This is where it gets confusing.
You're right. The IV-XVII swap does not exactly mirror the VIII-XI swap. And I personally find it hard to believe that a sharp intellect such as Crowley could have missed the
obvious consequences of such an imbalance. After all he had been playing around with this swap since the 1920's and possibly earlier. It's not something he suddenly knocked out just for
The Book of Thoth.
All I can figure is that Crowley was doing something different. And that's what I have tried to map here:
(It's not colour blind friendly I'm afraid.)
There are two distinct and separate Tarot sequencing keys. The numerals on the cards and the Hebrew alphabket. These ordering methods don't match on cards VIII and XI. The Golden Dawn solved this little problem by forcing the Tarot to accommodate the Hebrew by changing the order of the cards. Yeah, as far as solutions go it works in an ugly kind of way. It certainly has the merit of being practical. But it still leaves the little wrinkle of the feminine letter Heh being attributed to butch old Atu IV.
Crowley's solution, based on AL I:57, seems to give each sequence equal primacy. Both the numeral and the Hebrew orders are valid, but they don't match up perfectly. If only a way could be found to share the imbalance between the two sequences. Hmmmm...... Bingo! Swap Atu's IV & XVII and and keep their zodiac signs with them. As already noted this is slightly different to the other swap where the letters and signs stayed together.
The net result is two separate sequences that mirror each other. As demonstrated above, if the Hebrew letter order is used Aries and Aquarius loop around Pisces. If the Tarot numeral order is used Leo and Libra loop around Virgo. It's almost as if each sequence needs the other in order to balance the zodiac. (Two inter-linked lies expressing a greater Truth?)
Is this dual arrangement Crowley's original intent? I don't know. But it is the natural outcome of Crowley's asymmetrical swap that separated zodiac signs from letters. It might also explain some of the 'editorial mistakes' in
The Book of Thoth. A book that Crowley issued using his A.'.A'.'. Magus 9=2 motto, To Mega Therion. The Book of Thoth is the Tarot, and the Tarot is the book of a Magus.