The black card in Thoth ?

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 15 Nov 2001, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Chris	15 Nov 2001
Hello, I received my deck of Thoth today. I found a black card in the game with colored triangles in the middle. It doesn't have any number or border or text on it. Does anyone know it's signification ? Thanks ! Chris.

Moonklad	15 Nov 2001
Hi there, The symbol that you describe is the unicursal hexagram. From what I understand this was Aleister Crowley's personal magickal seal. Perhaps someone else here can give you more detail on this. If I remember correctly this card wasn't part of the original deck but has been added later. BTW, when I first got my Thoth deck I took this card out because I didn't feel that it belonged with the deck. In my personal experiences, this card DEFINATELY belongs in my deck. Long story..check my other posts. I have found that symbol to be a wonderful tool for meditation. When it comes up in reading I think it means, for lack of a better word.."Balance"..Balance of the astral and physical world. As above, so below. Just my opinion... Blessings, Moonklad

AmounrA	26 Nov 2001
The 'black card' in the thoth deck is a specific card. It is the 'daath' card and should be shuffled in the deck and used in that context. I don't know what layout you use the taro, I always use the tree of life formation, the trick is to get the daath card on daaths spot. As daath is the hidden sphere, so too is it the hidden card in Crowleys excellent deck( a deck that always wants to play).

Kimon	27 Nov 2001
Hello, the symbol itself was discovered or created by Crowley, because he was looking for a way to draw the hexagram in one line (like it is possible with the pentagram) for using it in rituals; so he found that way, using more than two dimensions, namely three. Out of this he than realized that the magickal hexagram had much more power drawn in this way, lifting its meaning from a 2-fold plane to a 3-fold one, giving its power a body. Greetings, Kimon

jmd	27 Nov 2001
Quote: Kimon (28 Nov, 2001 06:51): ... the symbol itself was discovered or created by Crowley... Crowley undoubtedly used it... and may have (re-)discovered it for himself... But it was discovered and used long before him! I have seen it in early (pre-18th c.) diagrammes. As to whether it properly belongs to the printed deck, I agree that it does, in the sense that it appears to have been part of the 80 card sheet used in productions. As to whether it belongs to the deck when the Tarot is isolated from the 80 prints, there are various views.

AmounrA	27 Nov 2001
The thoth deck works best when used in the tree of life formation, and the card is daath. If in a reading it shows up above the daath spot, then it is not so good an omen, it means something is wrong with, or contaminating , your path. If it shows up in tiphareth then it shows you about to enter some serious 'gameing', but you will one way or another land on your feet If its in Yesod , then you will be learning fast, its the sign of a good and strong initiation. mental evolution If in malkuth it means you with have a a phychical change in reality . Its basically a sign that you are now on the real path of 'magick'. You are committed. :-)

The The black card in Thoth ? thread was originally posted on 15 Nov 2001 in the Using Tarot Cards board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Using Tarot Cards, or read more archived threads.