The rose cross on the back of each card

Comparing the golden-dawn's version of the rose-cross with the one on the back of each card in the deck I found that the white circle or dot that appears in the center of the rose-cross does not seem to be there.
Does anyone have an explanation or idea as to why that is?

I think it is there, only its too small to clearly see on the cards.
I cant think of any reason why it would be left out.

Hope that helps Or draws lots of people to disagree with me lol.
Sezo
x

I looked at the picture enlarged and not only does there not seem to be any white in the middle, it even seems darker at the center.

But even if Crowley didn't "mean" to not put it there, we can still applay meaning to it. I have my theories, and I was wondering if anyone else had any other ideas.

The Point

In his book "Understanding Aleister Crowley's Thoth Tarot" Lon Duquette has this to say (page 40):

"In the Harris painting, it is almost impossible to see the minute white point at the heart of the tiny rose at the very center of the design. (If it's not there, it should be!)....."

Both Harris and Crowley were thoroughly conversant with the significance of the point within the cross, so it's probably just a printing issue that the point is not visible in the center of the rose.

I have read DuQuette's ideas, but the answer "If it's not there it should be" does not satisfy me. In my interpretations of the cards, every image is significant even if Harris or Crowley 'didn't mean it to mean anything' (not that we can even start to assume what Crowley actually "meant").
The white dot is not there and I cannot understand why it has not been analyzed as every other part of the tarot cards.

This white dot holds up out entire universe of rose and cross, and it has a strong significant in the Golden Dawn. Why is the lack of it taken so insignificantly? Why find the easy way out by saying "if it's not there it should be" and not discussing it any further?

What's it meant to mean?

I never look at the backs that closely.

And I can't be bothered to look it up.
I can't find half my books at the momment.
They have dissapeared under other crap.

So, what does it mean?

So I can guess the meaning of it's absence.

For me at least, this center is God, the Essence of all, the 'powers beyond', reincarnation, what is shared by us all... the one truth that hold all we know as exsistance together.

Lotem said:

For me at least, this center is God, the Essence of all, the 'powers beyond', reincarnation, what is shared by us all... the one truth that hold all we know as exsistance together.

Click to expand...

Oh, the answer is simple. There is no God. Sorted.

One white dot is God, and if it isn't there then there is no God in the Thoth tarot? Is that it?

Okay. Not sure what to make of that.

Plus, are we really sure it isn't there and just so small the printer didn't resolve it?

Aeon418 said:

Oh, the answer is simple. There is no God. Sorted.

Click to expand...

It may mean there is no god, but I doubt the lack of god is any simpler than his existence.
Also, I defined it as 'god' but the implications are larger. Especially if I see the white dot as Crowley's re-incarnation.

If there is nothing to hold the rose of humanity to the cross of the divine, the magickal implication when we study Crowley shows either a contradiction or a theory which can be reached through these complications. I was hoping to develop this through discussion.