Taromancy
MancyDefinition
The technical name for divination performed using tarot cards, treated as a distinct discipline within the broader category of cartomancy (card divination).
Origin
The term "taromancy" entered English in the 19th century as occultism developed its own taxonomy. Earlier French sources used cartomancie, treating tarot as one variant. The "-mancy" suffix derives from Greek manteia (divination), as in necromancy or geomancy.
Development
Taromancy is distinguished from card games using tarot decks (tarocchi, tarock) — the same physical objects used for radically different purposes. The split between game and divination dates only to the late 18th-century French esoteric reinterpretation.
In Practice
Taromantic practice ranges from intuitive readings (one-card meditation) to systematic readings (Celtic Cross, astrological wheel layouts) to long-form story-telling readings. The shared element is treating the random card draw as meaningful rather than incidental.
Deeper Reading
The word reminds us that tarot is one form of cartomancy among many. Playing cards (cartomancy with 52 cards), Lenormand cards, oracle decks, and tarot cards all support divination, with overlapping but distinct techniques. Taromancy is specifically the 78-card practice.
See Also
- tarot divination
- tarot reading
- cartomancia con tarot
- taromanzia