TAROT AND THE MISSING LINK

              Tarot and the Missing Link - I
The origin and meaning of the word Tarot is Egyptian in origin.  Tar-ra, the Road to Knowledge or the Royal Road.

Antonine Court De Gebelins, a French occultist and philosopher in the 1700's is often credited with the beginnings of the Tarot as we know it today.  By combining a parlor card game and  Egyptian hieroglyphs the Tarot cards were supposedly born.  De Gebelins was fascinated with Egyptian culture and the Book of Thoth which had been copied from hieroglyphs to gold tablets.  It was this transfer to tablets that inspired De Gebelins.  He put two and two together, called it a revelation and there you have it.  Shortly after, 
Jean Baptist Alliette, a spiritualist, took De Gebelins idea/revelation and designed his own version of Tarot cards.  In 1788 Alliette formed the Society for the Interpretation of the Book of Thoth.  To date it is considered perhaps the closest version of the original Book of Thoth.  It was not until the invention of the printing press that Tarot cards became available to wealthy enthusiasts all over Europe.  
There we have it...or do we?  I could just leave this here... but we are on a journey together, to travel through time, to put the pieces together, to discover historical secrets and legends which will lead each one of us to decide for ourselves what IS the truth about the origins of the Tarot.  
Let's look at the REAL beginning... let's look at the "most important book ever written in human history" according to Peter Gandy, researcher in western mystery traditions and ancient texts.  Let's look at Book of Thoth.  
The Book of Thoth you say?  Yes.  This book plays an integral part in our journey.  Other key players will be Trismegistus (thrice great) Hermes, the Greek philosopher credited with The Seven Laws of the Universe.  Laws that I aspire to live by, as do most pagan practitioners.  The catholics, christians, the Renaissance period, Allister Crowley and finally let's NOT forget the missing link! 
Just a bit of trivia here, did you know that the Acquarian Age was referred to in the Book of Thoth? Remember the Age of Aquarius...boy I do!
Egyptian scholars tell us that this monumental 5000 year old book contains spells that predict the future handed down from Thoth himself.  Let's find out a bit about Thoth.
Martin Raven, archeologist, has been digging at a 4000 year old burial ground in the Nile Valley and it reveals a pantheon of Gods, including Thoth.  
Thoth was the scribe of the Egyptian Gods.  He himself was a God, the God of magick, healing, and wisdom.  It was said that the mortal readers of his book would experience great powers.  Glen Godinho, University of Liverpool, says that this book and it's wisdom would allow humans to talk to the animals, access the afterlife and understand the mysteries of the Universe.  
Peter Gandy, tells of a legend about a mysterious magician that somehow acquired the original Book of Thoth and after reading it suddenly understood all language, including the language of animals and all the inhabitants of the earth.  He understood the stars, the great creation and the grand design of it all.  News of this fantastic book spread all over Egypt and lands far, far away.  The news even touched Alexander the Great.    After the invasion of Egypt by the Greeks, they became captivated...even spellbound by the pyramids, statuary, hieroglyphs, their temples and Gods.  This led to the adoption of some of the Egyptian beliefs and their Gods...one being Thoth.  The Greeks already had their beloved Hermes, the patron of science, writing, and philosophy.  Ultimately they equated Hermes and Thoth as the same God.  They created a blended version of the Book of Thoth and the teachings of Hermes.  The Corpus Hermeticum.  But, after they did so, the Egyptian text became confused.  The Greek text devoured it and the original text simply disappeared.  Legend says that the last original copy of the Book of Thoth was buried along with the mysterious magician in Egypt.  
It would not be rediscovered for thousands of years.
Now that this blogger is twisted and gimped up like a pretzel I will end part I of our journey with the last words that the Thrice Great Hermes gave to us on his death bed.
"Wise words, although written by my decaying hand, remain imperishable through time; Imbued with the medicine of immortality by the All-Master.  Be unseen and undiscovered by all those who will come and go, wandering the wastelands of life.  Be hidden, until and older heaven births human beings who are worthy of your wisdom."
Having sounded this prayer over the works of his hands, Hermes was received in the sanctuary of eternity.  The Hermetica, The Lost Wisdom of the Pharaohs by Freke and Gandy
Good night friends, until Publication II   R :}