Order of cards for study/meditation?

Rose Lalonde

The Qabalistic Tarot first drew my attention to the Thoth, so I had started with Wang's order: Sephiroth explained first, so Aces to Tens/Princesses, then paths, Universe up to Fool. But then I read The Book of Thoth with Atus first, starting with the Fool, then courts, then small cards. Lastly I see revised Liber Theta moved courts last.

Though beginning with the sephiroth made sense to me, I see the value of Atus first, since small cards have two Atus reflected in planet and sign.

Do you think there's an order that works best for a first few months pass through the deck? Go with Crowley? Do the small cards rely more on knowing the Atus, rather than the other way around?

Thanks.
 

Zephyros

I myself started with the Trumps, and it worked out pretty well. It really isn't one or the other, because it is all interconnected. When you're analyzing a Trump, in the course of your study you take the Sephiroth into account as a matter of course. Your Kabbalah studies don't ever end, it is a continuous process.

Everything is ultimately built on the Trumps, and the Minors are connected to them especially through their astrological attributions, which you can look at through the lens of the Trumps. Once you understand the Trumps, something like Venus in Aries becomes the Empress and the Emperor. The Courts, by extension, are attributed to three Minors. Basically once you get through the Trumps you've already done much of the structural work.
 

Barleywine

When I first got the Thoth deck back in 1971, I didn't have the Book of Thoth, and when I did get the book it was a tantalizing enigma to me for quite a while. What I did have was a bunch of qabalah books (Israel Regardie, Dion Fortune, William Gray, Frater Achad, Franz Bardon, Gareth Knight, the "Three Initiates," and a couple of others), and I studied those while the Book of Thoth was sinking in. Then I latched onto the extensive BOTA course material. Most of those books were in the Golden Dawn tradition, not Crowley's, but the practical groundwork was largely the same. I was thirsty for the knowledge, so I kind of took it all at once. I didn't start with a coherent system, but one slowly emerged as I "connected the dots." I woudn't recommend it if you're more comfortable with "method."
 

Rose Lalonde

Thanks, closrapexa. Yes, the Thoth cards are more interconnected in multiple ways than I've encountered before, so I got option freeze deciding. But I'll take your advice and start with the Atus. And I'll go with revised Liber Theta's order.

Barleywine, I've been reading all over the place and laying out cards in combination by sephiroth or sign... but I think I need to get a better feel for individual cards. And I'm comfortable with method. :livelong: