"Thoth-y" decks

Le Fanu

Yes, closrapexa. Nothing to add. That's it in a nutshell. I have nothing to add (not that I am any expert).

It's difficult but I had my own shameless procedure that really worked for me but it might rile the purists. I did this. In order;

1. Just love the deck; respond to colours, angularity and swooping rhythms

2. that keywords book. I know, I know, but it really helped me get a grip on the basic concept of each card. Started a Thoth notebook divided up a page per card

3. Then I read DuQuette which, even so, I found difficult and required the first of many leaps of the imagination.

4. Then I read Micheal Snuffin; the Thoth Companion, which compliments DuQuette nicely

5. Then (and only then) did I attempt Crowley's Book of Thoth and - you know what? - it wasn't as difficult for me as everyone had been suggesting. I write in my copy, underline/highlight etc. I've read it three time cover to cover and now regularly dip in.

6. Only then (incredibly) did I start reading with the deck. I discovered it was a superb reading deck. (Others might not want to wait that long but then I'm like that)

7. My studies continue. Last year I bought a new notebook (5 pages per card!) and copied everything up. You see, it is hard work!

8. Now I'm reading the book to the Rosetta Tarot which continues to enlighten me.

After all of this, you might want to buy and use the Rosetta Tarot. It's a fabulous deck and true to the Thoth while also being fabulous itself...

Just for the record, I make a distinction between Thoth-based (i.e Via, Magickal, Liber T etc) and "Thothy". Thothy suggests something lighter, like the Sun & Moon (apparently)

And (also for the record) astrology and planets and exaltations and stuff still defeat me. There is much I don't understand and probably never will. You just have to say "Ok, aparently that's true" and move on...I have to resign myself to the fact that I probably don't have the type of brain required.
 

GoldenWolf

Great posts, closrapexa and le fanu. When I first got the Thoth deck, I was baffled. A friend used it and got great readings with it. I bought the Book of Thoth hoping that would give me some clarity. I remember thinking it was just gibberish. I was working a couple of part-time jobs and going to school full-time so I really didn't have the luxury of time to pursue further studies then. This will date me horribly, but I had a new copy of the BoT with a cover price of $6.95 US. That's how long ago it was, folks.

At the end of last year, I decided to try the Thoth again. I continued to read with and study RWS decks in the intervening years and learn the rudiments of Kabbalah. I returned to the forum after a long absence and was struck by the number of people who had positive things to say about the Thoth deck. I'd had the DuQuette book for a long time and decided to read the intro chapters first and then study one card per day. I'd look at the card and its imagery ( a magnifying glass is a must), read DuQuette's book, and then read the BofT. If I wasn't too sleepy, I'd read the deck study entries on the forum. I have been through the entire deck once already since I would double or even triple up on weekends. At first, I really needed to read DuQuette first. As I got a better grasp, though, I'd start with Crowley first.

So why did it take me so long to get to this point? I was ready for it this time. This has happened to me with a few other books or systems. They make no sense at all on first approach. At some point for some reason, I decide to take another look. It may not magically click right away, but it does enough to encourage me to keep going.

I know there will be other rounds with this deck. I know that astrology is my Achilles heel too. I agree that the study and knowledge are worthwhile in themselves. All of the other areas of study contribute not just to my Thoth studies but to my outlook on life. When I took a course on hypnosis years ago, my instructor, in response to a question about what to study next, urged us to read myths, books by Jung, psychology texts, NLP, listen to great pieces of classical music, go to museums, and pretty much anything other than study some more advanced hypnosis book or course. My classmates just looked at him, but I knew what he meant. Having that stream of knowledge was a source that we could go back to again and again and get more from in the future. This same approach applies to my Thoth studies.

My focus on Tarot has also changed. There's nothing wrong with doing readings. However, there are no longer my primary interest as they were when I was 12 or 13 and just got my first deck. I get bored with "Will my BF and I get back together?" type questions. I want to keep moving on and the Thoth (and Liber T and Rosetta and . . .) feel like good vehicles to do that with.
 

DaisyDragonfly

2. that keywords book. I know, I know, but it really helped me get a grip on the basic concept of each card. Started a Thoth notebook divided up a page per card.

Yup, I'm using this Banzhof book. I'm finding it very useful because it takes all of arcanery and turns it into an actual concrete message: so, at a glance, I can take in the key imagery, the key ideas and the key message.

The notebook is next...

And I'm leaving Crowley until last. Don't know why. I've got the Book of Thoth, but I've not been tempted to crack it open yet. I want to know his context before I read his ideas, I guess.

(And I echo Le Fanu's representation above - the Rosetta is seriously helping out with all of this. Not just the accompanying book, but the images too. Liber T was great for adding extra information to the minors - I just wish it had an accompanying book, too, because some of the time I wasn't sure what I was looking at and would have liked to know).