Tarot cards have roots in numerology and astrology from Kabbalistic traditions, but you don’t need to study Kabbalah to get the zodiac links.
There are plenty of resources that break it down simply. For an easy-to, follow guide, check out ‘The Ultimate Guide to Tarot’ by Liz Dean (it’s on the tarot book thread). She does a great job of explaining the astrology parts in a way that’s easy to grasp, and you can grab it in print or as an e-book.