All Roads Lead to Thoth

I started the final chapter "History of Playing Cards" several weeks ago.  Wow - what a journey that has turned out to be! Albeit one pushing back deadlines - such a circuitous route! Always leading back to Hermeticism, Egypt, and Thoth (aka Mercury) - the latest a beautifully well-written essay on Marsillo Ficino - by Philip Coppens - http://www.philipcoppens.com/ficino_mag.html

It seems the trouble - or rather the knot that tangles fact from fiction, alchemy from fancy, always comes down to our limited understanding of cosmic energy, and how much it actually affects our lives. And yet, the personification of planets throughout history as divine beings must have its roots somewhere. I believe those roots belong to the tree of life, keeping alive knowledge of celestial energy, and how its affects us as atomic beings.

"ALTHOUGH treated by modern writers as one of the minor of the twelve gods of Olympus, Mercury was by no means so looked upon by the ancients, who revered, feared, consulted and obeyed him as they did no other deity, so he wielded more influence over the lives of mankind
than did all the other gods put together."

"Mercury was the peacemaker, or adjuster of difficulties, as well as the councillor and intercessor, for he could be appealed to with the certainty that his orders could be received by mankind, and by them could be comprehended through a sign language interpreted by his priests. He was in reality more powerful than any of the other gods taken separately, for, although they might be lavishly propitiated, they could not reply to invocations except through their messenger, Mercury.

He was also the inventor of emblems, pictorial art, and language, through which he could be directly approached and his wishes communicated in response to invocations by means of the Atouts [(suits or emblems)] and the pip cards. Any profanation of his mysteries was rapidly revenged by his worshippers, so it is little wonder that they were not placed in town records or in early histories.
Nor, if they were, would these mysteries have been mentioned as Playing Cards, for the ancient Book of Thoth was not classified as a game, and until the Temple of Thoth, as well as the Serapeon, near Naples, were destroyed, compelling the exiled priests to carry on their person the emblems taken from the walls, there was absolutely nothing like a card to mention in the official records. Students, therefore, must search for descriptions of wanderers, of soothsayers, of astrologers, of fortune-tellers, of prophets or of gypsies, if they wish to discover traces of the cult of Mercury, since it was gradually and imperceptibly merged into the Playing Cards as we understand them [today]." ~  MRS. JOHN KING VAN RENSSELAER - 1912