Golden Dawn, how many of you?

Hi,
I just got the book of DuQuette explaining the Thoth Tarot and so on, and started to read it.
I find it very difficult to me. I feel completely lost with so many signs, and simbols, and meanings, planets, Qabalah, the Rose Cross... but I find it soooo interesting... that I cannot leave the book.
I started to do the first operation yesterday. I'm sure I made it wrong, I do not understand many things, but this Golden Down system seems to be interesting... so...
How many of you read the cards using this way? Is very early for me to start with it? I'm newbie, any suggestion?

You have to start somewhere. If you are really interested in using and understanding the Thoth deck, DuQuette is a good place to begin. I'd also get Crowley's own "Book of Thoth." Read both, knowing that you won't understand a lot the first time around (I've read Crowley's book several times and get more from it each time I do). Do the spreads as best you can. Get advice from people in the Crowley/Thoth section of this forum.

You can also look up "Book T" on the internet and follow the "Opening of the Key" instructions given there. http://www.tarot.org.il/Library/Mathers/Book-T.html

Unfortunately none of the sites I know include Mathers' own examples of readings that were originally part of "Book T." For help with Elemental Dignities you can go here: http://supertarot.co.uk/lessons/index.htm

If you are just interested in learning to read tarot, then I suggest starting with a simpler deck and book. See the sections on CARDS, LEARN, and BOOKS at the top right of your screen for book and deck reviews and beginner's materials.

Liber Θ is an updated version of Book T by the College of Thelema which follows the Thoth ordering of the cards: Adjustment (Justice) is VIII and Lust (Strength) is XI, as in the Tarot de Marseille, and the Golden Dawn's Hebrew letter attributions of the Emperor and Star are interchanged. The Opening of the Key divination method is described in the last section. It's a very carefully prepared document, and it's free!

LRichard said:

Liber Θ is an updated version of Book T by the College of Thelema which follows the Thoth ordering of the cards . . . and it's free!

Click to expand...

LRichard - Thank you for this.

Ivanna - If you are not just committed to the Thoth deck, you can get a good start on the Golden Dawn system of Tarot by reading Paul Foster Case's _The Tarot: A Key to the Wisdom of the Ages_. It's much more approachable, although, again it is a book you'll want to read several times. However, it won't help you much with the actual spread, and it features a modified Rider-Waite-Smith deck.

I think DuQuette's book is an excellent place to start, and could keep you busy for quite some time. You could consider working with only that tarot book, but supplement it with DuQuette's other book 'Chicken Qabalah' and an introductory astrology book (I quite like Frawley's 'The Real Astrology', but any beginners book would do just as well). These alone could keep you engaged for a long time.

I'd then look to expand into more specific texts such as Crowley's own book on the Thoth, Snuffin's book, etc..

I find the system really useful and once you get a handle on the basic structure it becomes very second hand and applicable. But it's a big step to begin with I agree, with some rote learning to get the bits clear before you can start to experiment with them in readings.

I'll just say up front I don't use this method but I might be able to offer a couple of suggestions.

For unfamiliar terminology and symbols I frequently use John Michael Greer's The New Encyclopedia of the Occult. It doesn't answer everything but it's my go-to source when I want a concise explanation of something. But it also goes into considerable depth on some topics. A great resource for beginners. There's also the Web.

There's The Golden Dawn by Israel Regardie. He also authored The Complete Golden Dawn System of Magic and it can be downloaded as a free PDF here. I just recently downloaded it myself, but from what I can tell it's essentially the same as The Golden Dawn but with additional material. Its "Book-T" material is more complete than the stand-alone versions I've seen online. It has several examples. I'm not clear if they're all by Mathers, but there are a few that are "clearly" laugh marked as by G.H. FRATER S.R.M.D. (Mathers). As a beginner these books might just lead to more confusion but they're great resources.

EDIT: There's another great resource I forgot about, the Golden Dawn Glossary at Mary K. Greer's blog:

http://marygreer.wordpress.com/gd-glossary/

I suggest that you learn one system at a time, like astrology or quaballah, instead of trying to embrace everything at once.

This is typical, you are not alone. There is tons of information within the deck and some of it is mind bending on it's own. I would suggest a card a day when you start to feel overwhelmed. A short break doesn't hurt either... if you can.

AW

Thanks for all this wonderful info, now I have more titles on my reading queue.
Certanly, too much at the same time is not a good idea. I will take my time, no hurries....