starting book for Thoth tarot study

[guy bannik]

After some years of various decks, Haindl, Druidcraft, Rider-Waite et al. I've decided to dedicate my further focus on the Thoth Tarot of Crowley and Harris. Obviously it's about using the cards a lot and getting to know them.
But a good book or two on the Thoth Tarot certainly wouldn't be amiss. Could you give me an advice on where to start?

 

[Scion]

Lon Milo DuQuette is what you want, hands down: Understanding Aleister Crowley's Thoth Tarot. User-friendly, digestible, contexualized intro with liberal application of Crowley's words to do what they do best. Chatty and informative, and a great starting point that will lead you to deeper waters when you're ready to hold your breath and dive. The chapter on the Rosy Cross alone is worth the price of admission.

Also maybe Gerald Suster's Truth about the Tarot, which is a slim punchy little powerhouse though hard to find. Or Snuffin's book... which has more nitty-gritty on some symbols for a beginner.

Do NOT read Wagner. Do NOT read Arrien. They are straight-up embarassing.

DuQuette is what I'd recommend.

 

[gregory]

This thread should tell you enough ! Duquette is TOPS. (Thanks Scion - cross posted !)

But - you do NEED the Book of Thoth - and it is not as impenetrable as people think.
Oh - and to add to Scion's don'ts - do NOT read Ziegler.

 

[Le Fanu]

All you need is Duquette, Michael Snuffin's Thoth Companion (Llewellyn) and Crowley's Book of Thoth.

For me, those three, in that order, were pivotal in enhancing my understanding of the deck.

 

[gregory]

Need - yes. But Suster is rather fun (thanks Scion, for procurement on that one !)

 

[Aeon418]

Under normal circumstances I would instantly recommend DuQuette without a second thought. But a recent experience has made me think twice about that approach.

One question needs to be answered before any recommendation can be made. What do you want to do with the cards?

I wish I had asked that question earlier this year when a friend of a friend asked me which book should a new Thoth user get? Of course I instantly said DuQuette's, and didn't give it a second thought.
A few weeks later she practically pole-axed me with her opinion of the book. She didn't like it at all. In fact it was crap. It didn't tell her much about the "meanings" of the cards beyond the same ones she already had in the little booklet that came with the deck! Needless to say I was rather confused. But later it became apparent that she didn't actually want to learn about the Thoth deck per se. She just wanted to use a deck of pretty looking cards as a fortune telling oracle. Once this was established I pointed her in the direction of Banzhaf & Theler's, Keywords for the Crowley Tarot. I tell you, I felt dirty recommending that book. But she likes it.

 

[WolfyJames]

Well, I do have The Crowley Tarot: The Handbook to the Cards by Hajo Banzhaf and I like it. It pretty much allows you to use the deck right away while you start meatier books like Duquette. I like it that Banzhaf put the cards under different lights (work, relationships, etc,). I don't have the patience to read books before using a deck.

 

[guy bannik]

I read the thread on Scion promoting DuQuette and had that one on the list. Banzhaf is at my side allready, since the local library had it available. So, I shall take the best of both worlds and see where I will go from there.
Thank you kindly for al your advice.
I'm off to study.

 

[Le Fanu]

(bit of a confession to make; I got given the Banzhaf Keywords book in a trade package and I actually read it and it made sense to me at a time when no other Thoth stuff made sense to me. Least of all some of the threads here. Bit of a colour-by-numbers symbolism scheme of things but I have to say, it was technically the first book I got on the Thoth and it piqued my interest and did make me want to go further. It was the first book that made me feel I might actually be able to understand this deck if I worked hard at it.

So I do have a bit of a soft spot for it, though I never consult it now...)

 

[Abrac]

If you don't know much about Crowley read a couple of the biographies. There are several available and they all offer valuable information. If you don't know where he comes from and how he arrived at the Thoth deck in the first place you'll be missing a huge part of the puzzle. There's a lot of misinformation around about Crowley so might as well try to get the facts. A biography is only a beginning; it won't tell you everything but it's a crucial first step in my opinion.

If you already know Crowley's background, well, just ignore all the previous.