Thoth

On Page 4 of The Book of Thoth, Crowley says the Tarot is a symbolic picture of the Universe based on the Holy Qabalah. To illustrate this point he launches into a brief and highly technical explanation that frequently leaves many people confused. Reading through Barleywine's 101 thread I noticed that he passed over it in silence, despite the fact that Lon DuQuette artfully dodged an explanation in his Thoth book. In my opinion this section of the Book of Thoth is not difficult to understand, but it is very concise and might benefit from a little unpacking. Here goes.

The Book of Thoth, p.85 Atu VII - The Chariot is a bit of a paradox. On the one hand this card is associated with ideas of victory, triumph, energetic movement and forward progress. And yet the Charioteer does not conduct the Chariot because his only function is to bear the Holy Grail. To emphasise the theme of impersonality the Charioteer's vizor has been lowered so we cannot see his face. But if we could lift that vizor we might be in for a bit of a shock. While the lights may be on, there ain't nobody home. If we were to lift that vizor we would find nothing but the Universe itself looking back at us. This revelation (shown explicitly in the Tarot of Sta…

Apologies if that has been answered already but is there any mass market version still available of the Thoth deck that includes all 3 alternatives of the Magus? I can only find it on older used deck at Ebay, and i recall seeing a pocket edition on Etsy (which had a different Anch-like cross on the back) which is not available anymore, but no mass-market editions. Any help appreciated (i simply love the 3rd alternative)

Crowley also mentions a looming Dark Age in his concluding remarks on Atu XX - The Aeon (page 116). Where is Crowley going with this? What could possibly go so very wrong that it may require us to turn back to an obsolete spiritual world view? A bit of a tangent. Throughout human history our species has engaged in various forms of communal worship. From the small scale rites of primitive tribal societies to the pervasive influence of today's world religions, humanity has sought ways to worship something greater than itself? There are many theories where this religious instinct comes from. One of them suggests that it is a kind of psychic …

Crowley's renaming of Justice as Adjustment was intended to show how this card was a fact of Nature. Everything that exists is constantly seeking balance. This contrasts with the older title, Justice, which carries with it arbitrary human ideals of equity and fairness. On the Tree of Life the card sits on the 22nd* Path of Lamed - the Ox Goad. An ox goad is basically a long stick with a sharp end, that is used to coax cattle to move in a willed direction. An oxen towing a plough needs the Ox goad to encourage it to move, and to keep it moving in a straight or "true" line. As uncomfortable as this might make us feel, this symbolism points to an underlying purpose o…

The Book of Thoth, p.79: I suspect the "secret joke" is at our expense. Card V corresponds to the letter Vau, which means a nail. This suggests union because a nail joins one thing to another. But this union is contingent upon the nail being sharp, piercing and penetrating. Sounds rather phallic! How uncomfortable this initiation is depends on how much resistance there is to this union. This particular initiator is described as sinister, which draws attention to his left hand. The left is sinister in Latin. And the left handed, inverted benediction is the only symbol that Crowley does not comment upon. V inverted becomes Λ - the Greek …

Hi all, I'm not as familiar with the Thoth system of Tarot reading as with the RWS System but understood (based on background reading) the Thoth system to be based on the Crowley/Harris Deck which was, in turn, based on Crowley's 1944 Book of Thoth. I have more recently come across a reference to Le Grand Etteilla, which is also referred to as a 'Thoth Deck'. As Le Grand Etteilla is an older Tarot system, it obviously pre-dates Crowley's Thoth. Are both systems equally known as 'Thoth' or is Grand Etteilla a fourth system of Tarot (parallel to RWS/TdeM/Crowley's Thoth)? Most sources seem to accredit Thoth solely to Crowley.…

This may be one of the simplest cards, but Crowley's description of it leaves a lot to be desired. Take for example his description of the mound and wall. Why should we expect the green mound to be red? Why is the wall red rather than blue or green? How does this represent a fire-change into something rich and strange? Crowley tells us that this card represents a broadening of the idea of the Rose and Cross. At root this symbolises the union of opposites. The most fundamental expression of this is the union of masculine and feminine. With this in mind some of Crowley's obscure comments begin to make sense. The green mound is Earth an…

In the Book of Thoth (p.112) Crowley draws our attention to drops of blood falling from the Moon. The symbolism of the shedding of blood is highly significant in the history of religion. Commenting on this symbolsim on BooK 4, Crowley says: Also, quoting Liber 418 in the Book of Thoth: (p.80) One possible interpretation of all this blood-letting is that it represents a reaction by our primitive ancestors to the emergence of individual self awareness. Individual consciousness brings with it the subjective perception of duality, self and other, and an awareness of separation from the universe. Over time this story o…

Recently while glancing through The Thoth Companion by Michael Osiris Snuffin, I came upon the authors explanation for the Dove & Serpent symbolism on Atu XVI - The Tower. While I don't necessarily disagree with this interpretation, I feel it lacks the nuance of Crowley's explanation in the Book of Thoth. Crowley begins his explanation of this card by saying it represents "the destruction of existing material by fire. It may be taken as the preface to Atu XX, the Last Judgment [The Aeon], i.e., the Coming of a New Aeon." On the surface this seems to be very much in line with Snuffin. But Crowley then goes on to say that "magical symbols must always be understo…

One of the unique features of the Thoth Tarot is the correspondence between the cards and the paths of the Tree of Life that differs slightly from the pattern established by the Golden Dawn. The latter has been replicated repeatedly in many Golden Dawn derivative decks. One distinctive way the Thoth Tarot breaks with the Golden Dawn is the attribution of XVII - The Star to the path of Heh, and IV - The Emperor to the path of Tzaddi. The former change is justified by a rather deep soteriological reason that I won't go into here. But the latter change involving the Emperor is often criticised because it does not seem to fit the path of Tzaddi. The 28th path of T…

This thread is intended to be an EXCELLENT collaborative discussion based on mutual admiration of the Thoth Tarot! Symbology, structure, artwork, Crowley’s writings, other miscellaneous occult understandings of the cards… anything is fair game. The excellence of this thread is in its freedom and its fun. I am excited to talk Thoth with you, @Wyrdkiss! Any burning desires for first discussions? I have a few topics up my sleeve.

I’m a beginner reader. Using 2 decks. Completed first 15 card Thoth spread after my bday. It was a lil ominous. But seemed accurate. When reading for yourself how often do you repeat the same spread. I’m also using an oracle deck.

I received a package today that looked like it was a book. My husband, who was expecting a book came out to see if it was addressed to him. I disappointed him when I told him it was for me. I suspected then that it was the used Thoth deck I had purchased last week. Husband remarked, "Oh great, what witchcraft is this?" I laughed and said, "You'll never guess." He left the room and returned with a white book from the US Games version of the Thoth deck. I was still trying to get the box open, pretty certain it was the Weiser edition of the deck I'd ordered. Stunned, I stopped cutting and looked at the white book he'd brought me. I was confused. "Wait, You have a Thoth deck?…

Hello my new tarot friends, I have been reading the cards since the 1980s, back when the Hanson-Roberts was new and the Aquarian was hot. I still have my Tarot of the Cat People, which was quintessential eighties. But I digress, before I even begin. I mostly read for myself and friends, although I've done some professional reading. I've been a collector too. But now I am feeling the urge to mentor someone new to the Tarot journey, especially if they are interested in the Thoth, which is the deck most fascinating me right now. If I get no takers for the Thoth, I'll consider working with another deck. I just think from a practical standpoint I …

Hi, can someome explain me what does the key scale part means? I thought of the paths and number connections but the I4 brings me problem, here's a photo of my doubt http://imgur.com/gallery/AZXc6D6

I have become aware recently of how symetrical, left to right, all the minor arcana cards are in this deck. This is nagging at me. Is this incidental? Does this say something? Ps. The symetry seems at odds, as well ,with card meanings as ofton as not; for example the 7 of Cups, but not the 4 of Wands. .

I've never used the Thoth Deck before just the rider waite illustration and the marsielles deck. I was shopping in a mystical store one day and I was about to purchase the Thoth Deck. The store clerk asked me if I was sure I wanted to purchase the deck. She said the requires someone experienced that knows what they are doing? Is this true? I just started recently but something drew me to want to buy them but the store clerk made me a bit insecure about it. What you think she meant?

Hey guys Don't know if you have noticed but I have opened up a Thoth based reading circle, which I am hoping will be a fun base to learn and expand on all things Thoth. Every fortnight there will be something new and everyone who is a part of the circle gets to choose what it is we do on a rotational basis. Well if you are up for it (should be fun) here is the link Aeon

Hi, I’ve been learning with RWS clones. As long as the card art isn’t too off base (since I remember things visually), I am competent with all the meanings of the cards in this system. I just got got a mini Thoth deck. I already feel connected to it, BUT I know it is a different system and I don’t want to rely too much on the RWS meanings in my head. So, I open up the LWB and get “Thus potassium, thrown upon water, becomes ignited and accepts the embrace of the hydroxyl radical. The fish and serpent here represented have been objects of worship in cults which taught the doctrine of resurrection or reincarnation.” The next page has Latin in all caps. I took Lat…

Hi guys I have just come across this deck Heindl Tarot and was wondering on your thoughts on it? Hers what Amazon has to say about the author... Biography Rachel Pollack is considered one of the world's foremost authorities on the modern interpretation of the tarot. She is a member of the American Tarot Association, the International Tarot Society, and the Tarot Guild of Australia, and has taught at the famed Omega Institute for the past 15 years. She is an award-winning fiction writer and has also written 12 books on the tarot. She lives in New York. I've had a look at some of the images and on the surface they …

Has anyone else watched the Sexual Alchemy and the Thoth Tarot DVDs by Lon Milo Duquette? He is the author of the celebrated introductory books Understanding Aleister Crowley's Thoth Tarot and The Chicken Qabalah by Rabbi Lamed Ben Clifford. I have a copy of this excellent lecture and I learned so much from it! It's very informative, and it gave me fresh insights and perspectives on the Thoth that I haven't considered before. I highly recommend it. :D

What is so intimidating about it? I love astrology too so I know this deck has those elements in it too. I just feel like wouldn't t be hard to learn the thoth deck after you've gotten so used to the others?

Hi everyone. I have a lot of RWS system decks and thought I should get at least one Thoth. Not sure if it’s a right fit yet but the art work intrigues me. I was looking on Amazon for the deck and this is the one that comes up: https://www.amazon.com/Thoth-Tarot-Deck-Aleister-Crowley/dp/1572815108/ref=sr_1_1?crid=J6JLU2L6O3UD&keywords=thoth+tarot+deck&qid=1574381662&sprefix=Thoth+tar%2Caps%2C445&sr=8-1 In the details it says: Premier edition (December 31, 2005) Then I found another version, with a different color box (both are by US Games and both are shipped and sold by Amazon, except this one is a few dollars cheaper): …

I read the pdf posted in the purple vs green what is the difference. and without the database samples there is no way to compare. so I saw in some threads there is pictures of the reading,,so why not make a thread,, where we post the thoth we have (if that version hasn't been posted yet ). that will be the new comparision. !