Need a little help

[Siochanai]

Originally Posted by Barleywine

You might slip a couple (or a few ) other books in between DuQuette and the Book of Thoth. I got a lot of mileage out of "The Qabailistic Tarot" by Robert Wang and "The Tarot, A Key to the Wisdom of the Ages" by Paul Foster Case when I was first exploring the esoteric side. I did read the Book of Thoth first, but it was kind of a big gulp to take all at once. These other books helped me to nibble away at it. A bit less chewing, as it were. Other authors to consider are Israel Regardie, Gareth Knight, and, for thorough explanations of the 22 paths, Frater Achad (a protege of Crowley) and Dolores Ashcroft-Nowicki. All of my examples are from the '70s and early '80s. Others will surely have more recent favorites. Also, some of them like Wang's book are probably expensive now.

Yea maybe a few more inbetween books and maybe a few extra drinks too lol *wink*

Really mind bending stuff and tons of contradictory information just makes it harder.

[closrapexa]

I love the BoT. It's like an, I dunno, oracle unto itself. Every time I open it, even if it's a passage I've read a thousand times, I always learn something new, or look at something in a different way. DuQuette says it's like it's almost a different book every time he opens it. Difficult, but even reading a few sentences a day is worth it.

[Siochanai]

Originally Posted by closrapexa

I love the BoT. It's like an, I dunno, oracle unto itself. Every time I open it, even if it's a passage I've read a thousand times, I always learn something new, or look at something in a different way. DuQuette says it's like it's almost a different book every time he opens it. Difficult, but even reading a few sentences a day is worth it.

I agree I love the BoT. I like the fact it is not dumbed down challenge is good it makes the mind grow. It is indeed very difficult with no background in qaballah and such which just accentuates the difficulty for me. Hence me asking for some help.

[Yygdrasilian]

Originally Posted by MacBeth

Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day
To the last syllable of recorded time,
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage
And then is heard no more: it is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.

The Great "MER" of Khnum-khufu circumscribes a Wheel for the Divine Potter - the Ram-headed deity of ancient Kemet who formed every Human and their KA from Earth's clay. Upon the rites of Death, when funerary priests opened the Mouth, the BA of each soul was set free to seek it's Twin and become a Star, and thus immortal. But immortality can mean many things, and the hidden stone in this riddle weaves together a timeless truth which lies behind the veil of allegory. http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iIJ2cYBxv5...tects%2BUS.jpg

[Druid11]

Mmm... personally i will suggest to leave DuQuette's book for now, as it one of the worst (if not the worst) book to start studying Crowley (Thoth), i know that money and time can be an issue for the most part, but there is no easy way to go about Thoth or Crowley, i will first and formost recommend to go with the Book of Thoth at least once, read Thoth companion after (i actually read them both at the same time due to how well they complement each other) and then go to DuQuette if there are still things that you are unsure. Heavy reading indeed.

I will also suggest some other general reading like 78 degrees of Wisdom and The book of Law. I know i'm leaving lots of stuff still missing, specially when it comes to astrology and other symbolisms found in the Thoth tarot (like the tree of life), uff come to think about it there is a LOT of reading to be done by me still.

Blessings.

[closrapexa]

I disagree. Unless you already have a background in occult, Far Eastern mysticism, Western Mystery tradition, astrology, Kabbalah and who know what else, the BoT is not the best place to start. In that light, it respects its readers perhaps too much. It is easy to look down on DuQuette, but his book is a primer, a very basic introduction. There is a difference between not liking something and saying it is objectively bad. DuQuette isn't the best, but he does have the advantage of having it all in one book.

Besides, how can you suggest to somebody who knows nothing to read the Book of Law? Not to mention 78 degrees focuses mainly in the RWS, as good a book as it is. Each to his own, of course, but your suggestions honestly baffle me.

[LRichard]

I agree with closrapexa. An academic type might be able to read BoT by looking up all the references with which they are not familiar, but it would take lots of time and patience. DuQuette may be too simplistic, but it at least gets one's foot in the door.

78 Degrees is not the way to go, even with Rider-Waite, unless one is interested mainly in the divinatory use of the deck.

Crowley essentially claimed that The Book of the Law was channeled, and apparently even he had difficulty understanding what it was all about.

[Aeon418]

Originally Posted by closrapexa

besides, how can you suggest to somebody who knows nothing to read the book of law?

al iii:39

[closrapexa]

Originally Posted by Aeon418

al iii:39

Edit: I have no idea why the post appeared in lower case

First of all, never stop doing that

Secondly, I must admit to not having any beautiful paper made by hand

(although I do have a red ball-point somewhere)

[Aeon418]

Originally Posted by closrapexa

First of all, never stop doing that

What? Quote verses from Liber Legis?

Or make posts that mysteriously transform themselves into lowercase characters and then subsequently refuse all attempts at correction? It must be a forum glitch or something.