Lorraine,
Around the sixteenth century, Rabelais was first a novice of the Franciscan order, and later a friar at Fontenay-le-Comte. He became known and respected by the humanists of his era, which leads us straight back to Neo-Platonists, especially Pico. Pico was strongly influenced by the Father of Humanism, Francesco Petrarch, author of the influential and celebrated poem I Trionfi.
Despite the great popularity of Rabelais, his books published under pen-names were condemned by academics at the Sorbonne for their unorthodox ideas and by the Roman Catholic Church for derision of certain religious practices. Rabelais's third book, published under his own name, was also banned.
When Waite writes "I know not whether they were their own draughtsmen," he might, like me, be wondering if even Pythagoras originated the concepts. As I mention earlier on this message board, Porphyry reports that Pythagoras spent several years learning from the "Chaldeans" in the Persian Empire, after leaving Egypt, where much of his early education took place.
The Chaldean Oracles also appear to reflect Platonic influence but they perhaps pre-date both Plato and Porphyry. We must keep in mind, Julian the Theurgist, who served in the Roman army during Marcus Aurelius' campaign against the Quadi, since he is most often creditied with transcribing them. Julian was second century, while Plato wrote about 480 BCE. Julian claims to have saved the Roman camp from fiery destruction by causing a rainstorm. The circumstances surrounding writing of the Oracles remain a mystery, one explanation being that Julian uttered them after achieving a sort of trance akin to those the sages went into at archaic oracles like Delphi.
Neo-Platonists rate the Oracles highly. Porphyry says if he could only preserve two texts, they would be the Chaldean Oracles and Timaeus by Plato. The 4th-century Emperor Julian suggests in his Hymn to the Magna Mater that he was an initiate of the God of the Seven Rays and was an adept of its teachings. When Christian Fathers or other Late Antique writers credit "the Chaldeans", they are generally refering to this tradition.
Analysis of the Chaldean Oracles reveals a certain sympathy with gnostic teachings: Gnosticism is another belief Waite refers to numerous times. Hmmm, maybe the RWS Magician and High Priestess represents a much earlier influence than Levi, who I originally thought inspired the symbolism. Theurgy was closely associated with High Magic, before Saint-Martin presents it in a more mainstream Christian approach.
