Background Info:

Tarot (Tar-oh) is a system of symbolism and philosophy consisting of a set of 78 images, normally embodied in a deck of cards similar to a regular set of game-playing cards (see playing card). In the English speaking world, they are most often encountered as a form of cartomancy.

The earliest extant examples of Tarot decks are of Italian origin and roughly date back to the 15th century, when they were used to play the game of Tarocchi. In the course of its development it became connected to cartomancy and thence to occult studies. The set of 78 images, rich with symbolic meaning, is considered by students of this "occult" or "esoteric" Tarot (tarotists practising tarotism) to be independent of the particular representation as a deck of cards; consequently they focus on the study of the images (and their symbolic meanings) as distinct from any particular instance.

In addition to its philosophical and divinatory uses, Tarot is also used as an aid to meditation.

The occult associations of Tarot are considered taboo in some competing philisophical circles. Strict forms of Christianity, for example, may be incompatible with Tarot or any other occult studies.

The Tarot Deck

The conventional 78-card deck is structured into two distinct sets, called the Minor Arcana and Major Arcana (arcana is the plural of the Latin word arcanum, meaning "hidden truth" or "secret knowledge"). Alternate names are the Minor Trumps and Major Trumps, or simply the Minors and the Trumps.

you can read more on tarot here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarot

{NOTE: we'll only be using the Major Arcana (22 cards) for the game and we'll be using the Thoth Tarot Deck by Aleister Crowley since its symbolism is more culturally widespread than the Rider-Waite deck)