Book review: Secrets of the Thoth Tarot by Marcus Katz

[Aeon418]

I've just completed my second read through of Marcus Katz' trilogy of books, Secrets of the Thoth Tarot, and thought I would jot down a few of my thoughts and opinions.

 

Volume One: A Magical Atlas of the Universe - Thelema, Aeons, & the Major Arcana. The cover claims this book was written by "Drawing on 35 years of study of the original notebooks & diaries of Aleister Crowley." This is no idle boast. But in my opinion Mr Katz really does seem to know his stuff and writes about the Thoth Tarot as a unique and distinctive deck in its own right from an apparently knowledgeable and insightful position. 

 

The first book in the three part series is focused almost exclusively on the 22 Major Arcana. But before examining the 22 Major's, Katz spends the first 100 pages or so discussing the various influences that went into the creation of the Thoth Tarot. Subjects covered include Crowley and Harris, Kabbalah, Aeons, the Golden Dawn, the Book of the Law, the Holy Guardian Angel & the Abyss, Projective geometry, etc., etc. The list goes on. There's even a small section on how to pronounce "Thoth." None of this background material is terribly deep or extensive, but it does provide the interested reader with a place to start should they wish to further their knowledge of the Thoth Tarot. This section, like the rest of the book, is peppered with quotes from correspondence between Crowley and Harris.

 

The chapters dealing with the 22 Major's follow a set pattern beginning with a general discussion of the card in question. The depth and length of these discussions can vary quite widely from card to card. For example the Sun card is summarized in a couple of paragraphs, whereas the chapter on the Chariot card kicks off with 7 and a half pages exploring the relationship between this card and Crowley's interpretation of "authority under authority" and A E Waite's claim that this card represents "captivity captive" and it's roots in the Bible and Eliphas Levi. This inconsistency between the coverage of the cards is a little disconcerting at times. Although to be fair, Katz does raise this point himself earlier on in the book.

 

Following the general observations there's a section dealing with the individual symbols on each card. These sections, for the most part, only focus on the main symbols though. So anyone looking for a comment on every last little symbol is going to be disappointed. But Katz does cover the most important ones and even goes out on a limb with some symbols not covered elsewhere. For instance the pinkish blob at the bottom of the Fool card. Katz claims this is a rose (bud?). And it certainly could be, maybe.  All of the individual symbolism is commented upon in the context of Crowley, the Book of Thoth and other related Crowley writings. There's no free form interpretation here ala Arrien. It's all very faithful to the original source material. After this the card chapters are rounded off with the usual "Key phrase," "Keywords," and an "In a reading" interpretation. One thing that is missing from these sections though is actual pictures of the Thoth cards themselves due to Katz being unable to secure permission from the O.T.O. In my opinion this isn't a big deal as I assume most readers will read the book with the actual cards to hand.

 

The final part of the book examines the Biographical Note in the Book of Thoth and some of Crowley's Tarot inspired writings mentioned in that note like, Ambrosii Magi Hortus Rosarum and the Wake World. Following this is the almost obligatory (for Tarot books) chapter on spreads - 3, 15, and a Sleeping Beauty spread. The appendices cover subjects such as Katz & Crowley, the word "Secret" in the Book of the Law, and a selection of Thoth Tarot book reviews. The highlight of the latter is a critical but fair, multi-page review of the Tarot Handbook by Angels Arrien.

 

Over all I place this book in the same bracket as the books written by Lon Milo DuQuette and Michael Osiris Snuffin. Like those authors Katz remains faithful to the Crowley source material, which includes references outside the Book of Thoth. However I find it difficult to rate Katz' work because I've been into Crowley and the Thoth Tarot for as long as he has. So while I might read and nod along in agreement with much of what he says, other people with less experience may be surprised by his comments. Be that as it may, I still enjoyed reading the book and think it is a good addition to the existing literature. However, one area in which I think Katz stands apart from DuQuette and Snuffin is that his three Thoth books seem more slanted towards card readers than theorists. Or at least that is my feeling of the way the book leans due to how he frequently describes a symbol and then comments on how it might be interpreted in a reading.

 

If anyone is interested I will try to say something about the remaining two books in the series, dealing with the Minor's and the Court cards. Both of which are smaller than the first one 

 

A final word. I have seen a review of the Kindle edition of this book that claims several cards are missing. I own both the physical paperback and the Kindle edition and can confirm that the latter is complete and correct. However the contents tab within the Kindle reader app does not display all the chapters. This may be where the confusion comes from. The actual contents page within the text of the e-book itself is complete and correct and all the links work.

Edited February 24, 2024 by Aeon418
Typo

[Aeon418]

Secrets of the Thoth Tarot. Volume 2: Bricks of a living Temple - The Minor Arcana, Geomancy & the I-Ching.

 

The second book in the series focuses on the 40 minor cards and the various influences that Crowley and Harris wove into their design. These include Geomancy and the geomantic figures, the I-Ching, colour correspondences, and Golden Dawn astrological correspondences. None of this is particularly deep though and most of it has been covered elsewhere with more thoroughness.

 

However, Marcus Katz surprises us with something new in a chapter titled: The Secret of the Minor Arcana. In the Gerald Yorke collection at the Warburg Institute - University of London, is one of Crowley's vellum notebooks/diaries dating back to 1904 titled: The Invocation of Hoor. In this notebook is an outline framework of correspondences developed by Crowley just prior to the reception of the Book of the Law. In a later work, The Equinox of the Gods, Crowley references the Invocation of Hoor notebook and comments on this material as "a long and futile tarot divination." Marcus Katz disagrees with this assessment and claims that the Thoth Tarot's minor cards "were pre-designed from Crowley's thinking in 1904." Unfortunately Katz is a bit of a tease at this point. After claiming that it is impossible to publish the actual text, he provides his own 'interpretation' of the associations and correspondences that Crowley drew up in 1904. How accurate this interpretation is is impossible to say without access to the original notebook. But Katz encourages the reader to "play with these suggested attributions and explore Crowley's original concepts of the Minor Arcana." He then goes onto say: "We can also see how this system of correspondences influenced - and indeed is likely the secret structure of - the Book of the Law." That's quite a claim! But one worthy of further investigation!

 

The following chapter briefly examines the Tarot themed Liber CCXXXI also called Liber Arcanorum or the Book of Secrets, since Katz claims that this work shows influences from the 1904 period and the early writing of Ambrosii Magi Hortus Rosarum. This possibly directs us back to appendix B in the first book, where Katz draws our attention to the fact that the word "Secret" (Arcanorum) appears 22 times in the Book of the Law, suggesting a possible link to the Major Arcana to each of the associated verses.

 

But the main meat of the book is the 40 Minor Arcana. Quoting an entry in Crowley's diary for 23rd October 1940, Katz claims the writing up of the minor cards for the Book of Thoth was rushed.

 

Quote

"Polished off the last bit of the blasted tarot book and took it to be typed. Later, discovered that I still have to do the other 56 cards. ****."

 

Katz claims this oversight is to blame for a perceived lack of interpretation in Crowley's description of the Minor cards. Katz' own examination seems to be an attempt to fill this interpretive gap, while still remaining faithful to the symbolism.

 

The book ends with a chapter on Crowley's views on divination which is drawn from Crowley's writings. Overall I found this second volume a bit light weight in places. I certainly didn't learn anything new from Katz' interpretation of the Minor's. But everyone's mileage varies. Other readers may find that his observations helpfully flesh out Crowley's 'bare bones' card descriptions in the Book of Thoth. But I was very interested in the section dealing with the 1904 notebook, despite the feeling that Mr Katz was indulging in a little bit of 'carrot dangling.'

 

Addendum: Just like in volume 1, volume 2 does not include any pictures of the actual Thoth Tarot cards due a lack of permission from the copyright holders, the Ordo Templi Orientis.

 

Edited February 25, 2024 by Aeon418
Typo

[Wyrdkiss]

Thank you for these reviews. I'm going to order the first of the series tonight.

[Aeon418]

30 minutes ago, Wyrdkiss said:

Thank you for these reviews. I'm going to order the first of the series tonight.

 

I hope you find the book useful. I'm convinced that Katz' work fits in the same bracket as the books written by DuQuette and Snuffin, but very few people seem to know anything about it. I suspect this may be because it hasn't been produced by one of the big 'new age' publishers like Red Wheel/Weiser or Llewellyn. This may also be a reason why the O.T.O. never gave Katz permission to use pictures of the cards.

 

I will be interested to see what you think. 

[Aeon418]

Secrets of the Thoth Tarot. Volume Three: The Sanctuary of Transcendental Art - Court Cards & reading methods for the Thoth Tarot.

 

In the third and final book in the series, Marcus Katz covers the Court cards of the Thoth Tarot. As most readers know, the Court cards (of any deck) are frequently seen as the 'problem child' of a readers life. This difficulty is recognized by Katz.

 

Quote

Katz: "As many students and professionals will testify, the Court cards are the most troublesome to learn and interpret in a reading. It seems that everyone asks the same question - do I read this card as a person, an event, an energy, or part of the personality of the Querent?"

 

After reading this third book I have to admit that Marcus Katz does a pretty good job at answering these questions. However, this means that there is a much greater emphasis on interpretation than explanation. Even so, I feel Katz interpretations are consistent with the intent of the symbolism and its associated correspondences.

Each card is examined in the same way. Firstly there is a description of the imagery of each card. Of course, as mentioned previously, there are no pictures because of a lack permission from the O.T.O. A description of the general character of the card follows which draws heavily on Crowley's descriptions given in the Book of Thoth, but mainly focusing on the positive aspects. Katz then inverts the character type of each card and presents a Shadow interpretation that represents a card that is negatively aspected within a reading. For the most part I feel Katz interpretations remain faithful to the symbolism.

 

Next up is each card's correspondence to a hexagram from the I-Ching. Crowley himself was very keen on marrying the Tarot and I-Ching. And in the case of the Court cards the cross over is more clear cut due to the elemental natures of the cards and the corresponding hexagrams. Whether one wishes to import an 'outside system' into their Tarot readings is a personal choice. But I have frequently found it helpful to refer to the corresponding I-Ching hexagram to clarify a difficult Court card. It's sort of like a second opinion from a different perspective.

 

Each card is rounded off with an "In a reading" section. These sections are broken up into three parts that describe different levels of interpretation.

• As a Person.
• As an Influence, Theme or Energy in a Situation.
• As a Part of Yourself.

While the Court card as a Person is familiar to all readers, the other two levels of interpretation are a welcome addition. As with the I-Ching correspondence, it is very useful to be able to break out of that narrow view that says Court cards are other people. Of course this does not solve the problem of which interpretation to focus on. But at least it gives the reader more options to play with.

 

The examination of the Court cards is roughly the first half of the book. Next up is a brief discussion on colour symbolism in the Thoth Tarot and a reproduction of the colour scale tables found in Liber 777. This seems a little redundant to me, but it probably had to be included for the sake of completion. Perhaps the different layout may help some people who struggle with the tabular format of 777.

 

The penultimate section of the book is an historical look back at Crowley and the Tarot. Which deck did Crowley use and how did he interpret his own Tarot readings? It's well known that Crowley preferred the austere simplicity of the I-Ching to the Tarot and his Tarot readings reflect this. A modern day tendency is to try to create an elaborate story out the cards in a spread. But Crowley's reading method is very simple and direct. Of course this impression is probably exacerbated by us only being able to read the records of Crowley's divinations without a window into his thought processes. However, modern readers who haven't seen examples of Crowley's reading technique before may be a little bit shocked.

 

The remainder of the book is devoted to spreads, again! I'm afraid my eye's glaze over when I start reading about spreads, so I had to skim through it. I fact I switched off after reading "lay out a Lenormand Grand Tableau." To me it's like slow torture reading this stuff. If I can steel myself I may go back and take a proper look at the Temple of Thoth gated spread, but not any time soon.

 

Overall I feel the Court card sections of this book are pretty good. Even though there is a lot of interpretation, it is still in line with the intention behind the symbolism. But I also feel it may have wider utility to Tarot readers in general, regardless of which deck they use.

 

Like the previous two books, this book is peppered with quotes from correspondence between Crowley and Harris. 

Edited February 26, 2024 by Aeon418
Typo

[Wyrdkiss]

3 hours ago, Aeon418 said:

 

I hope you find the book useful. I'm convinced that Katz' work fits in the same bracket as the books written by DuQuette and Snuffin, but very few people seem to know anything about it. I suspect this may be because it hasn't been produced by one of the big 'new age' publishers like Red Wheel/Weiser or Llewellyn. This may also be a reason why the O.T.O. never gave Katz permission to use pictures of the cards.

 

I will be interested to see what you think. 

It is surprising that if his writing is quality he was not able to get published by even a small company. A lot of factors can vary into that,  however,  including  how many publishers he contacted and tried with of course.  Thanks for feedback.  I'll definitely share my thoughts. 

[Flegetanis]

5 hours ago, Aeon418 said:

 

I hope you find the book useful. I'm convinced that Katz' work fits in the same bracket as the books written by DuQuette and Snuffin, but very few people seem to know anything about it. I suspect this may be because it hasn't been produced by one of the big 'new age' publishers like Red Wheel/Weiser or Llewellyn. This may also be a reason why the O.T.O. never gave Katz permission to use pictures of the cards.

 

I will be interested to see what you think. 

 

TBH, I may well have had O.T.O.-shaded blinders on (not that I'm at all active), as I didn't even know about Snuffin. The Crowley/Harris Thoth Tarot is certainly worthy of ongoing scrutiny & scholarship, from any perspective.

It's a New Æon, after all. 

Edited February 26, 2024 by Flegetanis

[Flegetanis]

On 2/25/2024 at 11:28 AM, Aeon418 said:

Secrets of the Thoth Tarot. Volume 2: Bricks of a living Temple - The Minor Arcana, Geomancy & the I-Ching.

 

The following chapter briefly examines the Tarot themed Liber CCXXXI also called Liber Arcanorum or the Book of Secrets, since Katz claims that this work shows influences from the 1904 period and the early writing of Ambrosii Magi Hortus Rosarum. This possibly directs us back to appendix B in the first book, where Katz draws our attention to the fact that the word "Secret" (Arcanorum) appears 22 times in the Book of the Law, suggesting a possible link to the Major Arcana to each of the associated verses.

 

 

Has anyone fleshed this out, to your knowledge?

[Flegetanis]

6 hours ago, Aeon418 said:

Secrets of the Thoth Tarot. Volume Three: The Sanctuary of Transcendental Art - Court Cards & reading methods for the Thoth Tarot.

 

In the third and final book in the series, Marcus Katz covers the Court cards of the Thoth Tarot. As most readers know, the Court cards (of any deck) are frequently seen as the 'problem child' of a readers life. This difficulty is recognized by Katz.

 

 

Well, that makes me feel better. This is the volume I'm actually likely to check out first. I've always liked the "sub-elemental" structure of the court cards in any deck derived from the "Book T" system. But I hate reading them. I've gotten better, recently, doing readings much more regularly. But - of all things - it's the Eliphas Levi influenced court cards I find much easier in actual readings.... Even though they're not really any different in their attributions.

There are other Thelemic decks that I find easier to work with, particularly with the Minor Arcana. The Via & Tabula Mundi Tarots in particular. Lon DuQuette's Tarot of Ceremonial Magick was actually a real help in accelerating my learning of the Enochian system, and that's tied into all the elemental powers of the Court Cards.

 

-----------------------

And I just now figured out how to quote multiple posts at once. Got it.

Edited February 26, 2024 by Flegetanis
Adding Thelemic content.

[Aeon418]

7 hours ago, Wyrdkiss said:

It is surprising that if his writing is quality he was not able to get published by even a small company. A lot of factors can vary into that,  however,  including  how many publishers he contacted and tried with of course.  Thanks for feedback.  I'll definitely share my thoughts. 

 

Maybe a three book series focusing on one single Tarot deck was too narrowly focused for the big publishers. Those guys want to see sales. That's why there are so many 'generic' books on the market aimed at a general Tarot audience. 

 

But I agree, it is surprising. Marcus Katz is a recognized Tarot writer with a number of successful titles to his name. In 2015 Katz co-authored the Secrets of the Waite-Smith Tarot which was published by Llewellyn. Maybe they subsequently turned down the Thoth Secrets book, or wanted compromises to make it all fit in one book. 

[Aeon418]

5 hours ago, Flegetanis said:

Has anyone fleshed this out, to your knowledge?

 

Not as far as I know. Until I read it in Katz book, I didn't even know there were 22 occurrences of the word "secret" in the Book of the Law. But the instant I saw the obvious connection between 22, "Secret," and "Arcana," a lightbulb went off in my head.

 

Quote

Marcus Katz writes: "Even if this is a neat coincidence, it is truly neat, as the 22 verses containing the word ‘secret’, taken in straight order, can be said to have a reasonable correspondence to their appropriate tarot card. In some cases, I admit, more of a leap than others, however, playing with correspondences and patterns can often unlock other thoughts and experiences beyond the original exercise – such is the purpose of permutation."

 

 

[Aeon418]

In volume 1 in particular there are several places where Marcus Katz quotes Aleister Crowley and shows ways in which he can be reinterpreted in the context of a reading. An example is the relationship between XVI - The Tower and XX - The Aeon (Last Judgment) that Crowley mentions in The Book of Thoth (p.107). 

 

Quote

[XVI - The Tower] In its simplest interpretation it refers to the manifestation of cosmic energy in its grossest form. The picture shows the destruction of existing material by fire. It may be taken as the preface to Atu XX, the Last Judgment, i.e., the Coming of a New Aeon. This being so, it seems to indicate the quintessential quality of the Lord of the Aeon.

 

On the surface it may be difficult to see what relevance this could possibly have to a Tarot reading. Crowley appears to be discussing the incoming Aeon of Horus and the potential destruction that may precede it, as old ways are swept aside to make way for the new. But a possible way to utilize this symbolism in a reading, within which the Tower card has appeared, is to sort through the remainder of the deck to see how far away the Aeon card is. This could indicate how extended or compressed the purgative destruction wrought by the Tower is likely to be before the new turning point is reached, symbolised by the Aeon. Obviously, a reading where both cards appear in the same spread could indicate a very sudden change of events.

 

Crowley's reference to the tripartite structure the Aeon card, symbolic of the Thelemic pantheon of Nuit, Hadit, and Ra-Hoor-Khuit (Horus), may also be interpreted within the context of a reading. The characteristic natures of the three deities could be interpreted as: 

 

• Nuit - the past, representing the sum total of all possibilities or events that have culminated in the latent potential within the present moment.
• Hadit - the energizing impulse that initiates a new development or direction of travel.
• Horus - the Child of Nuit and Hadit, representing the new situation or growth pattern in both its potential (Harpocrates) and actual manifestation (Ra-Hoor-Khuit.) 

 

This simple interpretation of the Thelemic pantheon seems consistent with Crowley's own threefold interpretation of the Aeon card (BoT p.260). Parsed as before, we have:

 

• Nuit - "Final decision in respect of the past,"
• Hadit - "new current in respect of the future;"
• Horus - "always represents the taking of a definite step."

 

Quote

Be every Act an Act of Love and Worship.
Be every Act the Fiat of a God.
Be every Act a Source of radiant Glory.

 

This explains how the old Last Judgment card, with its morbid death and resurrection motif, has been 'absorbed' and transformed into the New Aeon motifs of potential, creative energy, and continual growth of a Child.

 

Quote

Aleister Crowley: "The formula of the Dying [and resurrected] God has not been abrogated; it has been absorbed into a more complete understanding; hence the upshot of every action is a child."

 

Edited March 10, 2024 by Aeon418

[Wyrdkiss]

Mine arrived today. Very eager to dive in after a quick flip through. It could not look any more Print on Demand with the white cover, but at least it has an old school feel.

I'll let you know what I think and of course likely post questions as I go through.

[Aeon418]

3 minutes ago, Wyrdkiss said:

 It could not look any more Print on Demand with the white cover, but at least it has an old school feel.

 

I'm not a big fan of print-on-demand either. The quality of such books sometimes leaves a lot to be desired. But hopefully, in this instance, you'll agree with the old adage of "don't judge a book by its cover." 

 

However, despite the small issue with the contents tab, I still think the cheaper Kindle edition is a viable alternative. Although I am aware that not everyone is happy reading e-books.

[Wyrdkiss]

1 hour ago, Aeon418 said:

 

I'm not a big fan of print-on-demand either. The quality of such books sometimes leaves a lot to be desired. But hopefully, in this instance, you'll agree with the old adage of "don't judge a book by its cover." 

 

However, despite the small issue with the contents tab, I still think the cheaper Kindle edition is a viable alternative. Although I am aware that not everyone is happy reading e-books.

No worries --- I prefer eBooks for everything except something I will be referencing often  such as this.  The binding is good quality, the print is fine, that's really what matters.

[Aeon418]

I'm still unsure what inspired the cover design. A telegram from Harris to Crowley certainly has historical interest. But it's not exactly the most visually impressive thing I've ever seen.

 

Quote

 

CROWELY 10 HANOVER SQUARE W 1

 

ARE YOU ALRIGHT MERCURY FINISHED = HARRIS 

 

 

Unfortunately I can't see a date. I wonder if Harris had heard about the bombing raids in London. The latest biography by Tobias Churton might help to pin it down. I will see if I can dig up anything.