EPISODE · May 18, 2026 · 36 MIN
The Real History of Tarot Cards (A French Pastor Lied)
from Delusional Bitch Juice · host Heather Nations
We are continuing with the pivot from pop culture to witchy solo episodes for this season and this week: the real 600-year history of tarot, the secret society behind the most iconic deck ever made, and the artist who drew every card you've ever pulled — and got paid once, no royalties. Why everything Antoine Court de Gébelin claimed about tarot and ancient Egypt is wrong — and why the real story is actually more interesting. How a Brooklyn-born occultist and a Jamaican-British artist created the most iconic tarot deck of all time, inside the same secret society. What the Fool card has meant for 600 years straight — and hasn't needed a single reinterpretation. Follow Delusional Witch Juice wherever you get your podcasts. If this episode made you pull out your deck, leave a review — it helps more than you know.Sources for this episode:Metropolitan Museum of Art — Tarot History (free to read online)Morgan Library — Visconti-Sforza Collection (the actual cards, viewable online)Collector's Weekly: Tarot Mythology by Hunter Ottman-StanfordMary K. Greer's Tarot Blog — translation of Court de Gébelin's original 1781 essayArtnet News: The Artist and Oculist Who Designed the Iconic Tarot Deck and Why Has No One Ever Heard of Her Name
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The Real History of Tarot Cards (A French Pastor Lied)
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