The Thoth Tarot /təʊt 'tær.əʊ/ is a Tarot deck painted by Lady Frieda Harris according to instructions from Aleister Crowley. Crowley referred to this deck as The Book of Thoth, and also wrote a book of that title intended for use with the deck. The deck is widely used, and its complex symbolism makes it a favorite of presumably more advanced Tarot readers. The Tarot is a set of 78 cards with allegorical representations used for divination, that firstly appeared in Medieval times. ... Lady Harris and Aleister Crowley // Frieda Harris and Thoth Tarot By an accident of fate Frieda Harris was commissioned by Aleister Crowley to paint the Thoth Tarot. ... Aleister Crowley Aleister Crowley, born Edward Alexander Crowley (12 October 1875 - 1 December 1947) was an occultist, mystic, sexual revolutionary, and drug user (especially morphine). ... In Egyptian mythology, Thoth is the god of wisdom, time, writing, magic and the moon. ...

Background

Crowley originally intended the Thoth deck to be a three-month project aimed at updating the traditional pictorial symbolism, perhaps best demonstrated by the Rider-Waite-Smith deck; however, it was to span five years, between 1938 and 1943, as the scope of the project grew ever wider. Crowley and Harris were meticulous in their work; Harris painted some cards as many as eight times. The current printing of the deck actually includes two alternate illustrations of The Magus, each making use of markedly different style and symbols. Unfortunately, neither Harris nor Crowley lived to see the deck published; a follower of Crowley undertook the work of publication in 1969. This initial printing was of markedly inferior quality, and in 1977 Harris' paintings were rephotographed for a second edition; the current edition is based on a further update that took place in 1986. The most popular Tarot deck today is probably what is confusingly known as the Rider-Waite-Smith, Waite-Smith, or simply the Rider deck. ... 1938 (MCMXXXVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1943 (MCMXLIII) is a common year starting on Friday. ... 1969 (MCMLXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1969 calendar). ... For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). ... 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Symbolism

The illustrations of the Thoth deck are noticeably richer in symbolism than many decks, including the Rider-Waite deck. Crowley desired to incorporate symbols from many disparate disciplines, including science and philosophy, as well as to draw on his extensive knowledge of various occult systems. For example, The Hanged Man and The Moon draw from Egyptian mythology, and the Princess of Disks holds a disk bearing the Taijitu. The pip cards in the four suits (Wands, Cups, Swords, and Disks) depict their objects in carefully-crafted positions; for example, the Four of Swords (which Crowley named "truce") shows four swords with their points toward the center of an imaginary square, suggesting a possibly tense peace. The card illustrations are uniformly stark and vividly illustrated throughout. Egyptian mythology or Egyptian religion is the succession of tentative beliefs held by the people of Egypt for over three thousand years, prior to major exposure to Christianity and Islam. ... Taoists Taijitu The concept of yin and yang (Traditional Chinese: 陰陽; Simplified Chinese: 阴阳; Hanyu Pinyin: ; Korean hangul: 음양; hanja: 陰陽; revised: eumyang; McCune-Reischauer: ŭmyang; Vietnamese: Âm-Dương) originates in ancient Chinese philosophy and metaphysics, which describes two primal opposing but complementary forces found in all things in the universe. ...

Differences from traditional decks

Order and names of trumps

Crowley renamed several of the trumps, and also re-arranged the astrological and Hebrew alphabet correspondences of some cards, in accordance with his earlier book, Liber AL vel Legis: Astrology refers to any of several systems, traditions or beliefs in which knowledge of the apparent positions of celestial bodies is held to be useful in understanding, interpreting, and organizing knowledge about human affairs and events on earth. ... ‹ The template below has been proposed for deletion. ... The Book of the Law, also known as Liber AL vel Legis, is the text central to philosophical / religious practice called Thelema founded by Aleister Crowley. ...

All these old letters of my Book are aright; but צ is not the Star. (AL I:57)

The Magician (I) The Magician (I) is a Major Arcana Tarot card. ... The High Priestess (II) in the Rider-Waite-Smith deck The High Priestess (II) is a Major Arcana Tarot card. ... Strength (VIII) Strength (VIII) is a Major Arcana Tarot card. ... Justice (XI) Justice (XI) is a Major Arcana Tarot card. ... Wheel of Fortune (X) Wheel of Fortune (X) is a Major Arcana Tarot card. ... Temperance card in the Rider-Waite-Smith deck Descrpition Temperance (Italian: La Temperanza) is a Major Arcana Tarot card, numbered VI or VII in the oldest Italian decks, but XIV in the Tarot de Marseille and in most contemporary decks. ... Judgement (XX) Judgement (XX) is a Major Arcana Tarot card. ... The Latin word æon means forever. ... The World (XXI) The World (XXI) is a Major Arcana Tarot card. ...

The minor arcana

Crowley chose to name each of the minor arcana pips besides the Ace; the names correspond to Crowley's intended symbolism, but not always to the traditional symbolism. The Seven of Swords, for example, is named "Futility", which does not correspond to the Rider-Waite symbolism that suggests furtiveness and stealth.

Additionally, the four honors are named differently; the Rider-Waite deck calls them the Page, the Knight, the Queen, and the King, while in the Thoth deck they are named as the Princess, the Prince, the Queen and the Knight respectively.

References

Instructions for Aleister Crowley's Thoth Tarot Deck, written by James Wasserman and included in the U.S. Games Systems publication of the deck.

Understanding Aleister Crowley's Thoth Tarot, by Lon Milo Duquette, Weiser Books 2003. Lon Milo DuQuette Lon Milo DuQuette (Born July 11, 1948), AKA Rabbi Lamed Ben Clifford, American writer, lecturer, and occultist best known as an author who applies humor in the field of Western Hermeticism. ...

External links

• The gallery of the Thoth Tarot
• The Book of Thoth