New Thoth book: "Tarot Mysticism"

[Aeon418]

A new Thoth Tarot book (Kindle edition) is due to be released in a little over a week on the 8th of January. Tarot Mysticism: The Psycho-Spiritual Technology of the Thoth Tarot by Joe Monteleone.

 

Tarot Mysticism: The Psycho-Spiritual Technology of the Thoth Tarot eBook : Monteleone, Joe: Amazon.co.uk: Books

 

I have absolutely no idea who Joe Monteleone is. 🤷‍♂️ I've never heard of him before. But his book sounds interesting enough, so I've pre-ordered a copy. If anyone is interested I will post some initial impressions when it arrives. (Still reading The Lady and the Beast at the moment and a new book called Uncovering Aleister Crowley’s Thoth Tarot by Valentina Nightingale. I've never heard of her either.) 

 

Quote

Explore the Mysteries of Tarot, Qabalah, Numerology, and Non-Duality in a New Way

 

Joe Monteleone takes you beyond the usual divinatory topics and into the realm of mysticism. He presents Aleister Crowley's Thoth Tarot as a tool for mystical insight, through which you can experience the deeper mysteries directly.

Joe reveals a life-changing concept: your thoughts and the physical world appear to be separate realms, but they're not. He teaches you how to unify them using the Thoth Tarot and achieve a mystical experience, a sort of "ecstasis" akin to those experienced by monks, sages, and philosophers of antiquity.

Tarot Mysticism guides you through the Thoth Tarot, providing each card's symbolism and connections to Qabalah, numerology, and occult philosophy. This book also features illustrations, practical exercises, and historical research to enhance your journey toward enlightenment. With Joe's guidance, you can traverse different levels of consciousness, understand symbolism with higher sophistication, and realize the unity between the universe and yourself.

 

[Rose Lalonde]

I'd be interested to know what you think after you have a chance to get into it. 

[GreyBug]

Oh I knew I've heard that name before. It's this guy, to give everyone a flavor.

[Aeon418]

2 hours ago, GreyBug said:

Oh I knew I've heard that name before. It's this guy, to give everyone a flavor.

 

Interesting. And he's not afraid of the Book of Thoth either. In my honest opinion that's a positive sign.

 

I'm looking forward to reading the book even more now. 

[FindYourSovereignty]

I have the book, adding to my interest in ,earning Thoth or the Tabula Mundi deck, @Rose Lalonde. 🙂 I really like it and I like the way he teaches. I have not read any other Thoth books so I cannot compare it to anything else. M.M. Meleen provided praise for it along with several others, most stating his ability to demystify the Thoth while opening a portal to the mystical. I find the book to have the same passion as his teaching. It is direct, it is interesting (to me), and it is parallel to my personal studies so it resonates. Edit to add: while still challenging me and stimulating my desire to learn.

Edited December 31, 2024 by FindYourSovereignty

[Wyrdkiss]

Yes please fill us in @Aeon418 and thanks for the post.  Also, how is The Lady and The Beast so far?

[Scribemole]

That sounds like and interesting read. I've had Understanding Aleister Crowley's Thoth Tarot by Lon Milo DuQuette in my Amazon basket for a while, so if Tarot Mysticism is recommended I'll consider swapping it out for the moment (unless someone can comment on DuQuette's work?).

[FindYourSovereignty]

6 hours ago, Scribemole said:

That sounds like and interesting read. I've had Understanding Aleister Crowley's Thoth Tarot by Lon Milo DuQuette in my Amazon basket for a while, so if Tarot Mysticism is recommended I'll consider swapping it out for the moment (unless someone can comment on DuQuette's work?).

 

The author recommends DuQuette's book and references it within the pages.

 

He is teaching how the Thoth deck is an esoteric deck and dedicated the first 72 pages introducing the teaching: Pages 73 - 165 are all about the Majors, 167 - 244 The Courts, 245 - 329 the Minors, followed by an application chapter and and a closing chapter. Many pages of Bibliography, Recommended reading and Index.

 

He introduces 3 levels of reading: 1. Mechanical, 2. Subtle/Causal and 3 Mystical. He states the content is focused on Level 3 with strong support from Level 2. 

 

I find it all fascinating. If you are comfortable with Levels 1 & 2, this may be a great read for you.

 

[Scribemole]

9 hours ago, FindYourSovereignty said:

 

The author recommends DuQuette's book and references it within the pages.

 

He is teaching how the Thoth deck is an esoteric deck and dedicated the first 72 pages introducing the teaching: Pages 73 - 165 are all about the Majors, 167 - 244 The Courts, 245 - 329 the Minors, followed by an application chapter and and a closing chapter. Many pages of Bibliography, Recommended reading and Index.

 

He introduces 3 levels of reading: 1. Mechanical, 2. Subtle/Causal and 3 Mystical. He states the content is focused on Level 3 with strong support from Level 2. 

 

I find it all fascinating. If you are comfortable with Levels 1 & 2, this may be a great read for you.

 

Thanks for the review! I think I'll order DuQuette's book and read that before Monteleone's book comes out in paperback. The mysticism sounds really interesting to me as well, so this could turn out to be one of the books that can be re-read over the years with new insights each time.

[Aeon418]

On 1/4/2025 at 5:45 PM, Scribemole said:

That sounds like and interesting read. I've had Understanding Aleister Crowley's Thoth Tarot by Lon Milo DuQuette in my Amazon basket for a while, so if Tarot Mysticism is recommended I'll consider swapping it out for the moment (unless someone can comment on DuQuette's work?).

 

Even though I won't get to see Monteleone's book for a few more days, I would still recommend you start with DuQuette instead. His book is basically an accessible and simplified introduction to Aleister Crowley's, The Book of Thoth. Despite the fact that much of the richness and depth of Crowley is lost for the sake of accessibility, DuQuette does manage to provide the reader with a good overview of the main influences behind the Thoth Tarot and a firm foundation for future exploration and study. 

Edited January 5, 2025 by Aeon418

[Aeon418]

On 1/2/2025 at 2:08 AM, Wyrdkiss said:

Yes please fill us in @Aeon418 and thanks for the post.  Also, how is The Lady and The Beast so far?

 

I've nearly finished it. Only one and a half chapters to go. I will post a few thoughts in the relevant thread when I'm done.

[Aeon418]

 

 Joe Monteleone's unboxing video. I grimaced a little when he started going on about viewing the Thoth Tarot through the lens of traditions other than Thelema. 🤔 Crowley was a believer in the "perennial philosophy" and took elements from other traditions and made them serve the needs of Thelema. It is in this sense that Crowley described the Thoth Tarot as a series of illustrations to the Book of the Law that subsumes and supersedes all other traditions.

 

Grumble over. 😒 I will suspend judgement and see what it is like tomorrow.

 

Who else picked up on the blooper? 6 is what Joe?