[Richard]

I use BoT as a reference, along with Case's The Tarot and Waite's PKT.

[Zephyros]

Originally Posted by LRichard

I use BoT as a reference, along with Case's The Tarot and Waite's PKT.

Show-off.

[Richard]

Originally Posted by closrapexa

Show-off.

Okay, okay. Truth be told, I mostly use Liber Theta.

[ravenest]

Wang seemed popular too for a while.

[Zephyros]

I liked Robert Wang's book a lot, but I somehow never got to re-reading it after studying it once. But then, in terms of reference I, too, use Book T and 777 the most. I like to get the basics and take it from there. It makes it easier to formulate my own ideas. At the end of studying anything (whatever it may be) I go to the actual guides to enrich my own notes. I often find that my own ideas and those of the author correlate somewhat, probably because we used many of the same tools. Also, by studying one part of a card, you often find that it reflects upon others. I remember getting caught up in the shafts of light on the Hermit. I'm still not sure what they are (I vaguely remember a reference to the City of Pyramids) but the card still "works" because of all that Mercury and Virgo stuff. Many of the symbols on a card either say the same thing differently or reinforce each other. It can be quite harmonious and lovely.

Of course this method works only in this field, because it demands assumption of 777 as a given. But I'm not a linguist, I'm merely trying to be fluent.

[Richard]

Originally Posted by ravenest

Wang seemed popular too for a while.

That was before he rejected Golden Dawn in favor of Jung, without considering that the two are not incompatible. Besides, he misinterpreted the Waite Knights and Kings. That possibly could be forgiven, except that he also rejected Crowley's placement of Emperor and Star on the ToL, without recognizing that this is perfectly valid for the Thoth deck. It is still a useful book for the diagrams and decans and such.

[Rubycon]

Is there any connection between Thoth Tarot and the Tree of Life? I don't have Thoth Tarot yet but it's on its way I've also heard that Magick: Liber ABA has useful information on some of the card meanings and The Book of Thoth respectively. I do have a few first print Kenneth Grant novels that could pertain to the deck as well. Once again I have never held Thoth Tarot so I wouldn't know.

[Richard]

Originally Posted by Rubycon

Is there any connection between Thoth Tarot and the Tree of Life?........

Originally Posted by A. Crowley

......the whole of the Tarot is based upon the Tree of Life......

The above quote is from the Thoth companion book: The Book of Thoth > The Atu (Keys or Trumps) > 0. The Fool > The Formula of Tetragrammaton.

[Zephyros]

Originally Posted by Rubycon

Is there any connection between Thoth Tarot and the Tree of Life? I don't have Thoth Tarot yet but it's on its way I've also heard that Magick: Liber ABA has useful information on some of the card meanings and The Book of Thoth respectively. I do have a few first print Kenneth Grant novels that could pertain to the deck as well. Once again I have never held Thoth Tarot so I wouldn't know.

I actually kind of envy that. Everything will be new. (:

In a nutshell, yes, the underlying structure of the deck is the kabbalistic Tree of Life. If you've never studied that, or even held the deck in your hands, I wouldn't worry. Wait until you get, read a bit about it in the forum, get some first impressions and then you can begin to get some perspective about how best to study it.

[Aeon418]

Originally Posted by LRichard

That was before he rejected Golden Dawn in favor of Jung, without considering that the two are not incompatible.

If I had a penny for everytime I've heard someone conflate Jung's theory of Archetypes with the world of Atziluth - The Archetypal realm.
The world of Briah is a closer match for Jung's archetypes. Atziluth on the other hand might be better undertsood as the world of the Archetyper.

Originally Posted by LRichard

That possibly could be forgiven, except that he also rejected Crowley's placement of Emperor and Star on the ToL, without recognizing that this is perfectly valid for the Thoth deck.

Wang's attitude on this point is a bit strange. In the chapter on the Aeon/Judgement, when discussing the radically different Thoth card, he seems quite open to the notion that Tarot can evolve in line with the spiritual evolution of humanity. But he seems stuck in a rut when it comes to the positions of IV and XVII. Some of his comments about Eden are on the right track. But the symbolic connection between the Emperor's Cubic throne and the New Jerusalem seem have eluded him. Maybe if he had reflected on the final two chapters of Revelation he might have made the link.