Thoth!!!

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 21 Jan 2002, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Gipsy	21 Jan 2002
Hello everybody, please help me! I've been studying the tarot for about three years now. And i´m talking about REALLY studying, reading everything i could find (in danish, as i´m danish, in english and here on the net), and i love it. As i´ve posted before i keep on buying too many decks, just looking for the right one for me. The first one i bougt was the Thoth tarot and somehow this one keeps on calling for me. Just don't know why because i seems to like decks like the RWS the most. But... there IS something about the Thoth... What do you all think about this and about the Thoth tarot? I'm afraid i'st evil. Sometimes i can only see all the negativity. But at the same time i feel that it's showing me the truth, where my other decks are showing me what i WISH for... I've been here for a while and think that most of you are really capable (and sweet enough) to help. So would you, please???

divinerguy	21 Jan 2002
Hi - I also have the Thoth deck. I seldom use it, as I am accustomed to the Rider-Waite style decks. The Thoth deck makes me uncomfortable, however, I still use it when I have problems reading with other decks. GAry

mr.cleo	21 Jan 2002
I recently purchased the Thoth. If you've been studying the RWS for 3 years, you've got a whole new system to learn. But I don't think it'll be that hard. I'm still looking over cards and doing faux readings to help me remember the meanings and try to link them. The Thoth deck does give me a sort of cold eerie feeling, but hey I'm sorta into that stuff (I'm left-handed, so art is my life). Enjoy the Thoth deck! Mine came with two extra cards though, one is blank the other one is black and has some red emblem or logo of something.

StaR	22 Jan 2002
I have also got a Thoth deck. At first I found myself almost in awe of the cards and possibly even of the history behind them (ie. Mr Crowley), but I gave it time and now they 'speak' to me. They have an underlying beauty - or so I think :) I truth though, I feel that only one person can decided whether a deck is right and thats you!!! Give them time and see how you feel with them. StaR :)

Lilliana	22 Jan 2002
I switched to the thoth deck a few months ago and I haven't looked back. I came from using the RW deck, and I didn't find the switch too difficult. I personally don't believe that a tarot deck can be "evil" or intrinsically negative. As someone else mentioned in another thread, a tarot deck is just cardboard with pictures printed on, it's the way *you* react to the deck which gives it it's qualities. I actually had a similar sort of thing going on with the RW deck. I just didn't react with it very well, and it started to show up in my readings. If you feel drawn to the thoth, then think about studying the cards for awhile. Try reading some of the thoth-specific books out there, as these can really open your eyes to the hidden layers+meanings. If you aren't reacting well with the deck, then put it away for awhile and use another. I think StaR summed it up perfectly, only you can decide if a certain deck is right for you. Lilli

Jewel	22 Jan 2002
Hi Gipsy, Like you I bought the Thoth some time ago and have a preference for the RW type decks (although something tells me that is about to change since I got the Cosmic Tribe which is Thoth based.) This deck has called to me for a long time, but for some reason I have shied away from exploring it by thinking the pictures were very complex and that I would need more basic tarot info before digging in. I now realize that that was not necessarily true. If the deck is calling to you give it a try ... if you do not like it you can always put it away. I reiterate what everyone here has said ... you are the only one that can make the decision. As for the deck being evil, I do not believe any deck can be evil ... as someone else noted above, the cards are only card stock. Good luck with whatever decision you make :) Love & Light,

Greenman	22 Jan 2002
hello Gipsy. so many people say things similar to your post, that there is 'something' about this deck that calls to them, but that there is something else that makes them hesitate. i think of it like this... the way i use the tarot is not as a system of divination. i don't often read with the cards. to me the tarot is more like a key to the 'collective unconscious' as Jung put it. a doorway to that mystical part of our brains that is not fully understood through language, only through symbolism. by understanding this part of the mind, we become more fully aware of our potential as humans. the Thoth tarot is incredibly deep with this kind of symbolism. it is a very powerful link to the subconscious mind, so much so that even a superficial glance makes you aware of this power. this explains the feeling of being 'drawn' to it. your inner mind is already connecting with the cards, even if your outer mind is not aware of this connection. as far as the perception of this deck being weird or evil, i think that comes from peoples preconceived ideas about Crowley himself. and that's a shame, because i see this as the ultimate tarot deck, the highest that mankind has achieved in the field of tarot study (so far). the fact is that Crowley was an asshole, there's no denying it. but he was also a legitimate genius. and while i find alot of his notions a bit strange, i think his work with the tarot is superlative, and is his greatest legacy. in fact, i could probably dismiss him altogether if it wasn't for the Book of Thoth. and we mustn't forget Lady Harris' role in all of this. she was certainly no fan of Aliester Crowley, but spent over five years working with him to develope this deck. and the finished product is, in my mind amazing! i hope you have fun working with this deck. i've been studying it seriously for many years, and it just keeps opening knew doors for me. it is a masterwork on many, many levels. and now i'll close with my usual link... http://hungry.piranho.de/claas/olive_e.html

kayne	23 Jan 2002
I've just started studying the Thoth Tarot too. I find this link useful: http://www.geocities.com/Paris/2110/ for study purposes and to find out others interpretations on the cards. K.

Greenman	23 Jan 2002
here's another... http://www.rahoorkhuit.net/library/thoth/

jmd	23 Jan 2002
There are a number of other threads relevant to this discussion which you may be interested to look at (if you haven't already). Here are two in Tarot Cards: Thoth - Hermit What Drives Tarot ? Image or Archetype Personally, I don't think that the reason the Thoth is 'magnetic' has to do with Jungian-type 'archetypes'. Rather, the cards are extremely well executed by Harris, and include such an (over?-) abundance of minutia of symbols that one wants to take the time to understand it... as one does when investigating, for example, well and not so well executed alchemical art. I have had two 'versions' of the deck (the 'standard' size with the three Magicians & its 'greenish' print, and the larger AGMuller rendition with its unicursal hexagramme) for about ten years. Although many people do find this deck very deep, I find it no deeper than most other decks. The BOTA, in my opinion, shows as much depth... even in its black and white outlines! As for the Marseilles... well, I'm probably bias towards it! By all means work with this deck. The difference I see is not that it works from deeper subconscious 'archetypes', but that it may open different doors, or open them in particular directions, due to its symbolic representations... as each and every deck does.

Greenman	24 Jan 2002
hmmm... i have to wonder what the symbolism is symbolic of if not the subconcious archetypes? and taking ones time to discover this deck doesn't really explain the idea of an 'immediate connection', does it? i absolutely believe that it was Crowley's deliberate intent to create a deck that touched these archetypes on a visceral level. and he was certainly capable of achieving this. after thirty some-odd years in the making, i can't believe that this was an 'accident'. i do agree that there are a 'few' other decks that may come close, but not very many (the Haindl and the Magickal Tarot are two that come to mind, both Thoth based). but, unfortunately tarot has become a popular trend. and as long as it remains so there will be alot of mediocre decks popping up to fill the need. people must have 'product' to consume, right?

The Thoth!!! thread was originally posted on 21 Jan 2002 in the Tarot Decks board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Tarot Decks, or read more archived threads.