Would Thoth be a good choice?

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 04 Jan 2004, and now archived in the Forum Library.

ros	04 Jan 2004
I know nothing about the Thoth Tarot. I am draw to them, (the purple box) BUT I feel they may be to complex to understand. I feel I can move into something new & don't know if the Thoth Tarot should be my answer. Is there a big difference in the meanings?There is something that doesn't settle right with me & mabee it's my comfort zone with the Rider-Waite Tarot. HELP! lol Thanks for any replys

Kachua	04 Jan 2004
I don't see why not, if you are so drawn to them. I absolutely adore my Thoth deck, and they are what I first started out with as a beginner. I never saw the deck as particularly complicated, I think the images are so vivid that it's quite clear what is being expressed. Even those generally hard to read Court Cards are depicted very well. A lot of people describe the Thoth deck as overbearing or scary. I don't know. Just looks pretty, to me. I don't know anything about Rider-Waite so I don't know the differences. As for feeling uncomfortable about choosing it as a new deck, that happens everytime I buy one. I'm definitely not a collector; I am extremely choosy about what deck I get.

Le_Corsair	04 Jan 2004
You don't have to be able to manufacture a car, or even repair one, in order to drive one. Go ahead and get the Thoth Tarot if it calls to you; be aware, though, that there is a world of symbolism and meaning just below the surface of the deck, waiting to be discovered. Bob :THERM

Macavity	04 Jan 2004
Be aware of the different sizes and manufacturers? I won't make suggestions (honest!) - There are quite a lot of other threads devoted to this. But I do find the larger size subjectively quite different to the smaller. Gone was a certain feeling of... "claustrophobia"? }) The only downside is the inevitable difficulty (for me) with shuffling larger cards - So I have a small deck to fiddle with... But then I got THAT one FIRST to see if I liked them at ALL... :D Macavity P.S. (added to actually answer a question) The Thoth and the RWS inevitably share a closeness in "meaning" - 'cos the authors came from a common Golden Dawn etc. background. A main difference is the use of pictures in the RWS minors and the more abstract designs plus keyword system for the Thoth. But, IF you do a side-by-side comparison between the minors you will find e.g. that MANY of the Thoth keywords would quite well describe the RWS scene. Not invariably... but mostly true... ;)

Kachua	04 Jan 2004
Large size is horribly annoying when doing a reading with lots of cards. But I like how wide the pictures are.

Little Baron	04 Jan 2004
If they are calling, call back!! Go for it! I havn't spent as much time with my Thoth as I should have done but there are so many levels to the deck that you will never tire of the cards and visually, they are beautiful. I will probably study them when I have a little more time on my hands for at the moment, I havn't got enough time to dedicate to the deck. There is a lot of good reading material out there - I have the Anjo/Banzoff (spelt incorrectly - dont have the book here to refer to) and that is very thourough on all of the minors as well as majors. Wishing you all the best Yaboot

Cerulean	04 Jan 2004
If you don't mind mini decks, the Susan Levitt kit has both the Rider Waite and Thoth in mini version, has a great and sizeable color book, spiral-bound that shows both decks side to side on each card. It's a friendly introduction. If you just want to plunge into the Thoth, a friendly discussion of each card in a positive light and the symbolism comes in Gerd Ziglar's "Tarot, Mirror of the Soul." A very nice book that I am re-aquainting myself with...I think amazon.com and abebooks.com or half.com might list Thoth or the Ziglar book for less than full price. Best wishes Mari H.

draconiius	13 Jan 2004
my first ever tarot deck was Thoth, and i've to be honest with you, i'm spoiled by that as I love doing thoth and whenever i use other decks, i'm always not as satisfied as i'm with the thoth. another post said it all, the symbolism and deeper meanings simmering beneath the obvious surface of each card is actually drawing one into a deep vast world. so it's difficult for me to come back to another deck...it's like leaving a rich world for a barren world. so go for it.

jog1118	13 Jan 2004
i learned tarot with the tarot nova (a RW clone in my opinion) and moved on to the tarot of the hidden folk (another RW clone). my 3rd deck was the thoth (large AGMuller version) and i did'nt have any difficulties adjusting...in fact it has become my main reading deck although i now have 5 decks... you wo'nt regret getting the thoth... :smoker:

~X~	13 Jan 2004
I'd very much recommend this deck and I would also recommend "The Tarot Handbook" by Angeles Arrien to go with it. The Mirror of the Soul book is good, but I like this one better.

Emily	13 Jan 2004
I like the lavender box version with the three Magus, its a nice size for small hands but I also have the Susan Levitt kit that Mari mentions and the decks in there are very good quality - pocket size Thoth and Rider Waite - very portable. 'Keywords for the Crowley Tarot' is a good book but if you want help adjusting or even want to study the Thoth alongside the Rider Waite then 'Tarot as your companion' by Banzhaf is a good book just so long as you know that the book is based on a 4 position spead called 'The Next Step' - actually its a good spread and I have used it often. I also like 'Mirror of the Soul' and 'The Tarot Handbook'. :)

The Would Thoth be a good choice? thread was originally posted on 04 Jan 2004 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.