Open data · version 1.0.0
StarTarot RWS historical tarot dataset
A reusable English dataset covering all 78 Rider–Waite–Smith cards. It preserves traceable historical meanings and normalizes Golden Dawn correspondences without presenting tarot as scientific prediction.
- 78 cards
- English data
- CC BY 4.0
- JSONL + CSV
DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.21381780↗ Get the data
Version 1.0.0 is published on three services: Zenodo preserves the archival release, while Hugging Face and Kaggle host byte-identical mirrors of the same files.
When using a mirror, match both the version number and checksums; cite the Zenodo DOI for the exact archived release.
What this dataset is
The dataset was assembled independently from identified historical sources. It is intended for research, digital humanities, education, cataloguing, search, and source-aware software applications.
This localized page explains the release, but version 1.0.0 of the data itself is English-only. The public package is separate from the multilingual editorial text and AI prompt layer used by StarTarot.online.
Scope and contents
Each record represents one card and keeps structural metadata, historical divinatory wording, source locators, and normalized correspondences together.
Included
- Stable identifiers and standard English RWS card names
- Arcana, suit, rank, number, and suit element
- Waite upright and reversed wording with section locators
- Golden Dawn title, element, planet, zodiac, and decan fields where assigned
- Record-level source identifiers and integrity checksums
Not included
- Card artwork or scans
- Personal or user-generated data
- AI-generated interpretations or conversation logs
- Internal multilingual editorial prompts
- Claims of scientific validity or guaranteed outcomes
Release files
The compact package uses open, widely supported formats and includes everything needed to inspect provenance and verify integrity.
| File | Purpose |
|---|
cards.jsonl | Canonical nested form; one JSON record per card. |
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cards.csv | Flattened UTF-8 table for spreadsheets and analysis. |
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README.md | Dataset card, methodology, fields, sources, and limits. |
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LICENSE | CC BY 4.0 terms and public-domain source notice. |
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checksums.sha256 | SHA-256 integrity checks for the release files. |
|---|
Provenance and verification
Primary historical publications determine the data. A modern scholarly review is used only to cross-check scope and context, not as a source of card wording.
Documented sources
Normalization decisions
- RWS numbering is retained: Strength 8 and Justice 11.
- Court elements follow the source-aware RWS mapping; King and Knight are not silently swapped to another convention.
- The Two of Cups reversed value is explicitly located in Waite’s additional meanings because the main entry has no reversed line.
- Judgement and The World retain their second explicit attributions instead of losing them during flattening.
- Yes/no labels are excluded because they are reading conventions, not historical card properties.
Selected historical bibliography
These works were reviewed as historical context. They document adjacent or later systems and were not used to overwrite fields derived from Waite or Liber LXXVIII.
- Mathers, S. L. MacGregor (1888). The Tarot: Its Occult Signification, Use in Fortune-Telling, and Method of Play. London: George Redway.
- Papus [Gérard Encausse] (1889). Le Tarot des Bohémiens: Clef absolue de la science occulte. Paris: Georges Carré. English translation by A. P. Morton (London: Chapman and Hall, 1892).
- Ouspensky, P. D. (1913). The Symbolism of the Tarot: Philosophy of Occultism in Pictures and Numbers. Translated by A. L. Pogossky. St Petersburg: Trood Printing and Publishing Co.
- Thierens, A. E. (1930). General Book of the Tarot. Philadelphia: David McKay Co.
License and responsible reuse
StarTarot’s selection, normalization, structure, and original documentation are released under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International. Public-domain historical material remains public domain; the license does not create new exclusive rights in it.
Read the CC BY 4.0 license↗
Suggested attribution
StarTarot (2026), StarTarot English Rider–Waite–Smith Historical Meanings and Golden Dawn Correspondences, version 1.0.0, CC BY 4.0. Zenodo: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21381780
Limitations
- This is a historical and cultural reference dataset, not evidence that tarot predicts events.
- Meanings vary by school, deck, period, spread, surrounding cards, and reader.
- Historical language can be archaic or person-specific and requires context.
- The data must not replace medical, legal, financial, or mental-health advice.
- Downstream model builders should document transformations, evaluation, and any added interpretations.
StarTarot.online
Explore the cards in context
Read the multilingual card guide for accessible explanations, or open the tarot spread catalog to see how card position and surrounding cards change an interpretation.