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Thoth Tarot
Aleister Crowley, a prominent English occultist, mystic, and ceremonial magician, had a significant influence on the practice of tarot divination. His seminal work, “The Book of Thoth,” provides a comprehensive guide to the Thoth Tarot, a deck he co-created with Lady Frieda Harris. Throughout his writings, Crowley offers insights into the tarot's symbolism, divinatory meanings, and practical applications.
Éliphas Lévi, a French occultist and influential figure in the esoteric tradition, provided a vivid metaphor for the power of tarot in his work “Transcendental Magic: Its Doctrine and Ritual.”
“An imprisoned person with no other book than the Tarot, if he knew how to use it, could in a few years acquire universal knowledge, and would be able to speak on all subjects with unequalled learning and inexhaustible eloquence…” (Lévi, 1854).
In “The Book of Thoth,” Crowley emphasises the significance of tarot as a system of knowledge, writing, “The Tarot is a pack of seventy-eight cards, and on these cards are symbols which constitute a complete pictorial representation of the Universe” (Crowley, 1944). He suggests that the tarot acts as a symbolic language through which practitioners can access and understand the cosmic forces that shape human existence.
Crowley also highlighted the importance of approaching tarot divination with the right mindset, stating that “The serious student will…discover that the Tarot is a living and articulate being, whose language is intelligible only to those who have taken the trouble to learn its grammar” (Crowley, 1944). This statement underscores the necessity of dedicating time and effort to mastering the symbolic language of the tarot in order to unlock its true potential for divination.
Regarding the actual process of tarot reading, Crowley advised that “The divinatory method is simplicity itself. It consists of a careful analysis of the cards and their symbols, and the synthesis of their meanings” (Crowley, 1944). He urged practitioners to focus on the symbols and their interrelationships, rather than relying on memorised meanings or prescribed interpretations.
Crowley's views on the tarot's role in self-discovery are apparent when he states, “The origin of the Tarot is very ancient. It is not merely a device for fortune-telling, but the keys of the Royal Art, the links between the macrocosm and the microcosm, the means whereby the Universe may be interpreted in terms of the human Ego and vice versa” (Crowley, 1944). Here, he describes the tarot as a tool for exploring the self and understanding one's place within the larger cosmic context.