Hey Nicky,
Eek! Be you ware of Angeles Arrien. If you are getting some value from her book, hats off.. but please know that her grasp of the Thoth and more importantly the "system" she teaches in that book have virtually nothing to do with the Thoth or its structure. Teheuti and I were involved in a
long heated discussion about this book a while back, and even she (as a longtime friend & student of Arrien's) admits that Arrien makes mistakes constantly and shamelessly... that most of the value in this book is that it "sets you free" to make up your own approach... that the best source of study is Crowley's Book of Thoth, once you're ready for it. Arrien makes stupid mistakes on almost every page, bizarre assumptions and mushy opinions. Arrien fabricates bales of interpretation without any context or substantive knowledge of the Thoth... and it shows. The trouble is the book
seems friendly and accessible, which makes it like an airconditioned tiger trap for your Thoth studies.
Not once in all the tens of thousands of words we wrote in that thread could anyone provide a single example of a useful lesson offered by Arrien... Not one topic that isn't covered elsewhere by someone more competent and knowledgable... Not a single "insight" of Arrien's that added to an understanding of the Thoth... Not even basic information, let alone interpretation. I asked and asked for something,
anything, positive people could cite in her defense, but never got answer. Even from her one dogged supporter, a friend and former student. NOT ONE EXAMPLE. Talk about damning with faint praise.
Only my opinion, though I'm sure some others will pop in to agree. If you want to learn to work with the Thoth I highly encourage steering clear of New Age "reinventions" of the Thoth by people who haven't done the basic homework (Wanless, Wagner, etc). It will screw you up in the long run, creating habits and associations that will trip you up later. There's a
reason that folks who struggle with the Thoth seem to go to these "friendly" authors, but so too, there is a reason that they wind up abandoning the Thoth as impenetrable when those authors can't hold up their end of the educational bargain. Here's the best part: Arrien has already confused you. Whether you know it or not, Arrien has made mistakes and promoted misreadings about the Thoth on almost every page you have read
because she didn't do basic research. And in a book for beginners that's inexcusable.
Know that she hasn't done her homework; and that you will repeat her mistakes because you're trusting her to have done something she consciously chose not to do: get her facts straight.
If you want to learn to use the Thoth, then I'd recommend learning the Thoth on its own terms at your own pace, not Arrien's unstudied musings on the Thoth, which she admits from the outset are unsupported by the basic facts. There are tons of resources that will help you take the steps that will build solid base for working with the deck. But Arrien's book is a shanty built on sand. Whatever shelter it seems to be providing, whatever meager comforts it affords, its utility is limited and you will inevitably have to seek a steadier foundation...
Just thought I'd mention it.
Scion