Lost & Confused Newbie

JenWt43

Don't stress, but also try not to be too breezy about it, either. It takes work, and real effort. You, of course, are not me, but I took a few months off everything Tarot related just to study Qabalah (which really isn't that difficult once you get in the spirit of things). My method is simple, I don't skip ahead unless I understand. It's taken me about a year and a half to get to Adjustment, but it's been worth it.

Be warned, though, Qabalah is the deck's backbone. I tried to put it off as much as I could, but there is no getting around it. Ultimately though, I fell in love with it.


Oh yes! I have what could only be described as a very shallow familiarity with the Qabalah, after reading about it (and not understanding most of it :) ) over a period of a few years. My thinking before was that I should be more knowledgeable regarding Qabalah, before beginning the study of the Thoth.

But then I decided to just jump in, do one read through of the Book of Thoth, and then go back and take each card slowly. It will take many years, if ever, to truly "understand" it, but that is really the beauty of it.

There will always be more to learn, and as life experiences color everything, even what was "learned" is likely to be re-interpreted! So my vote is to jump in and get started, and begin the process.

Also, my attention span is such that I doubt I would be successful in taking a few months away from tarot to study the Qabalah - I am envious of your drive. (Seriously, I am not being sarcastic. I tend to worry how things come across in posts.)
 

Abrac

I would also say DuQuette is as good a place to start as any, especially since you already have it. After you start reading, don't be surprised if you have more questions than answers. That's a good time to take advantage of the vast online resources on Crowley and maybe read a couple of the Crowley bios. At the end of this Wikipedia article, a few are listed:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aleister_Crowley

I'd recommend finding an electronic version of the Book of Thoth online and using it to search for topics you may have questions about rather than sitting down and trying to read the whole thing straight through. There may be a time for that, but I'd rather look up something I have a question about now, keeps it more interesting.
 

Lil Red

I want to thank everyone for the advice. I have started reading "Understanding Aleister Crowley's Thoth Tarot" by Lon Milo DuQuette and am currently at ch 6. I am taking my time in reading it as well writing down information in my 3 ring binder. I have also opened up my Thoth tarot and wow the cards are amazing. I like how some of the cards are bold but I wish the star was bold as well instead of a fade out color. The only thing that confuses me are the minor arcana since it is (except the court cards) projective geometry (I think). Otherwise than that the book and tarot are pretty interesting and fasinating.

Thank you guys for helping me out and I will take things one step at a time instead of rashing everything and trying to get into everything like the Kabbalah, astrology, etc, all in the same time. So thank you, thank you!! I really do appreciate everything!!
 

Zephyros

And don't forget that any question, even what you may perceive as simple or basic, is always a chance for the people answering you to learn and organize their thoughts on them. So ask away, whatever the question!
 

Maskelyne

Oh yes! I have what could only be described as a very shallow familiarity with the Qabalah, after reading about it (and not understanding most of it :) ) over a period of a few years. My thinking before was that I should be more knowledgeable regarding Qabalah, before beginning the study of the Thoth.

But then I decided to just jump in, do one read through of the Book of Thoth, and then go back and take each card slowly.
I found studying the Thoth to be a good introduction to Qabalah. Crowley crammed as much as he could of all his occult knowledge into those cards, so that in studying them and reading about them you will pick up all sorts of other knowledge as well.

Robert Wang's Qabalistic Tarot focuses specifically on how Crowley and the Golden Dawn incorporated Qabalah into the tarot, and includes both the RWS and Thoth decks in the discussion. It's a bit pricey new, but available used at reasonable prices.
 

ravenest

Yes, I would include Wang to make a nice triad.
 

Lil Red

I got a quick question. Would it be necessary to learn the back of the Thoth tarot to understand the deck better as well would it be incorporated in the readings?

I think the back is interesting and fascinating to learn as well finding out where the 22 trump cards came from though it is confusing since it has a lot of things that it is corporating in it like astrology, the Kabbalah, zodiac, etc.

What is your opinion in this?
 

Zephyros

Start and see how it goes. Anything becomes easier to understand once you give it time and effort. Be prepared for the fact that will have to, eventually, study a few disparate things that may seemingly have no direct connection to the deck itself. The basics of Qabalah can be learned and understood well in a month, and you will never regret learning it as far as the Thoth goes. As someone who put it off for far too long before sitting down to it, I can recommend you do yourself a favor and get it done sooner rather than later.
 

Richard

I got a quick question. Would it be necessary to learn the back of the Thoth tarot to understand the deck better as well would it be incorporated in the readings?

I think the back is interesting and fascinating to learn as well finding out where the 22 trump cards came from though it is confusing since it has a lot of things that it is corporating in it like astrology, the Kabbalah, zodiac, etc.

What is your opinion in this?
It is certainly worthwhile to learn about the symbolism of the Hermetic Rose Cross. It is a sublimely beautiful thing. There is a wealth of Qabalistic information packed into it. Depending on where you are in your esoteric studies, The Chicken Qabalah might be a good book to start you on the adventure.
 

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Zephyros

It truly is a beautiful symbol, one can ponder it for hours. I'm not sure what the letters on the small barbs mean. If I recall, DuQuette doesn't say, and then I neglected to come back to it, I forgot.

If you're studying his Understanding I found it useful to draw it out in stages like he does, it makes things clearer. You can also arrange the cards in the form of the petals, a fascinating exercise. In any case, there is a reason it's right at the beginning of the book, as in many ways it sets the stage for what comes after, and is important for how many cards play off the others. Understanding is a book that should give you a good base with which to continue, and it doesn't have a whole lot of Qabalah in it, but it is tier-structured so I don't recommend you skip that chapter.

And I'll be a nag again... Qabalah isn't difficult, and will open up the deck in ways you would never imagine. Try :) All you need is a few basics, and then study of the Thoth becomes study of Qabalah, since it is built by it.