How do you interpret's Thoth's Devil in a reading?

d_muse

I'm studying the Devil, I read the study threads on the Devil here at AT and I have a couple of books for the Thoth deck, but I'm still a bit hazy how this is interpreted in a reading. The Thoth devil is different from the established devil meanings. I can understand the raw creative energy, procreation, joy in all matter, in all aspects of creation, yada, yada, but I can't think of a way to interpret it correctly doing a reading.
 

Gwynne

Interpret it exactly as you said!

raw creative energy, procreation, joy in all matter, in all aspects of creation, yada, yada,

The Thoth's Devil is so different, it's a goat with flowers on its head for crying out crazy! LOL It's all about sensuality and sexuality, those things which modern society relegates to the category of "sinfulness" throws into the domain of the Devil. It's all those things that people are afraid of even though they enjoy it oh so much. And, in moderation, they are really, really good things to enjoy!
 

d_muse

Thanks Gwynne - you gave me another perspective, I really appreciate it!
 

Hazel

Also on the card

The tiny symbol on the bottom of the card to the right of "The Devil" is that of Capricorn. So the card could potentially reflect an actual capricorn, or some characteristics of that sign?
 

fyreflye

Look at the two "globes" within which the tiny human figures are housed.
Look how they're situated. If the "globes" are what they resemble, what would those tiny human figures inside them be? They look like they want out. How would the goat release them?
 

prudence

the goat would release them the horniest way possible, I believe.
 

d_muse

Astrid O - your post ... I'm dying laughing here! Brilliant!
 

fyreflye

Astrid O wins the Aleister Crowley goat prize!

Astrid O said:
the goat would release them the horniest way possible, I believe.

Crowley's Devil is the opposite of the Christian Devil who appears on all the standard tarot decks, even Waite's. For the Christian Devil sex enslaves us; for Crowley's Devil sex is the means of liberation. The Golden Dawn crew were fake tantrikas, using the veiled alchemical symbolism of the tarot to justify a little discreet wife-swapping. Crowley really believed in sex as a physical and spiritual liberatory force. That (and his equally high valuation of drugs) was why the run-of-the-mill GD'ers (except significantly Mathers) hated him, feared him, and tried to block his rise in the GD hierarchy. You don't have to agree with Crowley but you need to understand basic points like this to read his tarot as he intended.
 

Centaur

Here is my take on the Thoth Devil. Although I see that the RW Devil is different from the Thoth Devil in terms of the artwork used, I do see some similarities.

First, a quote from Duquette's book, 'Understanding Aleister Crowley's Thoth Tarot' (not sure what the policy on using quotes is around here anymore, but feel free to remove):

'In traditional tarot decks, the Devil trump shows a woman and a man standing beneath the Devil in curious attitudes of worship and bondage. These figures are translated in the Harris painting as four female forms in the left testicle and four male forms in the right. The top male form bears the classic horned head of the Devil, who appears to have fought his way to the top. The pairs of broken lines are insinuative of chromosomes, and the starry rays at the equator of the globe suggest cellular division. This is the Devil the world has been taught to fear. He is life itself, unrestrained, in mad love and seeking to grow and unite with absolutely everything'

I sometimes view the figures in the testicles as human impulses. If these are kept in check then it means that we control our impulses. If not, we give into them. And although this can be good in some cases... it can also be bad. Drug addiction, and other adventures and indulgences into purely human pleasures (driven by human impulses) can do more damage than good. Therefore, most of us keep control of these impulses and resist. I think that the Devil can represent our failure to do so. It can signify that there may be a struggle within ourselves... a struggle to stay away from something/someone that may be bad for us.

Just a thought!
 

prudence

I am very curiuos about that goat prize....what exactly does it look like?
Yay me for winning it though! (mom will be proud)