Why love the Thoth?

[HOLMES]

I am one of those who beauty means everything to.
my first thoth I brought for complete sake and it was very vibran,, it was a huge deck in a large white box that i didnt' know wasnt' common.
since then i had 2 thoths sent to me and they arent' thoths i would say i love !!

no,, that honor is always for that big thoth that i trade away to a person in a differnt country long ago just to show the thoth deck can be beautiful as hers was ugly..
it was 9 years ago so i dont' even remember who or where.

so due to the brillant colours, that lend itself to the spendid imagery is why it is loved so much of it for me falls in the hands of fried harris as much as crowley himself, perhaps more so.

[Juliana]

Originally Posted by Lotus Padma

Is the Liber T Thoth based, Juliana? Sorry, but I am absolutely unknowledgeable about the deck, and I would rather hear from the fans than read endless tracts of book info on it...

No problem. The Liber T is a Thoth clone. The majors are reworkings of the Thoth artwork. I think some would argue that a little symbolism is lost in translation, but I think it is a gorgeous reworking. And then the Liber T takes the minors, which are pips in the Thoth deck (not scenic), and illustrates them. Here are some pictures of the Liber T: http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards...stars-eternal/ You can compare the Hermit and Star cards of the Liber T there with the ones of the Thoth here: http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards...crowley-thoth/ I don't think the Liber T is necessarily a replacement for the Thoth, but it is definitely a nice accompaniment for me.

[Flaxen]

I initially stumbled across the Thoth in a shop and was captivated by the imaged on the box - the 2 of Disks. I knew I had to buy it!
It was love at first sight for me when I opened the box and took the deck out. The pictures are beautiful and contain many of my favourite images.The message of the Thoth deck is positive and life-affirming. I have spent many happy hours reading related material to help me get a better understanding of some of the ideas represented but my lack of knowledge in some areas does not stop me from being able to read with it.

Originally Posted by closrapexa

The readings it gives aren't dark at all, but actually a bit cynical, like a Victorian uncle rattling your preconceptions. I must admit that sometimes I want "friendlier" readings, so I still use other decks, but when I want the truth in my face, there is nothing like the Thoth.

This is so true! The first time I read for a friend using the Thoth, it warned her against comforting herself with food when she was feeling lost. Since then, she refers to it as 'the deck with the 'fat' card'. Its honesty is what I value about it - I don't seem to be able to interpret these cards in a way to fit what I think should be the answer.

[closrapexa]

I would like to add a geeky comment to Juliana's, that the scenes in the Liber T aren't RWS scenes worked into the Thoth; they are completely new ones, based on the decans.

The Liber T is on my wishlist, so I made it my business to learn a few things about it.

[Flaxen]

Originally Posted by closrapexa

I would like to add a geeky comment to Juliana's, that the scenes in the Liber T aren't RWS scenes worked into the Thoth; they are completely new ones, based on the decans.

The Liber T is on my wishlist, so I made it my business to learn a few things about it.

The Liber T is interesting study material in its own right. Scion did some fantastic research into the images on the pip cards. Very different from the Thoth.

[closrapexa]

Yes that's true, I'll get it some day. However, the only Thoth clone I know of that, at least in my opinion, can hold a candle to the original (and in some ways would even surpass it, were it not a clone) is the unpublished Amoun Ra Tarot. It's isn't set to be published, ever, but man, I would give anything for it. It's the ultimate Tarot Holy Grail for me.

http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/418/

There are other sites that show the cards more clearly, the scans here don't come close to doing even a semblance of justice to it.

[Barleywine]

Ah, the Thoth. My first deck and still my best one, in all the ways that count most. It has always reminded me of the comment an eminent astrologer once made about the planet Pluto: "There is absolutely nothing frivolous about it." Other decks may have been a passing fancy but they sit on the shelf much of the time; the Thoth is truly a lifetime study.

[Lotus Padma]

Winterchild was right this is an enabling thread - lol! However, that was, I guess, subconsciously part of my original plan - I want someone to convince me to get it

I loved Chiska's statement about how she never used Crowley against the Thoth - also her comment about the sparkly kitty stickers!

And, thanks Juliana, for introducing me to the Liber T. Love the images!

Closrapexa, thanks for letting me know it works very well with the intuition, even without studying the books - this was something I really wanted to know!

Everyone's comments are amazingly educational! ♥ Thank you And there I was thinking that because of Crowley, as a person, the deck would be - oh, I don't know - dark and deviant...somehow - dangerous...lol! Now I see my ignorance of it has blinded me to its inherent appeal and usefulness.

I'll have to get one now!

[LRichard]

I sometimes fantasize spending a few delightful hours with Crowley at that shrine of the Green Goddess known as the Old Absinthe House, in "that dim corner of the US which Time has forgot," the old part of New Orleans. After a few toasts to the Goddess, I can imagine his morphing into the Capricornian creature depicted in Trump XV. However, in a sense, the entire Thoth deck is a sequential portrait of Crowley, masterfully painted by his good friend Frieda Harris. I love the deck, for its beauty, its sense of humor, as well as the depth (and internal consistency) of its symbolism, but I am too distracted by the vibrancy of the images to use it for reading. However, Crowley's commentary on the deck, The Book of Thoth, is always at hand when I am studying Tarot, along with PKT, Wang's Qabalistic Tarot, and Book T.

[closrapexa]

Now that I think of it, I remember I actually bought it out of spite

Some one I detested told me I should never touch it, that it was evil and too powerful and that she had used it, but was now afraid of it. Well, my frame of mind when buying it was "I'll show her!" And if I may complement myself, I actually did.

Oh, and Lotus Padma, one last word about the Devil, that you mentioned you had a problem with. It is... well, it's obvious what it portrays, but even a cursory look at it will show you that it is what it is for the best of reasons. It's not smutty or pornographic, just very, very honest.

One problem I had, always, with the RWS, whatever clone you use, is that since Waite was devoutly religious, the deck tends to be a little too goody goody two shoes. Its Devil warns you away from materialistic things. The Thoth Devil (and Lust) encourages you to actually not only accept your humanity, but to enjoy it. In general, I find the whole deck a lot more forgiving than others, which makes sense. Crowley did many things he could have asked forgiveness for, so he'd hardly be the type of person who would design a deck that would judge you.