the tarot is the kabalah.
it is built upon the pattern shown above,
-which is the tree of life.

contrary to what many "readers" believe, the tarot was not invented in rennaiscance italy:
nor was it intended as a divinatory crutch or iconographic psychic stimulator;
in fact, it teaches astrology, number theory, and subspace geometry.

This is so well said...

"contrary to what many "readers" believe, the tarot was not invented in renaissance Italy:
nor was it intended as a divinatory crutch or iconographic psychic stimulator;
in fact, it teaches astrology, number theory, and subspace geometry."


Tarot is the Tree of Life/qua or kabbalah in motion. One is the paradox of the other.

Italy had nothing to do with the invention or introduction of tarot but may produced/manufactured the first commercial tarot set. At the time (and previous to then) people had artists craft a deck for specifically for them since they were actually hand drawn and simultaneous multiple productions were impossible...It may have been rare, but not considered uncommon. Again, the rich could and did afford to have a tarot set crafted for them. different artists had different impressions, ideas, philosophies and perspective and drew the same essence differently and would have followed a preset pattern, much like what you see today with all these new sets.

The Celts can trace back an oral tradition to before Christ which involves stories, music, dances, plays and "Note"...pictures. Also in the historical images (pictures) are the symbolism found in tarot, like that of the hanged man, and includes the story behind the image and it's origins.

The myths around Merlin also involve tarot images, scenes and stories and is considered a source for unadulterated and original imagery and symbolism. Merlin and the story of the hang man relate to around 640 AD even though the images have been proven to exist prior to Christ. This can not be said about the Italian deck or somebodies idea of the "first production".

A direct, lineal trace past the late Medieval/early Renaissance? no.

The Tarot is steeped in archetypes, which are timeless and embedded in the human psyche. Art and culture sink similar tap roots into the great well of consciousness and knowledge that the Tarot does. Egypt has had a profound influence on Western culture, and it was venerated - and in some cases preserved (in one form or another) - by the Greeks, who in turn were greatly esteemed (and had their culture assimilated) by the Romans, who were in turn much admired (and had great chunks of their culture appropriated) by the those who fueled the rebirth/recreation of knowledge in what we now call the Renaissance. Therefore, there is an Egyptian strain in the Tarot, as there is in much of the West's mystery traditions.

My assertion that it's older than Egyptian culture pertains to the major arcana only. The minor arcana is probably a later development. Again, these are my feelings about it, not anything scientific or scholarly.

David

Is there going to be a test on this Professor?

*** How do we deal with TWO SIGNS of error? namely what was once Scorpius is nowadays Virgo as you are born with Sun in Virgo but your daly astrology has you Scorpio. Does this affect the readings? ***

I have little or no grasp on the more technical aspects of astrology (waaaaay too much math for me), but I'd probably treat it like being on a cusp - read both horoscopes, see which one fits best :D I do this anyway, because I'm a Capricorn w/a Pisces moon, and sometimes being Capricorn can be so hideously boring.