Thoth - Where would you start? Pls Help?

ravenest

"Through the Thoth especially I study not only about symbols but also science, nature, poetry, mathematics, philosophy, literature, psychology, chemistry, social and political sciences, art and its history..."

It's great isn't it?

and all 'symbols' of the 'one thing'. ;)
 

ravenest

No-one ever gets satisfaction from Rosanne. You may as well give in now.

Dang! I thought satisfaction was being demanded of me, not Roz. ... Here I was about to lay out my jo, bo, tanto, karma, bokan, sai, eku and say ; "You choose first."
 

Spiffo

Hi there, far be it for me to but in but ... I've just come back to Tarot and am getting into Thoth & loving it. Here's my two-cents worth.

Raven's website is a really good place to start, http://www.corax.com/tarot/

Raven has a down-to-earth way of introducing complex concepts that may be new to you; Tree of Life; Elemental Dignification; Hermeneutic Principles etc. His definitions are not too bad either.

Make your own Book of Thoth; I got a nice journal and just started to create my definitions based on reading a couple of books, Raven's website and doing some meditation. At one-a-day it has taken a while.

Books; Being on the arse end of the planet where shops only sell beer and thongs, I had to rely on a blind order from Amazon. I wanted to use express postage so bit the bullet and just ordered the lot in one hit. But these below are the ones I'd recommend:

Aleister Crowley, Book of Thoth, 2011, Weiser, USA - you gotta have it but it is a hard read - it's on the web if you search but I still prefer the real book. The more I dip into it the more I get out of it.

Hajo Banzhaf & Brigitte Theler, Keywords for the Crowley Tarot, 2001, Weiser, USA - good general introduction, nice breakdown of symbols used in the cards, very easy to use. This book will have you using the deck immediately. Formatting is great. I have the real book and the ebook. Every LWB should be like this.

Hajo Banzhaf & Akron, 'The Crowley Tarot; Handbook to the Cards, 1995, US Games, USA - this is an earlier version of the title above with a different co-author and publisher. This earlier version is more text based and is probably more informative than the title above but as such it is more of a book to study with, whereas the title above is more of a super-sized LWB on steroids. I have both and think they compliment each other nicely.

Gerd B Ziegler, Tarot Mirror of the Soul, 2010, AGMuller, Switzerland - new translation - love him of loathe him Gerd is a guy who looks on the bright side. I like this book though, sometimes it makes me laugh, sometimes wince, and sometimes it really does provoke some interesting thoughts. Be mindful that this book should be read, on a Californian beach, in the 1970s, wearing a tie-died t-shirt, beads, ... it's very retro-new-age.

Jana Riley, The Tarot Book, 1992, Weiser, USA - I think Jana may have been on that beach in the 1970s, but she moved on in the 80s, found Jung and Briggs Myers (MBTI) and wrote a rather nifty book - a good introduction to Thoth and its implications.

Lon Milo DuQuette, Understanding Aleister Crowley's Thoth Tarot, 2003, Weiser, USA - this is the definitive commentary on the Thoth Tarot by a very good writer. It has to be in your library.

Michael Osiris Snuffin, The Thoth Companion, 2011, Llewellyn, USA - I have to admit to only glancing at this. To be honest I only got it because it was a relatively 'new' book (2011) and as I was doing one big order from Amazon UK I thought why not just add it. Looks like a slightly more advanced book, but his writing style is clear. The Card definitions section is comprehensive and authoritative.

Get the Large Deck if you can, it's big and really helps for study and meditation. Since my own Fool's Journey with Thoth has begun I can't explain the extraordinary lucidity of my readings. It hasn't all been easy, some of it has been a bit confronting, but it has certainly been rewarding (& continues so to be).

Hope that helps a little.

Cheers,

I have had this deck for years BUT have always put it in the to hard basket as it seems so complex. I always figured it was for smart people. LOL

Anyway I picked a couple of cards yesterday and they were quite straight shooting which is what I am looking for in a deck, so I would like to start studying THOTH. I have other decks on order but want to keep this one as a main study deck.

I need advice as it is so different to what I am used to (RW)

Where do I start?
On my own or study group?
Card by CARD?
Journaling?
Is there a book for beginners? I only have the companion.
DO I have to understand symbolism? This is NOT my forte.

ANY advice is appreciated. Where shall I start?

Gosh this is going to take me yearssssss :)
 

Lourdez

Oh my spiffo thank you soooooooooooooo much xxx
 

Emily

That's a nice site - thanks for posting the link. :)
 

Spiffo

Emily, I notice that you are playing with the Liber T! I got a copy of it this week. Had a look and realised its too early for me to be looking at it yet. Although ...

I discovered Scion's work on it. Have you?

That's a nice site - thanks for posting the link. :)
 

Emily

Emily, I notice that you are playing with the Liber T! I got a copy of it this week. Had a look and realised its too early for me to be looking at it yet. Although ...

I discovered Scion's work on it. Have you?

Hi Spiffo, yes Scion's PDF is a brilliant read, I printed a copy out to make it easier to dip into.

The Liber T is a very forgiving deck, very easy to get into. I've used it now for around 7 years and still have only just scratched the surface and yet I'm very comfortable with the readings it gives me. Maybe you should just try dailies with it, see how it reads. :)
 

nicky

I went through the cards here with the Thothies and there are a ton of helpful posts people have made over the years which helped me on my path.


My small bit of advice is not to be overwhelmed with "all you need to know" - take it in as small bits as you want and enjoy it :)
 

Lourdez

I went through the cards here with the Thothies and there are a ton of helpful posts people have made over the years which helped me on my path.


My small bit of advice is not to be overwhelmed with "all you need to know" - take it in as small bits as you want and enjoy it :)

Thank you that's a great way to look at at :)