Aleister Crowley's Thoth - should i or shouldn't i ? Any advice would be welcome!

MagsStardustBlack

Hi - Mags here, i am new to tarot and i have been studying a deck i bought and reading lots. Although i find myself increasingly drawn to the AC Thoth deck, i find the images fascinating and am intrigued by the complexity of the symbology of the deck. I ordered the deck, then panicked and cancelled the order, i had also ordered the DuQuette book, which i now have and have started to read. The thing is i like the deck a lot, but people i know (non tarot students) have discouraged me. So i feel like i must be weird if i want it so bad. My mum was brought up in Foyers, and there for has heard alot of stories from the house AC had near there. Should i stick with the deck i have and forget about the Thoth? Should i leave it until later in my studies? Or should i just get it? Please, any advice opinions would be welcomed, thanks xxMags. Also which edition is best, i thought may be the Purple Box (three versions of the Magnus card), thanks in advance for any help!!!!
 

Lillie

Hi!

I've been to Foyers, lovely place!

Took a walk by the waterfall, also saw AC's house and that weirdy little grave yard across the road.

Do you have any good spooky AC stories to tell?

I see you have the Legacy of the Divine. It's a lovely deck. Very beautiful.
But if you want the Thoth you should get it.
Nothing wrong with having two decks.

The deck has a reputation because of Crowley's reputation.
And people can and will think what they like about him.
But in the end it's just a bunch of bits of cardboard, same as any other deck.
But with very lovely pictures on.
You are not going to get a bad case of demons or possession or anything just from owning or using the deck.

I have it, I use it.
It's not done me no harm.

In the end I think you should make up your own mind, and to do that you have to see the deck for yourself, which will probably mean buying one, unless you know someone who can lend you one for a while.

The best one to get is up to you.
I like the big one. You can see the pictures better with the biggest one, but some people like the 3 magus deck.
Though you only have to take two of them out, don't you?

Anyway, what ever you decide, good luck with it!
 

MagsStardustBlack

One story...

Thanks very much for your opinion. As for storie's well there were plenty, i remember one however that was told to me. That Crowley had a tunnel dug underground to the cemetry to perform rituals there. Apparently a Holy Man from a church had to go to the cemetary to perform an exorcism of the spirits that were rising from the dead. This is supposed to be inscribed on a stone tablet in the cemetary itself, minus the name of Crowley however. I'm not sure if this is common knowlege or hearsay....My mother as a child had been in the house itself many times, after it was bought over by another family who had children that went to the same school....

As for the deck i think i will get it, maybe i think. So is your deck the Swiss one or the American one? xxMags.
 

Lillie

Cool story!

If I am ever up that was again I will look for the stone tablet!

My deck...
Well, I always preferred the old USG version, the one with the greenish colouring to it. Mostly because it's what I am used too (I started using this deck in the early 80's when that was what was available) and because I liked the backs without the thin white border.

Since then I have been given a trimmed deck, which I love, and that must be one of the more modern ones.

There are lot's of 'which deck' discussions over on the Thoth thread.

I think now, unless you are going to get one second hand, they are all the same, just in different boxes.
That seems to be the general thought on the matter, though I cannot say whether it is true or not.

It is said that the old swiss printing from the late 80's early 90's is the best.
I don't know, but that would only be available second hand.
For that you would be looking for the blue box with the off centre picture of the Magus.
I think...
 

gregory

Lillie said:
It is said that the old swiss printing from the late 80's early 90's is the best.
I don't know, but that would only be available second hand.
For that you would be looking for the blue box with the off centre picture of the Magus.
I think...
Yes, you would - and IF you found one, it is large sized AND has the three Magus cards - but no Universal Hexagram - you win some, you lose some ! I'd get a big one, myself. Which is not the purple box !

And given where you are, I'd buy from tarotchest, as they have free shipping in the UK ! They have the current Swiss deluxe (=large) edition in stock - only 1 Magus, but it's fine.
 

cardlady22

I have the large and the pocket sizes. :grin:
And I live by the advice of: snag it because you'll want X later.
 

Le Fanu

I have as many sizes and versions as I can possibly get my grubby little hands on. I like the big (trimmed) deluxe one best and - for convenience - the mid-sized one in the purple box with the 3 Magus cards.

I love that many-armed Magus with the looming ape in the background. That's the version I leave in..
 

gregory

Oh hell - number of Foffs.... even down to the not very nice Konigsfurt ones form last year.... LOTS....
 

Moona

I would say: Go for it!
I was drawn to Thoth from the very beginning of my tarot "career", but put off buying it for 18 months or so, because I thought it would be too difficult for a beginner.
When I finally got my Thoth I suprised myself by doing very impressive reading for myself in the New Years Eve, before studying the meanings of the cards. Of course reading a guide book later increased my understanding a lot.

(About the reading: Among many other things, the spread made me remember an american guy I was seeing six years ago. I hadn´t heard anything about him for years, but just when I was wondering why he crossed my mind then, I got a text message from him wishing Happy New Year! Maybe some Crowley`s magic anyway }) )