There are different opinions out there as to from where the tarot originated.
The priests of the Temple of Serapis, the Serapeum in Alexandria, when it was under attack by the popes men, managed to secure some of the most precious of the volumes from the library before it was looted and then burned. One of the things the descendants of these HP's who became nomadic and a people apart with a tradition of magic, mystery and even a separate language preserved was the wisdom of Thoth. This was written as a 'book' of wisdom in the language of symbols.
Symbols, pictures, transcend language; they are universal code, bypassing the barrier of language to speak directly to the soul. This 'book' was an oracular system, designed for the use of individuals (that is, it was personal and relevant to the querent), which is directly opposite to dogma, as an aid to accessing spiritual guidance and inspiration. An interactive system by which the seeker of wisdom could access the first principle, meaning the wisdom that permeates and created the universe. This book or more rightly, this interactive living tool was the Tarot.
The author Samuel Roberts wrote about the Egyptian origin of the tarot in his book The Gypsies:
"When Gypsies originally arrived in England is very uncertain. They are first noticed in our laws, by several statutes against them in the reign of Henry VIII.; in which they are described as 'an outlandish people, calling themselves Egyptians, who do not profess any craft or trade, but go about in great numbers.”
The tarot is thus a grouping of a series of hieroglyphs. Recall, the Egyptians wrote in a language of symbols. The cards correspond to distinct principles, laws, and powers. They act together in interpretation via the effect of one agent operating upon the other and this is very true. As a reader, its not just the basic knowledge of the meanings of each card but how they relate to one another that one can read intuitively. And its also true that the cards 'speak'. When the connection is strong, one can 'feel' it. It feels like electricity, moving on and around ones self. The use of the tool can help raise the level of ones intuition. It opens a channel, like making a phone call. Which is kind of its function. The One True God lies within. Which is why Satan (Serapis) says I am the One true God. It's a living example, meant to be emulated, not worshipped.
The person reading with this tool utilizes the deck as an aid in order to gain insights, messages and suggestions, wisdom. This wisdom is accessed via the connection which is in our souls - to the First Principle, or source of universal wisdom. The cards can be startlingly accurate. They are like the vowels and consonants of a philosophical language and the cards can and do 'speak'. They also contain numerology in the sense that each card and its meanings have numbers that correspond to the meaning also.
Tarot is derived from two Egyptian words. Tar meaning 'road' and Ro meaning 'royal'. Tarot thus means:
“The Royal Road to Wisdom”.
The cards are in fact key to the magical constitution of man.
Remember, ancient Egypt was a center of learning. Many scholars went there to learn about the mystery (occult) teachings and then brought that legacy home to their own cultures.
In the Tibetan Book of the Dead, in the earlier publications (since removed from later editions,) there was a notation alongside the main body of text which literally states that if one wants to talk to the dead, you must take the 'Royal Golden Road'. It said do not go to mediums (going to one 'without'). Taking the royal golden road means learning to travel out of body lucidly and speak to beings in the non local dimensions face to face, consciously. No mediators. It means connecting consciously to ones own soul. Their tradition is that of the dream yogin, one who learns to consciously separate from the physical and travel. Golden because it has to do with connecting to ones soul (first principle), the higher soul that is separated from the dross and is thus, gold.
I remember being accosted in this astral OBE state by another who was also conscious and the first thing they said to me was they asked me:
"How long have you been able to travel?”
When one is journeying in the astral lucidly, one attracts attention. The beings there, many of whom are not human or human friendly, will notice you, be drawn to you. This happened to me all the time. Some of these beings are goodly, some not, some neutral (who can sometimes be the most dangerous because you can't tell what they are till they act – which could be too late).
Humanity is trapped in a kind of frequency box, and there are 'guardians' of these areas. This is why people striving to learn occult things get attacked. Back in the day, we had temples to go to where we could be taught about these things in a space that was made safe, in groups with those who were more advanced (HP's deeply versed in occult lore and the deities (super advanced non-terrestrial beings). Now, we're forced to walk alone in a world that discounts the spiritual in favour of gross commercialism and consumerism. Cut off by the frequency fence and isolated so we do the best we can, alone (for the most part). I know for myself I was fortunate; I had the benefit of finding teachers. But even so, it's a struggle.
People from all over went to Egypt to learn what they could from the Masters. And this knowledge was brought back to places like Syria. It's also probable as well that when the Knights Templars were in this area and had contact with the Saracens or other mystical sects, they acquired knowledge (as it in its turn had been acquired) which they then incorporated into their own philosophical and magical lore, and brought back with them to Europe.
The mystery teachings went far and wide, as far as India, Arabia, and again, eventually found its way to southern Europe.
When the Templars returned to Europe, they were in an atmosphere of enforced christianity and remember, according to the church, anything not of their teaching was considered heretical, so one could find oneself being tortured for that. To avoid such a fate, they concealed the arcane meaning of the symbols and introduced it as just an amusing game and a means to gamble. And yet, there are still clues. For example, the jesters 'cap' is the symbol for gold, corresponding to The Fool of the Major Arcana. It is the zero point energy field in the act of dissolution and also of becoming. It speaks to the search in this labyrinth for true gold. The gold of the soul. Of reconnection to ones soul (and its power). Because, as fractals of the first principle, we too, have the inherent possibility and nature to rise to become as a god, and be able to in our own turn, create universes. This is symbolized in the fool card. Its the zero point. The number for the card is zero. The point at which we begin. Its also a reference to zero point energy. The science behind the magic.
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When an individual begins their journey through the labyrinth (this life on earth, this duat, this middle earth), we are ignorant. The 'fool' isn't stupid; he's ignorant and so are we all when we begin the journey incarnated to begin our hero's quest for knowledge and truth. We learn and grow as we go.
There are a couple of french authors. One, P Christian (who wrote history of magic), a member of a secret society, wrote of an initiation into the Egyptian mysteries in which there were the major arcana lining a great gallery. These were of immense size. The candidate being initiated was led to each by the HP and had its symbolism explained to them.
Another man who wrote The Great Initiates (about Hermetic Mysticism, Edouard Schuré, another secret society member) also mentions the same ritual. And as we know, Hermes is another name for Thoth.
Manly P Hall writes:
“As the Greeks placed the letters of their alphabet--with their corresponding numbers--upon the various parts of the body of their humanly represented Logos, so the Tarot cards have an analogy not only in the parts and members of the universe but also in the divisions of the human body... They are in fact the key to the magical constitution of man.”
This resonates for me because it feels to me indeed like a key. A living master key from the Master of Masters. But you open the door. So its interactive and dependant on ones free will. The master (wise one - daemon) can give you the key, but you have to choose to use it. Its like the old saying: “
"You can lead a horse to water, but you cannot make them drink.”
It's also like another saying, a Hermetic one:
“when the student is ready the master appears.”
The tarot is a tool, a means to assist one to link to the hidden (occult) source of wisdom. This source resides in eternity and is not finite. It is said this is also where the akashic records reside, which would make sense. A massive 'library' of knowledge. Working with it via the tarot can help to allow one to open their psychic centers. Its a tool to advancement in occult realms and a source of counsel. I read for myself and for others. I enjoy having others read for me.
The hermetic teachings were very closely guarded, not for all who came asking but passed on from lip to ear, master to initiate, for thousands of years. The rosy cross also carries on this tradition. The masters reserved their truth for the few in every generation who were ready to comprehend and master it. That number in each generation is said to be 8000. 8 being the number that, when its looked at symbolically, stands for eternity. The Ouroboros.
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“The lips of wisdom are closed except to the ears of understanding”
we stand upon the ground (are incarnate in the earthly physical realm) and yet at the same time, we have our being in the eternal. Meaning we are multidimensional. We are connected or at least, possess the potentiality to become so risen.
This is an aphorism the ones who use occult knowledge against the human races also know. They speak in the language of symbols as well, its right out in the open for eyes who can see. The rest, the uninitiated, the ignorant, will see and not understand and thus, the door is closed for them. They have 'eyes wide shut'.
From generation to generation there have always been a few who have devoted themselves to the labor of love; that is, to tend the altar of truth upon which the flame of wisdom sits. These kept that flame alight for the next generation. And so on it goes, in a chain unbroken, from the master of masters even unto today. There are ascended masters who even now, live hidden among us, thousands of years old.
The true pearls of wisdom are meant to be worn in our crowns, for we are meant to be sovereign...of ourselves. These pearls are not meant to be thrown before swine. And this is why it was called the ROYAL road...it had to do with being sovereign...over oneself.
The concept of sovereignty (royalty) was appropriated and then inverted. So the infiltrators who came, the enemy of humanity; mankind (they look like us...kind of like.....man), could justify their evil actions to themselves. These are another species, another race 'chosen' by 'god'...to reign (sovereign) over us. Which is not at all truth or how it is meant to be. Their 'royal' crown is a mockery and a travesty.
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It sits here upon a purple field...purple being the color of the crown chakra, a violet white really. Its the gateway to the other dimensions, the cord that connects. This is the sceptre that makes the magic happen, symbolized by their scepter of command. You can see a bit of theirs to the far right in this image. They rule over us, manipulating our perception of reality, so our true connection, our power is harnessed for them like beasts....and WE create the reality they desire in which we are enslaved....ourselves! For them! It's quite a trick, really. And they even tell us this in their bible....where it says something about the greatest trick the devil ever did was convincing the masses hes not real. Its right there in our faces....but most cannot see it. And they find this amusing, and they laugh at us.
The real thing is from eternity and non local (physical) and we connect to the power to create universes (first principle) to manifest in this physical (earthly realm). In this way, as creators, we are a fractal of the greater whole. They have symbolized this with their 'crown' jewels. They even wear the damned thing on their heads....on their crown chakra. It's an inversion. Instead of cheering and worshipping them, see the 'royals' for what they really are: usurpers and pretenders, parasites. 'long to reign over us' the song goes. But its bullshit. We don't need them to rule 'over' us.
The true teachings come from He who was known to the ancient Egyptians as the Master of Masters. Hermes Trismegistus, scribe of the gods. This man (if indeed he was a man and not a highly advanced extradimensional being – what we could call a God), was in Egypt from its earliest days. I find this very interesting because it feels to me that in its beginning, Egypt and all its magic and mystery was a positive force, not a negative one. But somewhere along the way the ruling class were infiltrated and taken over, Egypt fell into decline and eventually became dust and memory. And I do believe this moment of interpolation may have begun when Amenhotep IV ascended to the throne of Egypt. You might know him better as Akhenaten. He created the new monotheistic religion devoted to a single god called the Aten. We see this today this idea of singular everything, represented by the idea of a ONE world new order. Yes, this has been around for a long time, these infiltrators seek to rule the entire world.
More about Akhenaten here:
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Hermes was (still is) considered the great central sun of occultism (another sun reference). I have written a few articles regarding how this powerful sun symbol was appropriated by the enemy of humanity and utilized. Links:
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More regarding Thoth:
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so interesting thank you