Differences between the Golden Dawn and Crowley on Tarot

Zephyros

Moderator Note:

Since there has been a great deal of interest in the ordering of the cards in the Golden Dawn Temple Tarot, I thought it best to split the thread so that that fascinating topic would get the focus it deserves. The new thread can be found here:

Variants of Golden Dawn attributions by the Aurora Aurea

Thanks for the fascinating discussions everyone, keep them coming. :)

Zephyros
Thoth Forum Moderator
 

foolMoon

My other question from this topic is, with all the differences pointed out between the two,

Can Thoth deck still be classed as the Golden Dawn type, or should it be classed as totally different type?

Why yes, or why no?
 

Zephyros

My other question from this topic is, with all the differences pointed out between the two,

Can Thoth deck still be classed as the Golden Dawn type, or should it be classed as totally different type?

Why yes, or why no?

Well, I would say yes... but there are so many wildly disparate GD decks. I think the root of any GD deck is the structure on which it is based which consists of the Tree of Life and the astrological attributions. Even decks like the RWS can be classified as a GD-type deck because of this. Ultimately they all share the same symbolic language, the same worldview on how the spiritual realms "work." However, each says different things using that same language, in the same way that any language operates. We're all writing in English but saying different things in different ways, syntax, sentence structure, etc.

The Thoth is a variation on the basic GD idea with changes made to better suit the views of its creator. In fact, so closely are they related that anyone who has made a study of the Thoth will immediately understand a deck like the Hermetic or any other "pure" GD deck. And vice versa, anyone with a GD background will find it quite easy to approach the Thoth.
 

foolMoon

Well, I would say yes... but there are so many wildly disparate GD decks. I think the root of any GD deck is the structure on which it is based which consists of the Tree of Life and the astrological attributions. Even decks like the RWS can be classified as a GD-type deck because of this. Ultimately they all share the same symbolic language, the same worldview on how the spiritual realms "work." However, each says different things using that same language, in the same way that any language operates. We're all writing in English but saying different things in different ways, syntax, sentence structure, etc.

The Thoth is a variation on the basic GD idea with changes made to better suit the views of its creator. In fact, so closely are they related that anyone who has made a study of the Thoth will immediately understand a deck like the Hermetic or any other "pure" GD deck. And vice versa, anyone with a GD background will find it quite easy to approach the Thoth.

Quite agree with you, Zep. Most tarots cannot escape from the shadow of the GD, if it wants to be called a Tarot, and that includes Thoth deck and RWS.

That's why I told the author of the thick tarot book (cannot recall her name or the book title but), she should have included more materials about the GD in her book, if it is to be a proper tarot book, when it first came out.
 

Michael Sternbach

The Thoth is definitely a GD deck in my mind; despite a few deviations from the GD system, it's quite faithful to it overall. The RWS less so, by comparison.
 

foolMoon

The RWS could be used straight out of the box using readers intuition only, due to its heavily picture based design, so it is more approachable for the newbie readers. Not sure if that was the original intention of AEW and PCS when designing the RWS, but due to the nature of the deck, certainly they contributed to making tarot more accessible and popular to general public, I reckon.

But sooner or later more demanding tarot readers would find the RWS somewhat restricted by one still scene for each card deck, and venture out to the deeper origins and realm of tarot.

Still there is no stopping if and for the die hard RWS readers, one wants to keep using the RWS in conjunction with the GD tradition deepening and widening their divinational scopes, although heavily pictorial based deck could be somewhat daunting and cumbersome in doing so.