Just got the Thoth deck

[mtnmermaid]

I like it so far, have used it for daily cards for a couple days now.

I have no idea what all the quabal and astrology and other symbolism means and don't really want to get into that at this point - do you think I can still use it effectively without knowing all those associations?

I wanted it mainly because I love the artwork and I like that the pips don't have scenes on them. My main decks have been the Tarot of Northern Shadows, RWS, Tarot de Paris and Tarot of Mermaids, and Mythic Tarot, and I just wanted something a little different with the pips.

 

[Lillie]

Yes.

You can use it without knowing all those associations.

Either you can choose to learn them as you go along, or you can ignore them altogether.

It was how I started.
20 years later I am still using the Thoth, still learning, still not knowing loads of 'that' stuff!

And for years and years I thought the pips were illustrated. Until I was told otherwise.
Of course they are illustrated.
Look at the 7 of cups! how much more obvious could it be?

Great deck, isn't it!

 

[mtnmermaid]

Yeah, it is! I love my other decks but I've been feeling sort of boxed in by the storylines with the pips, you know? Because lately I've been seeing meanings in them that don't necessarily go with the pictures,for example, the 6 of cups, several times I've had very sexual meanings with that which don't go along with the typical RWS images of kids or nostalgia, so I think I'll like this one for having more open for interpretation images - except they do have those titles, that might be a little annoying.

 

[Citrin]

Wonderful choice of deck.

I've actually skimmed through Crowley's Book of Thoth, but didn't bother to learn the different qabbalah things and astrological signs. I might in the future, just to "look into Crowley's head", but I frankly I doubt it will make my readings better. To me, reading isn't really about memorized sign meanings and such.

It's one of the few decks in my little collection that I don't use regularly. It just seems to overwhelm me if I do. But the readings I have used it for - all right on the spot.

How do you like the colours by the way? When I got it I was so surprised at how mild and pretty they were, contrasting the online pictures I had seen, which were all quite dark...

Good luck with your Thoth!

 

[Dean]

U.k

Yes the Art work to these cards are fantastic and this deck is my favourite for doing readings. I started off just looking at the images which tells you alot about whats going on in those pictures, and then started learning each astrology symbolism later on.

I didn't have any astrology knowledge when i first had these cards, and i quickly picked up on each card symbols very easily. I would suggest reading a good book on the Thoth deck for learning the meanings, and i started off with the ( keywords for the Crowley Tarot, by Haja Banzhaf.

I found this book very helpfull for beginners for the Thoth deck, and it has a very helpfull reference format for getting to know each card meaning, by doing a daily one card reading which comes under (as card for the day.

 

[rachelcat]

Don't forget DuQuette's Understanding Aleister Crowley's Thoth Tarot. It's a painless way to at least get a idea of what all "that" stuff is all about.

But really, the Book of Thoth isn't all that difficult. It is surprisingly low on obfuscation and pomposity (although they are there). Nothing nearly as unbearable as Waite's Key to the Tarot!!! It actually has alot of info you can use. I learned the difference between 7 wands and 9 wands from Uncle Al himself!

(And I'm sure you'll soon be in the same boat with me, trying to get up the guts to trim off those annoying borders, especially the keywords!)

But for now, definitely enjoy those fascinating images!

 

[mtnmermaid]

Thanks, I'll probably pick up one of those books eventually I guess. I do love the colors. I usually hate the Emperor card but in this deck I really like him, all that red and orange.

 

[thinbuddha]

I learned the difference between 7 wands and 9 wands from Uncle Al himself!

Let me guess- Two wands?

 

[Zephyros]

The vivid, glowing images in the Thoth speak to me like no other deck does, and I absolutely love. Truly a masterpiece, a work of art of the first rate. Use it with with joy, and I wish you many happy hours with it!

 

[Sophie]

Hi Mtnmermaid,

if you love the art on the Thoth, you might think eventually of reading the correspondence between Crowley & Lady Harris as she was painting the deck under his guidance. It's an absolutely fascinating glimpse into the mind of these original creators, which touches upon symbolism & the process of creation & it will enhance your enjoyment and understanding of that splendid deck even further.

This is a favourite exchange, from Lon Milo DuQuette's book. It concerns the card Adjustment (Justice). Aleister had criticised her first version, so they discussed revisions. Crowley's general demand was that she should be "The Woman Satisfied" - that is, the image should bear a strong sexual connotation to illustrate the idea of adjustment & balance.

Lady Harris to Crowley, 19 Dec 1939: I will do a new Justice, damn her. Do you think there was ever "a woman satisfied"? With what a smirk she would greet the dawn.

Crowley's reply to Lady Harris, 19 Dec 1939: My experience of satisfied women is that they do greet the dawn with a smirk; if not the dawn, any time up to five o'clock in the afternoon, and only when it wears off does one have to start all over again...
These notes on Justice, or as we have preferred to call her "Adjustment"...I suppose I was in a very bad temper when I made my criticism, but I do feel strongly that the plumes of Maat are too insignificant, and the Dove and Raven look simply stuck on; nor do I think that the tessellated pavement is quite right. The general criticism is that the card is a little too cold; Libra is the sign of autumn, season of mists and mellow fruitfulness, close-bosomed friend of the maturing sun. In your card you have got the idea of balance static, whereas it ought to be dynamic. Nature is not the grocer weighing out a pound of sugar; it is the compensation of complicated rythms. I should like you to feel that every adjustment was a grande passion; compensation should be a festival, not a clerk smugly pleased that his accounts are correct.[...]

And a few months later, working on her later version, the one that eventually made it on the card:
Lady Harris to Crowley, 12 July 1940: The Adjustment is being queer with me. She has, after all, insisted on being Beardsley! Also Harlequin comes in & out of it so I must have to submit. But why Harlequin? Is there any connection? Also, she won't sit down but stand on her toes just balanced. The design-result is good. That blue is cobalt I take it. The instruction says Blue-Blue-Green. Pale green Emerald. That Emerald is a vile pigment in poster paints.

What do you think? Did Crowley and Lady Harris succeed?