Understanding Aleister Crowley's Thoth Tarot: New Edition
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- Create Date：2021-07-11 08:55:02
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Lon Milo DuQuette
- ISBN：157863623X
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Summary
Originally published in 2003， Understanding Aleister Crowley's Thoth Tarot has proved to be the essential guide to accessing the unique symbolism and meaning of Aleister Crowley's remarkable tarot deck along with the deeply textured artwork of Lady Frieda Harris。 Crowley authority Lon Milo DuQuette starts by providing an insightful historical background before delving into descriptions of each card in depth， from a tarot perspective and from an expanded， magickal point of view。 He first describes the tarot meaning of each card in detail and then explains all the other attributions Crowley intended。
This unique guide has been updated with a new introduction that provides information on the unicursal hexagram cards included with the deck but never explained。 Replaces ISBN 9781578632763
This unique guide has been updated with a new introduction that provides information on the unicursal hexagram cards included with the deck but never explained。 Replaces ISBN 9781578632763
Reviews
Jess
，
Duquette is a very funny dude and I appreciate the way he dumbs down some extremely abstract things without making me feel DUMB。 Also。。。I know this has barely scratched the surface at all。 I am left with a million more questions and I know I will have to read many， many more books in order to begin to get a handle on any of this stuff。 Still。 A good place to begin， I'm sure。 Duquette is a very funny dude and I appreciate the way he dumbs down some extremely abstract things without making me feel DUMB。 Also。。。I know this has barely scratched the surface at all。 I am left with a million more questions and I know I will have to read many， many more books in order to begin to get a handle on any of this stuff。 Still。 A good place to begin， I'm sure。 。。。more
Chris
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Only useful as something to read while also reading the book of thoth to bring you back down from the psychedelia of that book， but keep in mind that the other one is the only useful one
frankie
，
if you’re at all inclined towards mysticism - especially with regards to cartomancy and the prickly， highly contentious legacy of aleister crowley - this is not only helpful as a legible， even no-nonsense guide to the beliefs of the ordo templi orientis and the frankly rather confusing cosmology of sefirotic symbolism in the thoth deck， but a downright indispensable refresher course on crowley and the o。t。o。 and the lasting legacy of the order of the golden dawn， written in a sprightly and delig if you’re at all inclined towards mysticism - especially with regards to cartomancy and the prickly， highly contentious legacy of aleister crowley - this is not only helpful as a legible， even no-nonsense guide to the beliefs of the ordo templi orientis and the frankly rather confusing cosmology of sefirotic symbolism in the thoth deck， but a downright indispensable refresher course on crowley and the o。t。o。 and the lasting legacy of the order of the golden dawn， written in a sprightly and delightfully conversational tone。 the coverage of both major and minor arcana is resplendent in depth and detail， moreso than perhaps any book i’ve found， and carefully represents and explicates the exquisitely delicate detail in lady frieda harris’ illustrations; but an added bonus is also the excerpts of the harris-crowley dialogue。 harris is a delightful foil to crowley’s rather dense and pragmatic， but no less charming personality。 methinks a film about crowley and harris’ friendship could be the only feel-good film about the esoteric occult。 。。。more
Ray Welt
，
DuQuette continues to not disappoint。 While there's plenty in here specific to Crowley's Thoth Tarot with references to his Book of Thoth and the cards painted by Frieda Harris， what this book really does well is present a path to understanding the Tarot。 It's specific to the Thoth deck， but includes details about the Golden Dawn designs that predate Thoth。 Really， the bulk of the information here is about Tarot in general， with insights into Crowley's ideas about it。The first Part of the book， DuQuette continues to not disappoint。 While there's plenty in here specific to Crowley's Thoth Tarot with references to his Book of Thoth and the cards painted by Frieda Harris， what this book really does well is present a path to understanding the Tarot。 It's specific to the Thoth deck， but includes details about the Golden Dawn designs that predate Thoth。 Really， the bulk of the information here is about Tarot in general， with insights into Crowley's ideas about it。The first Part of the book， "Little Bits of Things You Should Know Before Beginning to Study Aleister Crowley's Thoth Tarot" （the first 80 pages）， is an excellent primer on all things Crowley。 DuQuette mentions in his introduction that since writing the first edition of the book， it has become his prime teaching tool in his lectures due to this section。 It covers a lot about Crowley， including his background with the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn， the origins of the Book of the Law， information on the Tree of Life， and an introduction to the concept of the Holy Guardian Angel。 Anyone wanting to know more about Crowley and his teachings could do much worse than start here。Of particular mind-blowing concepts is the chapter that dissects the image on the back of each card of the Thoth deck: the Rose Cross。 This chapter goes in detail into the ways in which many esoteric arts overlap （including Alchemy， the Zodiac， the Astrological Planets， the Tree of Life， the Elements， Sacred Geometry， and， of course， the Major and Minor Arcana of the Tarot）， and they're all graphically represented in this one image。 The interplay here is just jaw-dropping。The rest of the book goes into more detail about the cards， but primarily the imagery and symbolism contained therein。 General divinatory meanings aren't covered until the last 20 or so pages。 DuQuette starts with the Major Arcana， or the Trumps or Keys。 When he gets to the Minor Arcana， he breaks from traditional books about Tarot by addressing the four Aces first， then the sixteen Court cards， then the remaining small cards （2 through 10）。 Most resources cover the Court cards first， since they "rule" each suit。 Why does DuQuette deviate？ Because the Aces contain all the other cards of their suit， including the four Court cards。 In fact， as he puts it， if you examine each Ace with a mystical microscope， the first thing you'd find are the four Court cards of the suit， which themselves contain the remaining small cards。Those interested in Tarot of any sort should pick this book up。 It's easy enough to discard the bits specific to Thoth， as most of the information applies to the very concept of Tarot regardless of design。 And where Crowley deviates， DuQuette does his best to explain why。 This book is a great journey into Tarot and the ways in which all the different disciplines intermingle。 。。。more
Dante Rg
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Not for beginners， nor the best book on Tarot， but exactly what it says it is: a book on Understanding the Thoth Tarot。 It delves into both the Qabalistic and Astrological aspects of Crowley's and Harris' Tarot， for those more interested on this bent。 Missing is， perhaps， the importance of the intuitive aspect of divination， including that of reading the Tarot。 For those more inclined to learning and working through intuition rather than raw intellectual power to the exclusion of emotions， go fo Not for beginners， nor the best book on Tarot， but exactly what it says it is: a book on Understanding the Thoth Tarot。 It delves into both the Qabalistic and Astrological aspects of Crowley's and Harris' Tarot， for those more interested on this bent。 Missing is， perhaps， the importance of the intuitive aspect of divination， including that of reading the Tarot。 For those more inclined to learning and working through intuition rather than raw intellectual power to the exclusion of emotions， go for the Sinister Tarot and its method as described in Naos （by Thorold West）。 。。。more
Emma
，
“Understanding Aleister Crowley’s Thoth Tarot” is an essential for anyone interested in either Crowley or Tarot in much the same way that Lon Milo DuQuette is a household name for anyone interested in the western esoteric tradition， specifically Thelema。 Humorous， at times overbearingly so， DuQuette has a unique voice in the otherwise dry climate of occultism， and this book is no different。 Here， he unravels the mysteries of one of history’s most notorious decks， and even provides and excellent “Understanding Aleister Crowley’s Thoth Tarot” is an essential for anyone interested in either Crowley or Tarot in much the same way that Lon Milo DuQuette is a household name for anyone interested in the western esoteric tradition， specifically Thelema。 Humorous， at times overbearingly so， DuQuette has a unique voice in the otherwise dry climate of occultism， and this book is no different。 Here， he unravels the mysteries of one of history’s most notorious decks， and even provides and excellent primer on Kabbalah long the way。Full disclosure: at the time of writing this review I’ve yet to read any Crowley myself， let alone the actual Book of Thoth。 This makes this particular book my introduction to the man and his ideas， and Lon Milo DuQuett couldn’t have provided a more opened-armed introduction than is found here。 Being largely a companion book to Crowley’s work， he is quoted liberally throughout the book， though never in such a way as to leave the reader scratching their head in confusion。 And that’s just covering the interpretation of the cards。 Meanwhile， the whole first chunk of the book lays down the framework of Kabbalah in more than enough depth to not only acquaint the reader with the necessary concepts to get the most out of this deck， but to move forward with work beyond the tarot if they so desire。 This， and delivered with a fresh sort of humor that had me actually laughing from time to time。 A worthwhile read if ever there was one。 。。。more
Samantha Strong
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Much easier to understand than Crowley's guidebook to the Thoth tarot， but I still feel like I'm missing something key。 I guess that's why there are secret societies。 Much easier to understand than Crowley's guidebook to the Thoth tarot， but I still feel like I'm missing something key。 I guess that's why there are secret societies。 。。。more
Darrell Kinney
，
A friendly warm-up to the Book of Thoth。 A blend survey of Crowley's writing， Golden Dawn， Kabbalah which better help the novice user of the Thoth Tarot decode it's rich esotericism and divergences from other Tarot decks。 Best recommendation is get the cards。 A friendly warm-up to the Book of Thoth。 A blend survey of Crowley's writing， Golden Dawn， Kabbalah which better help the novice user of the Thoth Tarot decode it's rich esotericism and divergences from other Tarot decks。 Best recommendation is get the cards。 。。。more
Victoria Belue
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An informative follow up to Crowley's original insightful but wandering book of Thoth。 I am not interested in learning about the Qabalistic， astrologic aspects right now so I was able to move through it quickly and use it referentially。 I do appreciate the humor and easy reading flow。 Highly recommend it for a deeper understanding of the deck。 An informative follow up to Crowley's original insightful but wandering book of Thoth。 I am not interested in learning about the Qabalistic， astrologic aspects right now so I was able to move through it quickly and use it referentially。 I do appreciate the humor and easy reading flow。 Highly recommend it for a deeper understanding of the deck。 。。。more
Thomas
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Though not a replacement for the original companion book， it highlights information from that book and lifts parts of other pieces， only to blend them together in a quite revealing manner。 It's not a one sitting kind of book and one needs to summon concentration to pull through at times but the pay off is great。 I understand better why tzaddi צ is not The Star， how the back of the cards is construed of the rosecrucian cross etc。 The nice tidbits of correspondence between Crowley and Harris are a Though not a replacement for the original companion book， it highlights information from that book and lifts parts of other pieces， only to blend them together in a quite revealing manner。 It's not a one sitting kind of book and one needs to summon concentration to pull through at times but the pay off is great。 I understand better why tzaddi צ is not The Star， how the back of the cards is construed of the rosecrucian cross etc。 The nice tidbits of correspondence between Crowley and Harris are also interesting and often provide a pathway into a card's meaning。 I loved how well cited it is， and also how the systematic overview of each card highlights some of the symbolic elements inherent in it。 。。。more
A'ishah
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Dense and esoteric （which is kind of the point！） but an excellent tool for working with the Thoth tarot， understanding its development， and relating its symbolism to the Tree of Life， astrology， and other systems。 Works well in tandem with Tarot: Mirror of the Soul and The Crowley Tarot: The Handbook to the Cards as each approach the deck with a different lens。
Starlon
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An absolutely invaluable book on the tarot and Crowley's Thelemic system。 Although I am relatively indifferent to Crowley and his robust eccentricities， this book not only shows a glimpse of Golden Dawn's system but also shows how much Crowley's outlook not only derived from these ideas but were transmuted and reinscribed with his own personal lexicon and experiences。 If you are interested in the Kabbalah's correspondence with the tarot （Thoth Tarot or even Marseilles） I cant recommend this book An absolutely invaluable book on the tarot and Crowley's Thelemic system。 Although I am relatively indifferent to Crowley and his robust eccentricities， this book not only shows a glimpse of Golden Dawn's system but also shows how much Crowley's outlook not only derived from these ideas but were transmuted and reinscribed with his own personal lexicon and experiences。 If you are interested in the Kabbalah's correspondence with the tarot （Thoth Tarot or even Marseilles） I cant recommend this book enough。 Will be on the look out for more of Duquette's easy going wisdom。 。。。more
Kathryn Jacobs
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I had taken a deep dive into tarot starting with the Rider Waite in October 2019 and then I found Astrology。 I neglected my tarot lessons and binged on Astrology until my brain hurt and when I returned to tarot and finished the my lessons with the Tarot Empress I felt brave enough to pick up another deck。 This deck was recommended to by Sajah Popham at the start of my enrollment in his Evolutionary Herbalism course。 Everything started to click into place and I was able to start making the connec I had taken a deep dive into tarot starting with the Rider Waite in October 2019 and then I found Astrology。 I neglected my tarot lessons and binged on Astrology until my brain hurt and when I returned to tarot and finished the my lessons with the Tarot Empress I felt brave enough to pick up another deck。 This deck was recommended to by Sajah Popham at the start of my enrollment in his Evolutionary Herbalism course。 Everything started to click into place and I was able to start making the connections between EVERYTHING。。。 I have so much more to learn but I am absolutely amazed because it transformed my vision of who I thought I was going to be in my future into something way BETTER。 I highly recommended it。 I am still working through it because its never ending knowledge。。。 。。。more
Evelyn
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A little boring in places。
JP
，
A great companion in the study of Thelema and the Thoth Tarot。
McCalla Ann
，
More like a 3。9。 The entire first part was incredibly informative and worth a reread however the section on the actual cards was lacking in the depth I was looking for， though I did appreciate the insight on the formula for the pip cards。 Left me something fun to play with on my own。That being said， this book is an invaluable resource and definitely worth the read。 Especially if you intend to read Crowley's Book of Thoth and are interested on the potential for mystical meditation on the cards。 More like a 3。9。 The entire first part was incredibly informative and worth a reread however the section on the actual cards was lacking in the depth I was looking for， though I did appreciate the insight on the formula for the pip cards。 Left me something fun to play with on my own。That being said， this book is an invaluable resource and definitely worth the read。 Especially if you intend to read Crowley's Book of Thoth and are interested on the potential for mystical meditation on the cards。 。。。more
Jon Huff
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Easy to read and fairly comprehensive as an introduction。 Also written with good humor too。 I enjoyed the tone。 The one thing I felt was kind of hazy in the book was what being “ill dignified” meant。 I looked that up elsewhere。
Richard
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A guidebook through occult relationshipsGetting to know Crowley's Thoth tarot means getting to know the same occult lores Crowley knew: Qabalah， Astrology， Hermeticism。 Then there's color theory and some general semiotics in the mix。 Add to that Crowley's enjoyment of being generally obtuse， and you might think you'll never be able to hack it。Mr。 DuQuette provides an overview of those major theories， bringing each back in as we visit each card。 The book is， admittedly， of limited use as somethin A guidebook through occult relationshipsGetting to know Crowley's Thoth tarot means getting to know the same occult lores Crowley knew: Qabalah， Astrology， Hermeticism。 Then there's color theory and some general semiotics in the mix。 Add to that Crowley's enjoyment of being generally obtuse， and you might think you'll never be able to hack it。Mr。 DuQuette provides an overview of those major theories， bringing each back in as we visit each card。 The book is， admittedly， of limited use as something to just read and put down， just as Mr。 DuQuette describes the Book of Thoth， but as a reference to go back to again and again as you start trying to understand the tool you're working with， it's invaluable。 。。。more
Emily Auger
，
Excellent！ Read it from start to finish and plan to repeat the experience。
Bookiana
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The best book out there about the Thoth， hands down。 It made me rethink my opinions on Crowley， too。 DuQuette's style is simply amazing， he can make even the Thoth tarot fun （it sounds impossible， I know）。 The best book out there about the Thoth， hands down。 It made me rethink my opinions on Crowley， too。 DuQuette's style is simply amazing， he can make even the Thoth tarot fun （it sounds impossible， I know）。 。。。more
Peter Morris
，
read
LuisBond Alvarez
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Una mirada comprensible y profunda al Tarot y CrowleyHay muchos libros que hablan del Tarot de Thoth creado por Aleister Crowley y Lady Freida Harris， pero pocos hablan a fondo acerca de ambas personalidades y su proceso de creación。 Además， es una excelente puerta de entrada a temas complejos como la Kabbalah， astrología， magick y Thelema。
Gabriela Ventura
，
De uma forma geral， o livro é instrutivo， pincelando a relação das cartas com astrologia e árvore da vida - e é um bom começo para quem está tentando entender como funciona o Tarot de Thoth。 Gosto especialmente das explicações sobre o estilo de Lady Frieda Harris。 Porém existe um tom cuidadoso ao longo do livro que é muito irritante: "leitor， não pense que pentagramas invertidos são coisas do diabo"， "leitor， não fique chocado com as menções à Babalon"。。。 querido， a pessoa que tá tentando entend De uma forma geral， o livro é instrutivo， pincelando a relação das cartas com astrologia e árvore da vida - e é um bom começo para quem está tentando entender como funciona o Tarot de Thoth。 Gosto especialmente das explicações sobre o estilo de Lady Frieda Harris。 Porém existe um tom cuidadoso ao longo do livro que é muito irritante: "leitor， não pense que pentagramas invertidos são coisas do diabo"， "leitor， não fique chocado com as menções à Babalon"。。。 querido， a pessoa que tá tentando entender o tarot do Crowley espera um nível mínimo de profanidades， ou ficaria só com o tarot das fadas。 Mas apesar do tom condescendente e apaziguador， é uma introdução ok， sim。 。。。more
AL
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This should instead be called “The Moron’s Guide To The Thoth Tarot。” It’s value to me was to expose my foolishness in consulting it。 The author was a fine mind， and I hope this was a profitable money grab while he lived。 Consult the Master directly for true enlightenment。
Kathleen O'Neal
，
This book was confusing， incoherent， and terribly written。 When I was done， all I could think was "What the fuck did I just read？" Not at all recommended。 This book was confusing， incoherent， and terribly written。 When I was done， all I could think was "What the fuck did I just read？" Not at all recommended。 。。。more
Emma
，
Fascinating book on the Thoth Tarot。 The first 10 chapters about the Qabalah were fascinating。 It really brought Tarot to life for me。 The writing style is thoughtful and enjoyable to read。 He is such a wonderful guide to explore this subject with。 I wouldn't hesitate to read another of his books。 This is the first point of call for those wishing to study this deck， and actually I think it is invaluable for those who want to learn more about the tarot full stop。 Fascinating book on the Thoth Tarot。 The first 10 chapters about the Qabalah were fascinating。 It really brought Tarot to life for me。 The writing style is thoughtful and enjoyable to read。 He is such a wonderful guide to explore this subject with。 I wouldn't hesitate to read another of his books。 This is the first point of call for those wishing to study this deck， and actually I think it is invaluable for those who want to learn more about the tarot full stop。 。。。more
Edric Unsane
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Surprisingly good and detailed。
Thursday Simpson
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An okay commentary。 I read this to keep calm during pre election week。 My heart is now elsewhere。 I'm sure not a Platonist。 And I don't have time for destiny。 I have work to do。But。I don't have any complaints。 This is a good intro and commentary on Crowley's Thoth deck。 Decent scholarship。 Well cited。 As problematic as Crowley is， it's always fun engaging with him and those who engage with him for a living。I basically stopped halfway through。 My heart is elsewhere。 And this deck is too。。。not for An okay commentary。 I read this to keep calm during pre election week。 My heart is now elsewhere。 I'm sure not a Platonist。 And I don't have time for destiny。 I have work to do。But。I don't have any complaints。 This is a good intro and commentary on Crowley's Thoth deck。 Decent scholarship。 Well cited。 As problematic as Crowley is， it's always fun engaging with him and those who engage with him for a living。I basically stopped halfway through。 My heart is elsewhere。 And this deck is too。。。not for me。If I read tarot again。 I'm going to need a way more queer & feminist deck。But。 This seems like an honest and good commentary for the Thoth deck。Another thing this book does well is show the symbolic possibilities tarot offers us in helping us understand and meditate on our lives， world and narratives。 。。。more
Angela
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Lives up to the titleThis is not a keyword reference， or instant tarot， this is a guide to understanding the Thoth tarot。 This book is not a one time read through， to be sure。 A bit easier to read， or along side of the Book of Thoth。 Expect dives into color， numerology， Kaballah， symbols， and letters between Crowley and Harris。
Stephen
，