What's wrong with [Crowley's] the Book of Thoth?

'ditto' what jmd said about Tomberg's Meditations On the Tarot. You may have been mislead inadvertently by the words 'A Journey into Christian Hermeticism'. Christian Hermeticism is alive and well and coming to a theatre near you soon ... or it has-been ... that Da Vinci Code is an example.

Anyhow, it is my understanding, from the information provided in my copy, that "The work was originally written in French and completed in 1967." Various translations and revisions ensued. The English translation by Robert A. Powell was copyrighted in 1985 and is from the original French manuscript.

Great book! whether you are a Christian Hermeticist, or even a Christian, or not. I'm not ... but I value this book highly, as I do much of hermeticism.

On the Crowley thing ... I read him ... I disliked him ... I honour his intellect ... I liked the novel by Somerset Maugham (if he's the Cakes and Ale guy ... memory lapse here) based on him called The Magician. But, Crowley is not my cup of tea at all ... but then tea makes me vomit. Not having a go at you ... just being funny ... well trying to be. And it is true that tea makes me vomit ... Crowley doesn't.

I agree that there is much to learn from him, if only in terms of the quirks and meanderings, the curiosities and variations evident in the history and mythology of tarot. Whatever we learn about tarot, and from wherever we learn it, our personal viewpoints, our own 'findings' and so on, are all the stuff which keeps tarot alive and ever-important. So enjoy your Crowley ... if it fits for you ... it fits. It just doesn't for me. And that is okay too.

mythos

Yes Somerset Maugham IS the 'Cakes and Ale" guy. He wrote a book called "The Magician" about Crowley!!!!???? ********sound of little feet running to Amazon****** Thanks!

Ohhh now that looks interesting - I didn't know that about The Magician **** the sound of Emily following blackairplane ******* LOL

and they have it cheap used in the Marketplace. It has some good reviews and is credited as being along the same vein as my favourite author when growing up Dennis Wheatley.

Emily said:

Ohhh now that looks interesting - I didn't know that about The Magician **** the sound of Emily following blackairplane ******* LOL

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The Magician, if I recall correctly [must be 30+ years since I read it] , is interested in creating an homunculus. Possibly what gave Crowley the idea for his own novel 'Moonchild'.

Kwaw

kwaw said:

The Magician, if I recall correctly [must be 30+ years since I read it] , is interested in creating an homunculus. Possibly what gave Crowley the idea for his own novel 'Moonchild'.

Kwaw

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It is about 30+ years since I read it too Kwaw. I have Crowley's 'Moonchild' sitting on my shelves (for 20 +) but have had a reluctance to open it .... now I am much tempted.

Another interesting Maugham fact is that the title of the Razor's Edge came from the Katha Upanishad.

Arise! Awake!
Approach the high boons and comprehend them:
The sharpened edge of a razor, hard to traverse,
A difficult path is this: so say the wise!

Is that off topic? Slightly I suppose, but the links between art, literature, British Colonialism and such magician's as Crowley and his Book of Thoth of that period etc. are ever-entwined. That's my excuse ...

mythos

You know before finding the internet 10+ years ago, I used to be such a book reader and I would read anything. I think I'm spending too much time on here and not enough with real page turning paper books.

I didn't really see anything wrong with the Book of Thoth, unless you count that the system he used here didn't exactly line up with the one in 777.