and servant (or page / knave)… and again these packs often had only 7 numeral cards.
The tarot deck as we would recognize it today was largely devised in Italy in the 1st half of the 15th century CE.
With the appearance of a 5th suit of picture cards, the trump (or triumph) cards; & the addition of a 4th court card, the queen, in the first 4 suits; the tarot deck was born. It seems these additions were initially made to spice up the game play only.
The "traditional" trumps or major arcana:
Usually consisting of 21 numbered picture cards and 1 unnumbered, most often called the fool. The names, numbers and pictures of these cards have varied through history, some to a wide extent while others have stayed remarkably consistent in their content.
Trumps that didn't stay the course...
The minchiate deck, for example, had 41 trumps - including the 12 zodiac signs, the 4 elements (earth, water, fire & air), and the 4 virtues (faith, hope, charity & prudence) and left out the Pope.
A menagerie of trumps:
Trump cards have variously depicted characters & creatures from history, legend, myth & folklore - even scenes from popular opera. Pressure from the catholic church often forced changes, especially with such cards as the Pope and the Female Pope.
The 4 court cards that persisted in the tarot decks... king, queen, knight & page.
These were common in the 15th century CE in many decks, most reverted back to 3 court cards though, loosing the queen in favour of the male cards - except in French (& English) decks where she replaced the knight.
Other feminizations of the court cards...
In some packs of the 15th century that reverted to 3 court cards - the kings of two suits (the female suits?) became queens of the same rank as the kings of the other 2 (male?) suits; also 2 of the knaves were often feminized to maids.
The traditional German (& Swiss) packs appeared from about 1450-1475 CE...
The suits were bells - round hawk bells, acorns, hearts (roses in the Swiss), & leaves (shields in the Swiss). The court cards were king, ober (over) & unter (under). The numerals were 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 (banner in the Swiss) & 2 - or deuces, which were high.
The origins of the modern English playing card suits (which appeared circa 1520 CE) are French…
Circa 1470-80 the French suits were adapted for easier printing, they were tiles (English diamonds, taking the place of coins), hearts (taking the place of cups), clovers (English clubs, from the Sp) and pikes (English spades, from the Sp & It for swords).
Another French innovation of about the same time was the red and black colour of the suit signs...
The 4 suits of the "Latin" decks can readily be divided into 2 groups; the round (female?) suits of coins & cups, & the long (male?) suits of batons and swords. So the round suits: diamonds & hearts, became red; & the long: clubs and spades, became black.
The court cards of the modern English playing cards, again these are derived from the French.
The French court was comprised of king, dame & valet; these led directly to the English king, queen & knave. The knave became known as the "Jack" from about the 1600s - its initial (J) in the corner indices more preferable to that of the knave (kn).
The cards, both tarot & playing, and the supposed occult gift of fortune telling.
The first associations with such things can only realistically be traced back to the late 18th century CE. By this time, the invention & evolution of card decks had led to a cohesive system that could be readily synthesized as a tool for cartomancy.
Tarot cards especially began to be seen as a repository of arcane, magical and occult or mystical lore.
They had always been seen as representing human life & society, but in the late 18- & early 19th centuries the idea that they represented a magical system or body of knowledge began to prevail, causing many wild theories about their now forgotten origins.
Marrying the tarot with a magical system...
During this time the suit of batons became scepters or wands and the suit of coins often became pentacles. The Juggler became the Magician, the Pope became the Hierophant and the Female Pope became the High Priestess.
The Joker is no fool.
The Joker card, depicting a medieval court jester, is a mid 19th century American invention - intended to act as a trump card in the games of euchre and five hundred... it was later adopted as a wild card, especially in some forms of poker.
Here endeth the history lesson...
Now we can look at the proposed Universal Tarot (UT), beginning with the suits of the lesser arcana. Contrary to all revisionist modern tarot decks the suits of the UT shall echo the diamonds, clubs, hearts & spades of the popular playing cards.
Diamonds (using the red diamond design of modern playing cards): signifying the Body.
Representing the coins (pentacles) suit of the traditional tarot. Said to signify the merchant class of the medieval world they are now seen to represent the purely practical concerns of life & society, of physical health, material wealth & property.
Clovers (using the black clubs design of modern playing cards): signifying the Mind.
Representing the batons (wands) suit of the traditional tarot. Signify the peasant class of the medieval world, they now represent the intellectual & emotional maturity, of an individual & of society, & the importance of knowledge & rationality.
Hearts (using the red hearts design of modern playing cards): signifying the Soul.
Representing the cups (chalices) suit of the traditional tarot. Signify the clergy & religious class of the medieval world, they now represent personal relationships & the ethical, social & welfare concerns of the individual & of society or the state.
Blades (using the black spades design of modern playing cards): signifying the Spirit.
Representing the swords suit of the traditional tarot. Signify the nobility & aristocratic class of the medieval world; they are now seen to represent both desires & fears, of an individual & of society - symbolizing aspiration, creativity & attainment.
The ten number, or pip, cards of each Universal Tarot suit:
These are ranked & named according to their number (with indices of the same number); with the exception of 1, which is named the Ace (& has the indices of the letter A) & can be ranked either low (1) or high (15) subject to preference.
The court cards of the Universal Tarot:
following on from the numbered cards in each suit there are four picture cards that constitute the court cards; they are as follows (with ranking before) and [indices after]...
(11) Jacks & Jills [J]
In place of the four pages are now two Jacks (clovers & blades) and two Jills (diamonds & hearts), reinstating the tradition of two male & two female servant cards.
(12) Queens [Q]
Replacing the four knights usually at this rank.
(13) Kings [K]
Replacing the four queens usually at this rank - the queens are now ranked at 12.
(14) Merlins [M]
Two female witches (clovers & blades) and two male wizards (diamonds & hearts). New court cards exclusive to the Universal Tarot - replacing the four kings usually at this rank - kings now ranked at 13.
(0) Excuses [E]
These are the Beggar (diamonds), the Fool (clovers), the Rogue (hearts) and Misery (blades)... unnumbered and therefore unranked but still belonging to a suit - these picture cards are neither court nor trump cards.
The trumps of the tarot:
Traditionally, but by no means always, the trumps of the tarot number 21 (22 if you include the unnumbered fool - which most kabbalists do, to match the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet). They are usually numbered in Roman numerals I (1) - XXI (21).
The trumps of the Universal Tarot constitute a total reappraisal of the number and order of the tarot trumps.
Our new tarot has 26 trumps, I (1) - XXVI (26), to match the 26 letters of the English alphabet (used, in lowercase, as the indices of the cards), as well as to match the 26 "paths" of the Priory's updated Tree of Life - the famous glyph of the kabbala.
I (1): Abbot [a]
Usually numbered V (5); also known as the Pope, the Grand (or Great) Father, the Sultan, the Hierophant, the High-priest, Jupiter or Bacchus (a rare replacement).
II (2): Hermit [b]
Usually numbered IX (9); also known as the Old Man, Time, the Hunchback or the Capuchin (Friar).
III (3): Star [c]
Usually numbered XVII (17); also known as the Dog-star, Sirius, Hope or Venus.
IV (4): Judgment [d]
Usually numbered XX (20) or XXI (21); also known as the Day of Judgment, the Angel, the Trumpet or the Aeon.
V (5): Emperor [e]
Usually numbered IV (4); also known as the Kaiser or the Eastern Emperor.
VI (6): Joker [f]
New as a tarot trump; not to be confused with the Fool or the Juggler.
VII (7): Tower [g]
Usually numbered XVI (16); also known as the Falling Tower, the Blasted Tower, the House of God (or of the Devil), Lightning, the Arrow, Fire or Fire from Heaven.
VIII (8): Temperance [h]
Usually numbered XXIV (14): also known as Time (compare with the Hermit above), the Angel of Time or Art.
IX (9): Harbinger [i]
A totally new tarot trump for the Universal Tarot.
X (10): Fortune [j]
Usually numbered as indicated; also known as the Wheel of Fortune or the Wheel.
XI (11): Justice [k]
Usually numbered VIII (8) or as indicated; also known as Adjustment.
XII (12): Hanged Man [l)
Usually numbered as indicated; also known as the Hanging Man, the Traitor & (rarely) Prudence (mistakenly depicted up-side-down as a man standing on one foot).
XIII (13): Empress [m]
Usually numbered III (3); also known as the Grand (or Great) Mother, sometimes replaced by the Western Emperor or the Grand Duke.
XIV (14): Fortitude [n]
Usually numbered VIII (8) or XI (11); also known as Force, Strength, the Enchantress, Faith or Lust.
XV (15): Triumph [o]
Usually numbered VII (7); also known as the Triumphal Chariot, the Chariot or Mars.
XVI (16): Juggler [p]
Usually numbered I (1); also known as the Mountebank, the Conjurer, the Magician, the Magus or Mercury.
XVII (17): Endeavor [q]
New - based on the Ship (formerly a rare replacement for the Devil - see below).
XVIII (18) Reveler [r]
New - based on Bacchus (formerly a rare replacement for the Pope - see the Abbot above).
XIX (19): Shaman [s]
A totally new tarot trump for the Universal Tarot.
XX (20): Sun [t]
Usually numbered XIX (19); also known as Apollo.
XXI (21): Lovers [u]
Usually numbered VI (6); also known as Cupid, Marriage or the Decision.
XXII (22): Abbess [v]
Usually numbered II (2); also known as the Popess, Pope Joan, Juno, Constancy, Prudence or the High Priestess.
XXIII (23): Devil [w]
Usually numbered XV (15); also known as Pan, the Satyr, Saturn or the Ship (a rare replacement - see Endeavor above).
XXIV (24): Universe [x]
Usually numbered XX (20) or XXI (21); also known as the World, the System or Time.
XXV (25): Death [y]
Usually numbered XIII (13 - possibly the origin of "unlucky 13"); also known as the Reaper.
XXVI (26): Moon [z]
Usually numbered XVIII (18); also known as Diana.
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