Tarot

refers to a group of playing cards which were used in Europe from the mid-15th century onwards, for both games and divinatory purposes. Different variations have been created by certain people, including Aleister Crowley.
In Toaru Majutsu no Index, Tarot cards are used as the basis for certain forms of Magic, in particular that of Golden-style Magic.
==Principles==
A deck of Tarot cards consists of 78 cards divided into two categories, the Major Arcana of 22 trump cards and the Minor Arcana of 56 suit cards. Each of the 78 cards carries a certain set of potential meanings, symbolism and interpretations (and in some cases, misinterpretations), some of which differ between versions.
The meanings represented by the cards change depending on several factors, such as the type of spread being used, the positions of the cards in the spread, their positions in relation to another, and the orientation of the cards, either upright or reversed.
Using these factors, Tarot cards can be used for Magic in many different ways. For example, using a certain card after another can strengthen the useful symbols of the first card, or the troublesome ones, and a reversed card, though perhaps yielding troublesome symbols, could be used to take advantage of the affinities between the four elements. Chapter 7 Part 7
===Major Arcana===
The is the first category of cards in a Tarot Deck, consisting of 22 trump cards numbered from 0 to 21. Each of the 22 Major Arcana is associated with one of the pathways connecting a sephira on the Tree of Sephirot.
In the standard Golden-style Tarot, also referred to as the , the Major Arcana tells the story of the Son of God, from birth to execution and resurrection, in order to draw on a portion of his power. Connected to the 22 paths on the Sephirot tree, they are meant to acquire a technique of entering the realm of god with a human body, miracles which can be explained by Christianity. Chapter 2 Part 4 The GD Tarot is also described as a reinterpretation using the secrets of Kabbalah in attempt to remove the original sin people are born with. Chapter 3 Part 4 Though they are intended to be used with arrangements based on the Sephiroth, it is also possible to perform a Telesma-level summoning using an alternative arrangement based on the Qliphoth, as demonstrated by Aleister Crowley. Chapter 3 Part 6
In the used by Aleister Crowley, the meaning behind the Major Arcana is different although based on the same tree. It instead starts at the birth of Christianity and follows it through to its destruction at Armageddon, and to the new Aeon arriving afterwards. In this version, the Hanged Man's meaning is different and Judgement is replaced with The Aeon. Instead of arriving at the realm of god, it is aimed at destroying the 'closed ceiling' of god's territory and bringing humanity to the next stage above it. Chapter 2 Part 4 The Thoth Tarot, which also form the core of an original grimoire of the same name, contains the essence of the Holy Guardian Angel Aiwass. Chapter 4 Part 7
Although there is a common general order to the Major Arcana across variations of the Tarot, there are a few cards which are placed in a different order depending on the variant. The positions of Strength and Justice are sometimes exchanged between decks, filling either the eighth or eleventh positions. One particularly disputed card is the #0, The Fool. Depending on the theory, it can be anywhere between the Magician (#1) and the World (#21) in the Major Arcana, or even at the very end after the Major Arcana, and depending on its position, the same arrangement of cards can have entirely different meanings. Gébelin and Waite placed the Fool at the start, while Levi put it between #20 and #21, and Westcott gave it the final #22 position. Aleister also placed it at the start, though he wasn't completely sure when making the Thoth Tarot.
Of the Major Arcana, only , and , have been seen used in Toaru Majutsu no Index as of yet, used by Leivinia Birdway, Arthur Edward Waite and Mina Mathers respectively. A combination of the Major Arcana from the Fool through to the World is apparently capable of greatly increasing the user's parameters temporarily, enabling them to execute supersonic movements. Epilogue
# 	Name 	Meanings 	Usage in Toaru Majutsu no Index
0 	 	 	N/A
I 	 	Cleverness, willpower, an enemy's trap, the beginning of change, the chance to begin something	The Lady of the Masquerade Ball once made use of 'The Magician' from the then-prototype GD Tarot in a remote curse in a failed attempt to assassinate Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers.
II 	 	 	Around the time of an incident while the Golden Dawn were prototyping their Tarot, 'The High Priestess' appeared in a reading performed by Mina Mathers under Arthur Edward Waite's direction.
III 	 	 	N/A
IV 	 	 	N/A
V 	 	 	N/A
VI 	 	 	N/A
VII 	 	 	N/A
VIII 	 	 	N/A
IX 	 	 	N/A
X 	 	 	N/A
XI 	 	 	N/A
XII 	 	Sacrifice, Surrender, Suspense, Reversing, Defeat 	
*Leivinia Birdway makes use of an intentionally misinterpretation of Aleister Crowley's version of the card, which symbolizes the death of the Son of God who represents an age. By misinterpreting it as a symbol of execution, she can make it compatible with things that pierce the body, such as bullets, allowing her to divert piercing damage dealt to her to the card instead. Chapter 2
*Around the time of an incident while the Golden Dawn were prototyping their Tarot, 'The Hanged Moon' appeared in a reading performed by Mina Mathers under Arthur Edward Waite's direction.
XIII 	 	 	Thirteen Death derives her name from this card and its number, and describes herself as such.Toaru Majutsu no Index: Imaginary Fest
XIV 	/The Art 	Accomplishment of a phenomenon 	N/A
XV 	 	 	N/A
XVI 	 	Disaster, Shock, Destruction, Doom 	
*Arthur Edward Waite makes use of the card, depicting a tower being destroyed by lighting and symbolizing destruction and shock, in his hand as a weapon, using the card's edge as a blade to slice and sever, enough to behead a human. Chapter 1 Part 7
*Around the time of an incident while the Golden Dawn were prototyping their Tarot, 'The Tower' appeared in a reading performed by Mina Mathers under Waite's direction.
XVII 	 	 	N/A
XVIII	 	 	N/A
XIX 	 	 	N/A
XX 	/The Aeon	Final choice 	Using 'The Aeon', the Reading Thoth 78 (also known as the grimoire Thoth Tarot) is capable of drawing on Aiwass's power.
XXI 	 	 	N/A
===Minor Arcana===
The is the second category of cards found in a Tarot deck, comprised of 56 cards divided in four suits; Cups, Swords, Wand and Coins. Each suit is comprised of 4 court cards; a King, a Queen, a Knight, and a Page, as well as number cards from Ace (1) to 10. The suits also have a specific element and color associated with them. Rather than connecting directly to a sephira like the Major Arcana, the Minor Arcana are used to produce symbolic weapons of their element.Toaru Majutsu no Index SS: Mark Space
Suit	Element	Colour	Meanings
 	Fire 	Red 	Will, Intellect
 	Water 	Blue 	Emotions, Spiritual
 	Air 	Yellow	Change, Flow
 	Earth 	Green 	Material aspects
Golden-style organizations make use of the Minor Arcana cards which have been optimized to be used as symbolic weapons that activating a spell associated with their element. Though they share the same attribute, these symbolic weapons are not all equal. The ones with greater numbers aren't necessarily stronger than the ones with lesser numbers - the number changes the power that manifests, meaning each card activates a different spell.
These cards are generally intended to be used in large-scale ceremonies rather than in battle. However by activating the cards reactively in order within an area, as though one were randomly flipping them up on a table, a "table" dyed in the attributes of a suit can be prepared for such a ceremony. With a chain of multiple cards complete, a Golden-style ceremony can be carried out to draw in Telesma and summon the power of an Archangel.
With the use of the cards, the number cards indicate the type of phenomenon which is to occur, while the court cards indicate who or what the phenomenon is to occur to, and store the Telesma which has been gathered.
Out of the suit cards, only the wind-aligned Sword cards have appeared in Toaru Majutsu no Index as of yet, used by Mark Space. Aside from the cards themselves, Leivinia Birdway makes use of the aspects of the four suits with her symbolic weapon, a wooden wand capable of changing forms from a wand to a cup, sword and disc to use elemental magic corresponding to the respective suits. Chapter 7 Part 8 Chapter 7 Part 10
====Suit of Swords====
The Suit of Swords represents yellow, the wind, flow and change. It is symbolized by a . Chapter 3 Part 5
Name	Meaning 	Usage in Toaru Majutsu no Index
 	 	By making the card stab a distant object, Mark Space can instantly travel to it.
 	Silence, interruption 	Mark Space uses the card to split mind and body apart, causing his target to lose consciousness.
 	The trigger of mayhem, sorrow that invites bad luck	Mark Space uses this card to make air become a giant sword which he uses to attack.
 	Flight, banishment 	Mark Space uses the card to allow him and everything he holds to disappear into thin air, in order to escape violence. The card floats in the air in the meantime and he reappears after evading the attack.
 	 	Mark Space's Five of Swords produces a slicing wind attack.
 	The chance to answer a difficult question 	N/A
 	 	N/A
 	Hindrance, a wall, a weight 	
Mark Space's Eight of Swords creates a wall of wind to protect against an attack. By quickly spinning it before the effect wears off, reversing the card's meaning, the power being scattered outward is transformed into an attacking sword.
 	 	N/A. During the battle on the Blue Research, the card fell from Mark's hand before its effects could be seen.
 	
*Upright: Great tragedy, greatest among the Minor Arcana.
*Reversed: A strong heart fighting against unreasonable atrocities.	The effects of Mark Space's card were not shown when he used it at the end of a chain combo to defeat Wyss Winered, utilizing the Telesma called in and stored in the court cards, though it might have been the key to activate the complete ceremony.
 	 	
One of the suit's court cards, used to call in and store the Telesma summoned during ceremonies. While the number cards indicate the type of phenomenon to occur, the court cards determine who the phenomenon occurs to. When Mark Space made use of a full chain combo with the Sword number cards, dying the "table" yellow, the court cards contained Telesma equivalent to a portion of the corresponding Archangel's power, which was used to first defeat Wyss Winered, causing large damage to the Blue Research, then to save the ship by causing bubbles to explosively increase the volume of the water below it, forcibly lifting it to avoid a down wave.
 	 	
One of the suit's court cards, used to call in and store the Telesma summoned during ceremonies. While the number cards indicate the type of phenomenon to occur, the court cards determine who the phenomenon occurs to. When Mark Space made use of a full chain combo with the Sword number cards, dying the "table" yellow, the court cards contained Telesma equivalent to a portion of the corresponding Archangel's power, which was used to first defeat Wyss Winered, causing large damage to the Blue Research, then to save the ship by causing bubbles to explosively increase the volume of the water below it, forcibly lifting it to avoid a down wave.
 	 	
One of the suit's court cards, used to call in and store the Telesma summoned during ceremonies. While the number cards indicate the type of phenomenon to occur, the court cards determine who the phenomenon occurs to. When Mark Space made use of a full chain combo with the Sword number cards, dying the "table" yellow, the court cards contained Telesma equivalent to a portion of the corresponding Archangel's power, which was used to first defeat Wyss Winered, causing large damage to the Blue Research, then to save the ship by causing bubbles to explosively increase the volume of the water below it, forcibly lifting it to avoid a down wave.
 	 	
One of the suit's court cards, used to call in and store the Telesma summoned during ceremonies. While the number cards indicate the type of phenomenon to occur, the court cards determine who the phenomenon occurs to. When Mark Space made use of a full chain combo with the Sword number cards, dying the "table" yellow, the court cards contained Telesma equivalent to a portion of the corresponding Archangel's power, which was used to first defeat Wyss Winered, causing large damage to the Blue Research, then to save the ship by causing bubbles to explosively increase the volume of the water below it, forcibly lifting it to avoid a down wave.
===Other===
Aleister Crowley's AI, Reading Thoth 78's name is derived from the Thoth Tarot deck variation created by him, named after the Egyptian deity Thoth. 78 is the number of all the cards of the Tarot. The same Thoth Tarot is incorporated into its core, also making an original grimoire of the same name.
The term 'Rota' (which means wheel in Latin), which is featured in a Rosicrucian text, has also been associated with Tarot as it is an anagram of the similar word 'Taro'.
==Background==
Although Tarot did not have a prominent association with the occult originally, the work of magicians in the 18th and 19th centuries, such as and , Chapter 3 Part 3 Between the Lines 2 resulted in Tarot coming to be commonly interpreted as a means for divination and magic.
At some point, the term 'Rota', notably featured in a Rosicrucian text, would come to be associated with Tarot through the anagram 'Taro'.
During the time of the Golden Dawn, Arthur Edward Waite played a key role in the development of the cabal's own variation of Tarot, the GD Tarot. Aleister Crowley would later develop his own derivative, known as the Thoth Tarot.
==Chronology==
===Toaru Majutsu no Index===
===Shinyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index===
====Hawaii Invasion Arc====
During the events in Hawaii, Leivinia Birdway made use of a deliberate misinterpretation of the Hanged Man in order to have the card take damage from a gunshot instead of her, while Mark Space made use of his Minor Arcana in battle with a member of .
====World Rejecter Arc====
====Aleister Crowley Arc====
During the events in the Windowless Building on December 11th, the recreation of Aleister Crowley's past shown to Kamijou Touma included his use of Tarot in a Qliphoth-based arrangement for a summoning before Mathers and Westcott shortly after joining the Golden Dawn. Later, in the battle with Aleister himself, the recreated Mina Mathers, an entity born as a result of the Thoth Tarot being incorporated into the parallel processing device Reading Thoth 78 and forming a grimoire of the same name, made use of the Aeon against Aiwass to buy some time for Touma.
====Coronzon Arc====
During the events surrounding the Crowley's Hazard invasion of the United Kingdom and the Ceremony of Mo Athair, Tarot-based grimoires created by Coronzon were used to reproduce the members of Golden Dawn as an anti-Crowley measure.
====Kamijou Arc====
Tarot, in particular the Fool, was referenced during the discussion between Aiwass and Anna Sprengel, Between the Lines 2 and brought up by Qliphah Puzzle 545 and Dion Fortune in the Windsor pub meeting, Chapter 3 Part 3 both with regards to the situation surrounding Kamijou Touma and his doppelganger, with a comparison to the wandering #0.
===Souyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index===
====Post-Handcuffs Arc====
On December 29th, during his encounter with Touma and the boy's rejection of his help in resolving the situation surrounding the escaped prisoners who survived Operation Handcuffs in favor of trying to overturn the fixed bad ending he had been told awaited, Aleister expressed frustration at seeing a glimpse of the Thelema leading to the 21st Aeon in the home he had already abandoned, remarking how the things he pursued always seem to elude him and the things he discarded turn out to be treasures. Chapter 3 Part 4
====New Year's Arc====
During his clash with Touma and the unleashed dragon, "CRC" made use of a full deck of Tarot cards, spread in a circle in mid-air, invoking the connection between the term 'Rota' with Tarot through the rearrangement 'Taro', as well as the 78 cards' connection to the 10 spheres and 22 pathways and the light which enters through them from beyond the tree, producing a beam of light which temporarily split the dragon's maw. Chapter 4 Part 2
While Mina Mathers and Dion Fortune were concluding their business in Nuremberg, Lilith Crowley was playing with some Thoth Tarot cards, with Mina noting some unsettling appearances (including the Hanged Man and the Aeon) and absences (The Tower and the Art) among the cards. Chapter 1 Part 7
===Side Stories===
====Souyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index SS====
==Gallery==
ORBIS TERRARUM. XXI.PNG|A variant of the 21st Major Arcana, the World, as seen on the rear cover of Shinyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 21
==Trivia==
*The individual parts of Toaru Kagaku no Railgun: Cold Game are designated after the Major Arcana, in numerical order.
*For the series 20th anniversary, a set of Toaru-themed Tarot cards were released by Animate, based on the deck.Animate
# 	Name 	Character 	Notes
0 	The Fool (愚者) 	Kamijou Touma 	Image from .
I 	The Magician (魔術師) 	Stiyl Magnus 	Image from .
II 	The High Priestess (女教皇) 	Kanzaki Kaori 	Image from .
III 	The Empress (女帝) 	Shokuhou Misaki 	Image from .
IV 	The Emperor (皇帝) 	Accelerator 	Image from .
V 	The Hierophant (教皇) 	Aleister Crowley 	Image from .
VI 	The Lovers (恋人) 	Itsuwa 	Image from .
VII 	The Chariot (戦車) 	Mugino Shizuri 	Image from .
VIII 	Strength (力) 	Sogiita Gunha 	Image from .
IX 	The Hermit (隠者) 	Tsukuyomi Komoe 	Image from .
X 	Wheel of Fortune (運命の車輪) 	Misaka Mikoto 	Image from .
XI 	Justice (正義) 	Shirai Kuroko 	Image from .
XII 	The Hanged Man (吊るされた男) 	Tsuchimikado Motoharu 	Image from .
XIII 	Death (死神) 	Frenda Seivelun 	Image from .
XIV 	Temperance (節制) 	Orsola Aquinas 	Image from .
XV 	The Devil (悪魔) 	Kakine Teitoku 	Image from .
XVI 	The Tower (塔) 	Sisters (Misaka 10032) 	Image from .
XVII 	The Star (星) 	Kazakiri Hyouka 	Image from .
XVIII	The Moon (月) 	Agnese Sanctis 	Image from .
XIX 	The Sun (太陽) 	Uiharu Kazari 	Image from .
XX 	Judgement (審判) 	Last Order 	Image from .
XXI 	The World (世界) 	Index Librorum Prohibitorum	Image from .
==External Links==
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==References==
Category:Magic
Category:Magic Formats
Category:Terminology