How Thoth Tarot was created
The Thoth Tarot was created by a unique partnership in wartime conditions with all the restrictions on travel, materials and other disruptions by an artist who was the wife of the Leader of the Liberal Party, and member of Churchill's War Cabinet. She risked her reputation to see the project through. Before and during the creation of the tarot deck she received magical training from Aleister Crowley. Frieda's letters to Crowley during the entire project can be downloaded freely from the internet, and you will find her affection of him grow despite the problems and difficulties of dealing with a man who was never easy to get on with. She nursed him through his last days, and she was present at his cremation in Brighton. Despite Crowley's reputation with women, they seemed to have had an entirely proper relationship - possibly the best relationship with a woman Crowley ever had that did not involve sex since his mother.
It is clear that Frieda Harris worked on editing the Book, in the letters strongly suggesting he omit any ritual from the text as it would put off the readership (Crowley saw the Book of Thoth as a real money-spinner, something that never happened until many years later after the death of both of them).
As well as having to incorporate Crowley's knowledge of a vast range of subjects not necessarily tarot related, Frieda also had to learn projective synthetic geometry and weave the designs into the cards, particularly the major arcana.
Apart from being a fascinating story, the huge input of Frieda Harris to the project is frequently overlooked (except for feminists who would have you believe she did all the work and Crowley cast a cursory glance over the artworks when completed). Since there is not one scintilla of evidence that Frieda Harris was never involved in anything nefarious, why do people believe the deck to be evil? Part of the problem is the ambiguous attitude Crowley's occult organisations have towards the deck. There is a misogynistic attitude that minimises Frieda's contribution over the salacious background of Crowley (Lon DuQuette's anodyne book is a case in point), while the pagan community have issues with Crowley that blind them to the Pagan Frieda Harris who dyed her hair red. That other great Pagan Woman of WWII, Dion Fortune has also been airbrushed out - Dion took a huge interest in the project, and went to Crowley's final home at Netherwood in Hastings to view the artworks with Crowley and Harris. Having a disinterested perspective on the whole situation helps.
I believe the Thoth Tarot deck to be part of the magical war against Hitler (look at the feeble swastikas on the Five of Swords card). So, far from being 'evil' have the vision of two middle aged people working through the hardships of wartime England to bring about the downfall of the Nazis. A noble cause.
One of the stipulations Crowley intended for the deck was that it should not be sold without the book, as he did not intend the deck to be used solely for divination purposes. So, what is difficult about the Book of Thoth? People saying it is difficult; usually those who have never actually tried studying the deck. For many of my clients, the Book of Thoth is the first tarot deck they have seen up close, and if they have an opinion, it is usually how beautiful the cards are.
Occasionally, I get someone who looks a bit horrified at the sight of the Thoth Tarot, and it is always because 'someone has told them'. This person is never of course named, and they can never tell me precisely why there is a problem with the deck, hence the urban myths.
Depending on your value system (I am not a Thelemite, nor am I a member of any occult organisation), you may have a problem with Crowley, a bisexual who took drugs (and how many people do precisely that these days, and get to go on Richard and Judy to make money out of their confessions?), but it is very doubtful that you will have a problem with Frieda Harris, who was a bit dippy and a socialite, but had the nerves of steel and courage to work through a project that took many more years than she expected, and without her, we would not have the deck.
As far as the basics are concerned, Crowley's basic divinatory meanings are little different from almost any other tarot deck. Unlike almost every other tarot deck and book, the reader is not spoon-fed. Part of the reason is simple. Crowley was extraordinarily well-read in the classics, ancient mythology, religion, science and mathematics, and he assumes the reader was equally au fait. One example is the mathematical joke on the Universe card, which depicts a 3D mobius strip, which of course has no beginning or end. Add to that the mystical and magical knowledge of a lifetime, and you have a heady mix. As I write this, I get the impression that maybe he himself did not know the significance of his own writings - were they channelled to some extent?
The best way to read the Book of Thoth is to dip in and out, not worrying if you 'understand' what you are reading. Get familiar with the text. Sometimes parts of the book are explained better elsewhere in later chapters. If you do not know anything about Artemis, Diana, Dionysus, and all the other classical allusions, there is always Google, and you will find yourself going down some fascinating byways and becoming very literate in the process against the trend of dumbing down everything.
The key to understanding the Book of Thoth is the Opening of the Key Spread, the only spread in the Book of Thoth, and it comes from the Golden Dawn system of magic which was supposed to be secret at the time. The various Golden Dawn organisations are clueless when it comes to the OOTK because they do not like Crowley and the Book of Thoth, which is why there are various GD tarot decks around. The funny thing is that when the Book of Thoth is studied in-depth, one comes to the conclusion that even with the modifications made by Crowley, such as transposing the Emperor and Star cards (itself a reflection of the order to transpose the Strength and Justice cards in the GD Cipher documents), the BoT is immeasurably closer to the Spirit and Knowledge of the Golden Dawn than the GD decks!
When I started to write what became The Tarot and the Magus, I discussed with my publisher the potential books to be written later, and at that time there was easily another four books based upon the same OOTK spread. Since then, the range of material has increased considerably. What am I saying? That there is enough material inspired by one deck and one spread for a set of books to be written. Whether these books get written and published is another matter... If you want to extend your abilities. If you want to raise your standards. If you want to broaden your range of knowledge, here is your chance.
More than a divination tool, the Thoth Tarot has a powerful system of magic hidden within its structure. There are many secrets and mysteries still to be discovered. You may be surprised to know that Thelema plays only a small part in the Thoth Tarot. The deck was created at the end of Aleister Crowley's extraordinary life, so it reflects a balanced and integrated picture of his entire Magical Mind. In the Introduction Crowley plays as much emphasis on mathematics and science as magic, an aspect that has been mostly ignored.
Philosophical Influences
Hegel and Neitszche have a profound influence on the Thoth Tarot.
Magical Influences
- Alchemy
- Liber 231
- Goetia
- Enochian - Calls, Watchtowers, Aethyrs
- Tattwas
- I Ching
Spiritual Influences
- Gnosticism
- Greek classical
- Hindu
