Me, I'm hardly an expert on the Thoth, but I can say that ever since I got it it has rarely ever been more than a few meters away from me, unless I forget it at work. It feels like an extension of myself, I understand it to the best of my ability and often formulate my thoughts through it. It is like my right arm and has grown with me. It isn't the same deck I bought years ago, it has morphed into something greater. I don't
use the Thoth, I
am the Thoth, at least insofar as my petty mind and spirit grasp it, which I'm sure isn't at the level of some here. I can't imagine my life without it, or the amazing impact it has had on me. It has been instrumental for me in becoming a better version of myself.
When I started out, all eager and Thoth-hungry, it was as other people said, sharp and shiny and abrupt. Over time it has become, in the way I see it, more mature, less extreme, perhaps a little older and shabbier but then, so have I.
It is a reflection of myself, and only years into its study did I understand that it always was.
But it isn't a deck you learn and then just "know." It is a lifelong journey, and although people say that about a lot of decks, I wonder how many realize how true that is of this one. Have we had difficult times? Of course, but we came through them together. If anyone feels blocked by the deck in some way, don't sell yourself short by just pulling a card and thinking "oh, ten of swords, well then." You deserve better. Challenge yourself to find out why you are blocked and what that blockage means. There have been many times I have been tempted to set it aside because it unearthed demons I admit I found hard to handle. Sometimes it scared me,but it was never the deck, but always myself that created those fears. Some of the demons it points at I still can't handle.
Remember that one of the purposes of the deck and its Thelemic philosophy is to discover your True Will and to try to discard all extraneous baggage. That's what makes the deck more than just a petty cerebral exercise. Rejoice at a blockage because it is a chance to discover something about yourself. Treat it as merely difficult, or merely a deck, and that's what you get back. Take yourself on and be ready to wrestle yourself as Jacob wrestled with the angle and... well, let's just say at this point that it won't always be fun, but it is never boring.