This deck of Tarot cards was created by Alistair Crowley - the famous esoteric of the beginning of the twentieth century. Tarot Thoth (card deck and book) is Crowley's fundamental work, in which he outlined his vast knowledge, beliefs, mystical and magical experience. To create this system (not only fortunetelling, but also philosophical), he conducted in-depth studies of the heritage of ancient cultures and secret teachings. The Tarot Tota combines: the classical divinatory system of Tarot cards, the knowledge and symbols of world religions and cults, the sacred knowledge of Ancient Egypt and the even more ancient science of Kabbalah (which, by the way, underlies all religions and beliefs). The author did not just create a tool for practical application (fortune-telling and predictions) ... Tarot Thoth - an attempt to understand the laws of the universe and pick up the key to them. A. Crowley himself considered his creation "an encyclopedia and a guide to occult philosophy, anticipating the direction of magical and mystical thought 2000 years ahead." Indeed, the information contained in this system is not completely deciphered today, so modern occultists interpret it differently. Many of them consider this deck to be “comprehensive” and contain a wealth of information to understand the true meaning of the major Arcana.
Features of this deck
A deck of Tarot cards of Thoth was published in 1944, drawings and symbols developed by A. Crowley were performed by the artist and Egyptologist Frida Harris. Together with the cards, the “Book of Thoth” was created, explaining in detail the meaning of the Tarot cards of Thoth. The structure of this deck does not differ from the classic English Tarot decks (it is closest to the Raider-Waite Tarot). The usual number of cards is 22 senior Arcana and 56 younger. But the images on the maps of the senior Arcana are markedly different from the traditional: on each map there are many symbols necessary for the interpretation of its meaning. Drawings of the major lasso mainly on the theme of Egyptian mythology (as the name implies), Torah and Prophecies. In working on this deck, the artist used a completely unusual color scheme. The meaning of the Tarot cards of Thoth is slightly different than usual; many cards are interpreted differently, Arkan Strength and Arkan Justice are swapped (which corresponds to the French Tarot system), the names of some of the older Arkans are changed; Strength is called Lust, Justice is Regulation, Moderation is Art, Arkan Lovers has a second name - Brothers. In the Tarot deck of Thoth, the interpretation of such "heavy" Arcana as the Devil and the Hanged Man is more positive. The younger Arcana is also unusual, on the numerical cards (from two to ten) there are no plot pictures, the meaning of the card is revealed using a complex, symbolic picture depicting objects representing the suits: disks, bowls, swords and wands. Each numeric lasso has a name that reflects its essence (this often confuses beginners who first picked up the Tarot of Thoth, the interpretation of the values of the cards in this deck is no easier than others).
Guidelines for choosing cards
For successful work with Tarot cards, it is important to find contact with a specific deck, the subconscious plays a small role here. When the drawings and symbols depicted on the cards are like and intuitive - then this is your deck. Therefore, when choosing a deck of Tarot, you should trust only yourself, your feelings. Even the most authoritative recommendations are unlikely to help you with this. If you like the Tarot of Thoth, then you can safely work with her, even if you are just starting to learn the Tarot. And if you are afraid of the “dubious” popularity of Alistair Crowley, then you should not trust too much everything that is written about him. By reading the book and working with the cards created by him, you can better understand the master and his worldview. Then you will learn firsthand whether his philosophy is suitable for you or not.