It is not unusual for some occultist to exclaim that Tarot cards where developed in Egypt, or written by Egyptian God Thoth as a complete and secret book of magic, but only for those that have mastered the interpretation of the symbols.

It has been stated by some that they were the mystical cards of the Egyptian Pharaohs which enabled them to gain access to next world, similar to a pocket pack of the Book of the Dead. Gypsies have also been credited for invented them, and therefore distributing them all around the world. It is interesting to note that "gypsy" is considered by some to be a corrupt form of "Egyptian.". And at the other extreme some even believe that the Tarot cards are signs that have been left here by alien cultures
Although many have tried to establish the true the true origin of the Tarot, we are still unsure who created the first deck. Naturally, they may have developed from simple cards used to play games. It appears that earliest known book of Tarot cards still in existence, dates from around 1840. but it is not a full deck.

Through the years the idea that cards could have meaning, especially when randomly drawn gained popular acceptance and therefore its tool as a means of divination grew.

It was no until the late the early 1800's when Eliphas Levi, created the blueprint for the Tarot cards used today. During their development he assigned Hebrew letters and planetary association to each of the 22 Major Arcana cards and the suits took on mystical representations; Swords, Disks, Wands and Cups. Some occultist began to further diverse the cards with certain powers through the symbols contained within them.

It s not inconceivable to see the cards can or do represent open and presumably hidden occult symbolism and as a result the Catholic Church quickly classed the tarot as the “the devil's picture book". Just to own a deck of Tarot cards was extremely dangerous. Even today the Catholic Church forbids any for of divination as a sin.

There is certainly some true in the interpretation of the symbols being consistent and standard across different traditions, as we thinks in symbols and over the years symbols can acquire powerful associations, think about the crucifix, and therefore have a direct influence on our conscious or subconscious mind.

Therefore it is not important from a Pauline Art (Angelic) perspective where the Tarot cards originated, but the information that they contain. Clearly the images have a profound psychological impact on those that study the symbolism, call this spiritual insight if you wish.

By tradition, the development of the cards has generally been undertaken by the occult fraternity, with the inclusion of symbolic references and correspondent images. From this we can only assume that the cards do have spiritual entity links. From the Pauline Art this link is through Gods Archangels. The Tarot is but a tool and St. Paul reminds us, "We know that God makes all things work together for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His decree" (Rom 8:28).

Finally from a Christian, especially a Catholic perspective, the cards are still classed as evil. Consider this; it is only human to fear what is unknown. For those who consider the cards as evil as proposed by their particular religion, consider that every religion states that if you do not believe in their particular philosophy or teaching than you are evil in their eyes. Is it not true then that most of us must be evil, in this context, from someone else’s philosophical perspective.

Occult contributors to the development of the Tarot:

Eliphas Levi (aka: Alphonse Louis Constant,), 1810-1875.
Papus (Gerard Encausse, 1865-1916).
A. E. Waite (1857-1942).