Books/sources for deeper relationship with Thoth?

sworm09

Hi folks,

So I've owned my Thoth deck for about a year and a half now. I bought it to use like any other Tarot deck, for divination. Recently though I've sort of started a magical practice and gotten into Golden Dawn/Thelema style stuff. Knowing that the Thoth tarot delves deeply into things such as this, I was wondering how to...I guess unlock it as it were. I know that the Book of Thoth would probably be my go to, but is there anything else that I could use alongside that to elucidate the "magical" side of the deck? The only other source that I know of is Robert Wang's Qabalistic Tarot. Other than that, not much, though I feel like I'm going to have to take a nose dive into Crowley's works to really get the most out of it.

Recommendations?
 

Zephyros

It would help to answer your question if you told us a little about what you already know. Even the Book of Thoth or Liber Theta won't help much without a little (or a lot) of background studies.
 

sworm09


Thank you! I already have this.

It would help to answer your question if you told us a little about what you already know. Even the Book of Thoth or Liber Theta won't help much without a little (or a lot) of background studies.

I understand most of the basic things that go into the deck. I have a pretty firm grasp on the basics of Qabalah. I don't know all of the attributions (God-names, colors, instruments, etc.) but I can explain things and think in Qabalistic terms pretty easily. I understand the basic structure of the tree, the different ways of dividing it, the vocabulary and the general nature of each Sephirah...though the paths between them sort of throw me for a loop.

Astrology I know backwards, forwards, and sideways. I knew that before I even got into tarot.

As far as Thelema goes, I understand some of the basic philosophies, but I admittedly don't see much of a difference between Thelemic philosophy and many other esoteric philosophies, but perhaps that's because I don't know enough? I can somewhat understand the concept of True Will, the HGA etc and I understand Nuit and Hadit as "deities" (Horus, Ra Hoor-Khuit and Hoor-paar-kraat? Not entirely sure. Aren't they different aspects of the HGA?)

Due to me not really "getting" what makes Thelema different, the whole concept of the New Aeon is sort of lost on me, though I do understand what Crowley means when he talks about the previous Aeon's fascination with death.

Uhmmm, alchemy, can't say I know much about it. Ceremonial magic, I'm just getting into really, but for the most part I can grasp it from a Qabalistic standpoint.

Basically, I understand enough where I wouldn't call myself a newbie, but I don't understand it well enough to strike anything profound. I'd say that I'm at an intermediate level....and stuck there. It's like I have all the tools, the components that go into understanding the Thoth, but I don't know what to do with them.
 

Grigori

You may find that a difficult request, most of the books on the Thoth deck itself are intended to assist people get to the level they can read and appreciate Crowley's own book (those that don't discard that entirely at least). One of the concepts from the Book of the Law (which the Thoth deck is an illustration of) is that people should be encouraged to develop their own understanding, so other people's interpretations are few and far between, and in some places actively discouraged.

You may find J Daniel Gunther's work useful however, though it's not tarot specific there is a lot in it that you'll be able to see the connection with your previous knowledge. http://www.amazon.com/J.-Daniel-Gunther/e/B001RV1XKC

I s'pose there is also Book 4, depending on the type of study you're looking to do :)
 

Zephyros

Basically, I understand enough where I wouldn't call myself a newbie, but I don't understand it well enough to strike anything profound. I'd say that I'm at an intermediate level....and stuck there. It's like I have all the tools, the components that go into understanding the Thoth, but I don't know what to do with them.

That's a good background, and with it you can really start to work. You have enough to start an in-depth study of the deck with the tools at your disposal, and in time you'll understand more and more, just don't expect to know everything from the start. The deck itself is a great Thelemic resource, coupled with the Book of Thoth. I myself start by analyzing the card's place on the Tree and its connection to its astrological attribution. That gives you the basic essence of the card. Then, I look at it from the Thelemic angle, which the BoT explains more than adequately. The passages in the book often lead to looking and reading other things, which lead in turn to others; the trick is simply not to skip anything you don't understand. In time you will find allusions to Crowley's other works, but not all at once.

For me this process takes a few months on each card, but basically if you want to build a greater relationship with the Thoth, just start building, and it'll come.
 

Always Wondering

As far as Thelema goes, I understand some of the basic philosophies, but I admittedly don't see much of a difference between Thelemic philosophy and many other esoteric philosophies, but perhaps that's because I don't know enough? I can somewhat understand the concept of True Will, the HGA etc and I understand Nuit and Hadit as "deities" (Horus, Ra Hoor-Khuit and Hoor-paar-kraat? Not entirely sure. Aren't they different aspects of the HGA?)

Due to me not really "getting" what makes Thelema different, the whole concept of the New Aeon is sort of lost on me, though I do understand what Crowley means when he talks about the previous Aeon's fascination with death.

Sometimes the differences seem very subtle to me, other times they hit me like a freight train. :laugh:

Here are some of my favorite starters.

Duty http://lib.oto-usa.org/crowley/essays/duty.html

Ask Baba Lon by DuQuette, especially fun if you met Baba Lon in Chicken Qabalah. http://www.amazon.com/Ask-Baba-Lon-...A_1_12?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1408205175&sr=1-12

Dr Shoemaker's Book Living Thelema and/or his Living Thelema sections in the Speech In The Silence Podcasts. http://livingthelema.com/

Have fun.

AW
 

sworm09

You may find that a difficult request, most of the books on the Thoth deck itself are intended to assist people get to the level they can read and appreciate Crowley's own book (those that don't discard that entirely at least). One of the concepts from the Book of the Law (which the Thoth deck is an illustration of) is that people should be encouraged to develop their own understanding, so other people's interpretations are few and far between, and in some places actively discouraged.

Alright, this is what I'd started to realize. I think I'm beyond the point where reading most of the books on the Thoth would be of help.

You may find J Daniel Gunther's work useful however, though it's not tarot specific there is a lot in it that you'll be able to see the connection with your previous knowledge. http://www.amazon.com/J.-Daniel-Gunther/e/B001RV1XKC

Thank you! I'll give it a look!

I s'pose there is also Book 4, depending on the type of study you're looking to do :)

Book 4 is something that I've dipped into and out of as my understanding of the material has grown. Sort of like the Book of Thoth, I understand more each time.

That's a good background, and with it you can really start to work. You have enough to start an in-depth study of the deck with the tools at your disposal, and in time you'll understand more and more, just don't expect to know everything from the start. The deck itself is a great Thelemic resource, coupled with the Book of Thoth. I myself start by analyzing the card's place on the Tree and its connection to its astrological attribution. That gives you the basic essence of the card. Then, I look at it from the Thelemic angle, which the BoT explains more than adequately. The passages in the book often lead to looking and reading other things, which lead in turn to others; the trick is simply not to skip anything you don't understand. In time you will find allusions to Crowley's other works, but not all at once.

For me this process takes a few months on each card, but basically if you want to build a greater relationship with the Thoth, just start building, and it'll come.

Thank you! This is what I need to start doing rather than hanging out in theory-land. Thank you for this!
 

Teheuti

It sounds like it is time for you to start practicing Tarot magic. A good place to start is Don Michael Kraig's book:
http://www.amazon.com/Tarot-Magic-Special-Topics-Series/dp/0738701858/
Match this with _Magic in Theory and Practice_ and the works of Eliphas Lévi and you should be ready to go.

The cards will then teach you.

You could also practice scrying with the Tattvas and Court Cards - works for some but not for others.
 

Zephyros

Very good book suggestions. I'll add "The Magick of Thelema: A Handbook of the Rituals of Aleister Crowley" by Lon Milo DuQuette.