Tree of life & Tarot

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 04 Oct 2001, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Moonklad	04 Oct 2001
Greetings and blessed Be! I have recently started studying the Thoth tarot which has lead me to a study of kabbalah and the tree of life. This line of study is very new to me but it has opened up so many doors for growth. Does anyone else here who works with the Thoth deck or who may have studied Kabbalah give me any advice that would be helpful. I have plenty of witchy, paganish friends but none who have delved that much into this subject. I would love to find someone who is willing to share some knowledge. Blessings, Kim

Mojo	04 Oct 2001
There is a great book called Tarot and the Tree of Life which deals precisely with this subject. However, the author does use the RWS deck as the basis of her interpretations and it focuses strictly on the minor arcana. But she goes into great detail about the Kabbala and its relationship to the Tarot. It's definitely worth checking out.

joya250	04 Oct 2001
Hi Moonklad, I have also recently started studying the Thoth tarot. And I'm totally blown away (in a good way!) by the system, structure and information I am learning. I can't answer you're question, but just wanted to let you know that I am with you on this. I love it - mixture of alchemey, astrology, chemistry, philosophy... who knew the tarot could be so much fun! ;P I assume you are reading Crowley's Book of Thoth? If not - get it! It will help you that much more. Looking foward to reading others' responses on this topic... - Joya

deso	04 Oct 2001
I studied the qabalah/kabbalah for years. I did the pathworking and everything. It was a wonderful system. Another book I would highly recommend is Will Parfitt's "The Living Qabalah" because it has a lot of practical exercises you can follow along the tree. Also, Robert Wang's "The Qabalistic Tarot" delves extensively into each card and how they apply to the tree of life (very esoteric). Good luck with your studies/meditations.

Major Tom	04 Oct 2001
A great book for path working is The Book of Tokens by Paul Foster Case. Of course it uses the BOTA deck but at least now you can get a colour version in the book. }> But if you're working with the Thoth tarot I reckon it's got to be Crowley's Book of Thoth. Planning on getting that one myself. }>

Jane	05 Oct 2001
Hi, I'll second deso's recommendation of Robert Wang's "Qabalistic Tarot". It helped me a lot with understanding what Crowley was talking about in "The Book of Thoth". Another that I have, but haven't had time to read yet, is Dion Fortune's "Mystical Qabala". This was recommended to me by a few people. Jane

Moonklad	05 Oct 2001
Greetings and blessed be, I really appreciate the book recommendations. I will definately check into them. Some of this is really hard reading and difficult to understand at times, but I feel like it is exactly what I am supposed to be doing at this time. You know the funny thing...I almost gave my Thoth deck away a few weeks ago..now, I simply can't put it down. Its weird to me how things work out like that sometimes. Makes me go hmmmmmm Blessings, Kim

nexyjo	05 Oct 2001
ellen cannon reed's witches tarot is also closely tied into the qabala. she wrote two different books, one for the majors, one for the minors, that closely examine the relationship between her deck and the tree of life, and associated paths. i enjoyed reading her books, but the deck didn't really speak to me, so i don't use it much. her tarot interpretations however, are quite insightful, and when i seek another point of view, her books are where i will often look first for that different perspective. luv and light, nexy

hippychick	23 Oct 2001
Hi all - great set of forums! My book recommendations on these topics: Books on Kabbalah: "Kabbalah as I see it" by Joseph Gelberman "The Way of Kabbalah" by Z'ev Ben Shimon Halevi Book on Tree of Life and Tarot: "The Key to the Tarot" A E Waite peace hc

Greenman	24 Oct 2001
Wang is king here, as i see it (where were i be without my Wang!). also good is Dion Fortune's 'The Mystical Qabalah'. and Dolores Ashcroft-Nowicki has two excellent books about pathworking; 'Inner Landscapes' and 'Highways of the Mind'. where as the arguement can be made (and legitimately) that there is NO historical connection between the two systems (tarot and the Qabala), one has to believe that this was just an oversight on the part of the universe. on another plane they must be joined at the hip! 22 paths, 22 trumps. and the progression of the sephira from the physical to the 'all' parallels the Fool's journey to enlightenment. but one word of warning to anyone who is working these paths seriously while using the Thoth deck. Crowley has inverted the paths of the Emperor and the Star (tzaddi and heh). this is not a problem if using the Book of Thoth or Wang, but remeber this when using another book not designed for the Thoth deck.

Jewel	25 Oct 2001
How great to see this topic here! I have almost gotten rid of my Thoth Deck several times and just can't bring myself to do it, and lately have found myself drawn to studying it (have not started yet). Tarot/Qabalah connections are of my greatest interest. I am actually hoping to do a comparite study of 5 or 6 different decks that I have identified relevant for this purpose. It would be great to have people to discuss this with! I agree with the Robert Wang recommendation. There is another book I have that will probably be the best to read first as it really tries to put the Qabalah connection to the Tarot in simple English! (short, sweet and to the point). I will make a list of the books I have on the subject and post it tonight or tomorrow for you. Love & Light,

Greenman	27 Oct 2001
it's great to see all this interest in the Thoth deck, and the Qabala. it does take a certain type of deck to best study the connection of the two. not all tarot decks are geared to this kind of in depth involvement. one that very much is (and i recommend it highly to all of you in this thread) is 'The Magickal Tarot' by Anthony Clark and Tony Willis. it too is based on the Book of Thoth, and geared directly at the Qabala. a very serious working deck. it is hard to find though. it's out of print here in the U.S, but may still be available in the U.K. and one warning, it's NOT very pretty, but it's my second favorite tarot deck next to Thoth.

Jewel	30 Oct 2001
Here are the other books I promised to post for you: 1) Qabalah a beginner's Guide by Kate Rheeders - ISBN 0-340-67339-7: Great basic book on the Qabalah, has one chapter dedicated to the tarot and the tree of life (short easy read.) 2)The Truth About the Tarot by Gerald Suster - ISBN 1-871438-07-1: This is the best book I have read on the Tarot. It includes not only the Qabalah but Astrology, Mythology and the I-Ching in relation to the Tarot as well (short easy read.) These two and the Wang book should get you nicely started :)

The Tree of life & Tarot thread was originally posted on 04 Oct 2001 in the Talking Tarot board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Talking Tarot, or read more archived threads.