According to ancient tradition, the book of thoth was the legendary repository of the egyptian mysteries. One of the most mysterious books to have ever been mentioned in the history of mankind is the book of thoth a sacred and mysterious book of the ancient egyptians, written by an ancient god. Aleister crowleys brilliant book of thoth is an essay on the ancient tarot as the book of the wisdom of the gods incorporating new ideas and discoveries in mathematics, science, philosophy, psychoanalysis and comparative religion. The book of thoth a short essay on the tarot of the egyptians being the equinox volume iii no. The book of thoth aleister crowleys the book of thoth. According to historical records, the book of thot was a collection of ancient egyptian texts which were written y thoth the ancient egyptian god of. Other articles where the book of thoth is discussed. In roughly 1938, crowleys student, lady frieda harris, suggested a reimagined tarot based on the book of the law. Aleister crowley books for beginners aristocrats of the soul.
Crowley went on to write 6 books related to magic and became obsessed with egyptian and ceremonial magic. An authoritative examination of the worlds most fascinating and magical tarot cards. There may be other interpreters of the thoth deck who can also point us. Book of thothr crowley strife five of wands by james robert. This book describes the philosophy and the use of aleister crowleys thoth tarot, a deck of tarot cards designed by crowley and codesigned and painted by lady frieda harris. The book of thoth is a legendary book containing powerful spells and knowledge, said to have been buried with the prince neferkaptah meaning perfect ka of ptah in egyptian in the city of the dead.
The book of thoth by the master therion aleister crowley. Behind the design of each card lay a lifetime of intense study and bold experimentation in the magickal arts. Will is the soul of aleister crowley s magical philosophy. Crowleys copy of book of thoth up for sale zero equals two. The following is an excerpt from the chapter mysticism and magick in the weiser concise guide to aleister crowley, written by kaczynski, edited by james wasserman.
It is the ateph crown of thoth, and there is the shaft of burning light, and beneath there is a silver wedge. Crowley referred to this deck as the book of thoth, and also wrote a 1944. Crowley s the book of thoth it was in 1904 when the english magician aleister crowley wrote the the book of the law. He was denounced in his own time for his decadent lifestyle and had few followers, but he became a cult figure after his death. Publication history thothtarot editions photos from my collection. Aleister crowleys and frieda harriss the actual artist behind the paintings thoth deck is the. Aleister crowley and the metaphysical thoth tarot gaia.
Understanding aleister crowleys thoth tarot lon milo. Book of thoth crowley the tarot and the universe youtube. A short essay on the tarot of the egyptians, and the book of the law, and more on. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. For someone looking for the quickest and easiest method to familiarize their self with tarot reading, crowleys thoth deck is not a good choice. Like most mystics, he shrouds his intent behind allegories and clues and outright denial. Aleister crowley thoth tarot by aleister crowley, frieda. From what i garnered from crowley s writing style, he tends to be very cryptic. But, if we stop there, we have not done our own work. Rarely was his writing so down to earth and engaging as in this book. The book, written by thoth, is said to contain two spells, one of which allows the reader to understand the speech of animals, and one of which allows the reader to perceive the gods themselves. Now, in clear language, lon milo duquette provides everything you need to know to get the most out of using the thoth deck. Since crowley produced the book of thoth, there have been several attempts to provide further clarifications, commentaries or more introductorylevel guides to the deck. The spells in the egyptian book of the dead and book of breathings are said to have all come from thoth.
The book consists of three chapters written down in cairo on 8th, 9th and 10th april at noon. As a ubiquitous deck in germany, it is no surprise that the first attempt was german ziegler, 1984 and two other major attempts are also german. The book of thoth is aleister crowley s masterwork on the qabalistic symbology of the tarot. This book has about the most convoluted history of anything crowley ever wrote. Book of thoth crowley the tarot and the holy qabalah by james robert. Search the history of over 424 billion web pages on the internet. Record of distribution from the endpaper of aleister crowley s copy of the book of thoth. It is an exceptional edition of a controversial and critical work in the history of modern tarot.
The book of thoth egyptian tarot by aleister crowley. A sacred ancient egyptian book that offers unlimited knowledge it is said that the book of thoth contains a number of spells, one of which allows the reader to understand the speech of animals, and one of which allows the reader to. In the five of wands we have 5 staffs on a strong yellow background. The book covers have some edge wear, bumping, rubbing, creasing to the top front corner and a couple of beginning nicks to the bottom front cover.
Book 4 by aleister crowley paperback, reprint published 1980 4. Warburg instute, university of london, london, folder ns 93. Leo was aleister crowleys ascendant and so he has incorporated much symbolism in this card. They include many texts that were claimed to exist by ancient authors, and a magical book that appears in an egyptian work of fiction. The book of thoth, contents part one bibliographical note on 18th november, 1898 e. Crowleys, the book of thoth, is a masterpiece of occult writing. Book of thoth is a name given to many ancient egyptian texts supposed to have been written by thoth, the egyptian god of writing and knowledge. She volunteered to produce all the art for the major and minor arcanas, saying she was directed to do so by her holy guardian angel. The book of thoth, contents part one the book of thoth egyptian tarot by aleister crowley contents and part one partly linked, mostly proofread originally published in an edition limited to 200 numbered and signed copies, 1944 reprinted by samuel weiser, inc. Aleister crowley s the book of thoth endures as one of the most definitive volumes on the tarot ever written. We are looking to pass along custodianship of aleister crowleys personal copy of his greatest work, copy zero the book of thoth. Aleister crowley books list of books by author aleister. The fictional book of thoth appears in an ancient egyptian short story from the ptolemaic period, known as setne khamwas and naneferkaptah or setne i. Aleister crowley 18751947 was the most widely read author in 20thcentury occultism.
Five of wands thoth tarot card tutorial esoteric meanings. And like other satanists, had a fascination with thoth. Alan richardson, aleister crowley and dion fortune, llewellyn publications, woodbury, minnesota, 2009, p. Truly a necessary beginner s primer on the thoth tarot. Aleister crowley named his egyptian style tarot deck the book of thoth, in reference to the theory that tarot cards were the egyptian book of thoth. The book of thoth is as much a manual for using the deck as it is a primary initiation into hermetic philosophy and mindfulness. A guide to books on the thoth tarot the tarosophy tarot.
The book of thoth is famous for its depth of symbolism, owed to aleister crowley s lifetime of occult studies and writings. Thoth s papyrus plays a central part in the book scroll of saqqara. This small book is called the pictorial key to the tarot. The book of thoth the libri of aleister crowley hermetic. Id been immolating my brain upon aleister crowley s original accompanying text the book of thoth, dion fortune s mystical qabala, and robert wang s qabalistic tarot all of which contain immensely valuable information and will require much rereading to absorb yet this process could have been 10x easier had i just started off with. This classic text describes the philosophy and use of aleister crowley s thoth tarot, a deck designed by crowley and painted by lady frieda harris. The thoth tarot has become one of the bestselling and most popular tarot decks in the world. Aleister crowleys thoth tarot was his final opus, the culmination of a lifetime of occult study and practice. To begin the story, late in 1911 crowley began an affair with mary deste sturges 1871 1931. He was a prolific writer, who published works on a wide variety of topics. The magical powers of thoth were so great, that the egyptians had tales of a book of thoth, which would allow a person who read the sacred book to. Interesting facts about thoth god of egypt presented above, also provide information about various aspects of egyptian culture.
Although crowley s own book of thoth provides insight into the cards, it is a complicated, dated book. There were two complications the first being the original publication of the book of thoth with all the cards illustrated. Nov 15, 2003 aleister crowley s thoth tarot was his final opus, the culmination of a lifetime of occult study and practice. The book s page edges were damaged decades ago by fire but the book was rescued from destruction. In egyptian mythology, thoth is the god of wisdom, time, writing, magic and the moon. He singlehandedly redefined magic as a field of inquiry and endeavor through his books and the order that he ledthe a.
V by the master therion aleister crowley art executant. This book describes the philosophy and the use of aleister crowley s thoth tarot, a deck of tarot cards designed by crowley and codesigned and painted by lady frieda harris. Written and published in the latter years of his life, this book synthesizes and crystalizes his thought and philosophy on the qabalah and thelema in one neat package. Liber 004 or magick liber aba by aleister crowley 1. The best place to start is with the work of richard kaczynski, ph. Conceived and designed by crowley, the cards were artistically executed by lady frieda harris. A magnificent reproduction of the famous 78card crowley thoth tarot deck, based on original paintings by lady frieda harris. The plumes of maat are its crown, set about the disk. So the book of thoth is the companion book to crowley s tarot deck, a prognosticator of a rather intense nature, im told.
Also in this volume is a master of the temple, excerpts from the magical diary of frater achad charles stansfeld jones when he was a probationer in the a. Aleister crowleys the book of thoth a treasury of truth and beauty by isis. Nov 04, 2011 this book is essential to the study of the thoth deck. Thoth became the representation of ra in the afterlife, seen at the judgment of the dead in the halls of the double maat.
The project ended up lasting five years, between 1938 and 1943. An authoritative examination of the world s most fascinating and magical tarot cards by suggesting that everyone who uses the thoth deck do themselves a favour and buy this book. The book of thoth egyptian tarot by aleister crowley contents and part one partly linked, mostly proofread originally published in an edition limited to 200 numbered and signed copies, 1944 reprinted by samuel weiser, inc. A short essay on the tarot of the egyptians, being the equinox volume iii no. I expected an easy and informative explanation of tarot.
With artist lady frieda harris, he condensed the core of. Thoth was believed to be one of the earliest and wisest egyptian gods. The book of thoth the mysteries of the tarot, crowley, magick and egypt revealed at the book of thoth. The book is recorded in the vernal equinox of 1944 and was originally published in an edition limited to 200 numbered and signed copies. What you should know about thoth, the egyptian god of. Certainly crowleys erudition is great, and we benefit from the knowledge he put into the thoth book and deck his book is magnificient.
The enochian tablets and the book of the law by aleister crowley 50. Book of thoth crowley the contents of the tarot youtube. With that he disappears, and the aethyr splits with a roar as of ten thousand thunders. She is also known as mary desti and an account of their first meeting, only slightly fictionalised, forms the first chapter of crowleys novel, moonchild. The deck itself, besides working as the elemental and zodiacal symbol association system of popular tradition, functions simultaneously as a qabalistic tree of life and taoist i ching. The following excerpt from liber aleph, the book of wisdom or folly, may also help to elucidate the meaning of this card. A beginners guide to crowley books bkwyrms occult book. That book was printed in the uk and then reprinted by weiser under the clause putting it in public domain. This book describes the philosophy and the use of aleister crowleys thoth tarot, a deck of tarot cards. He delves into the history of the cards and their relation to kabbalah the hebrew mystic. Aleister crowleys elusive esoteric thoth tarot the.
Aleister crowley, british occultist, writer, and mountaineer, who was a practitioner of magick as he spelled it and called himself the beast 666. Lon milo duquette understanding aleister crowleys thoth. There is also the legend of a third book, the book of thoth, containing all the mysteries and secrets of the universe. With artist lady frieda harris, he condensed the core of his teaching astrology, qabbalah, magick, gematria and numerology, and alchemy into the 78 cards of the tarot. The thoth tarot is one of crowleys most magnificent achievements. Crowleys thoth tarot in roughly 1938, crowley s student, lady frieda harris, suggested a reimagined tarot based on the book of the law. Weiser books offers an entire spectrum of occult and esoteric subjects. Presented here is an entertaining, informative, and detailed alternative to the incomprehensible book describing the second most popular tarot deck in the world. Tahuti, or thoth, confirmed the word of dionysus by continuing it. His original idea had been to execute a pack after the tradition of the mediaeval editors, corrected in the light of the descriptions given in the equinox i, vii and viii. This edition of the book of thoth, crowleys masterpiece on the tarot, is as wellconstructed and weighty as its subject matter, with fullcolor images as vivid as the original. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the book of thoth.
Red wheelweiser imprints include conari press which publishes titles on spirituality, personal growth, relationships to parenting, and social issues. It is an exceptional edition of a controversial and critical work in the history of modern tarot that eloquently unravels the depths of this esoteric subject. Tarot, possessed in her own right the essential spirit of the book. This website is dedicated to providing tarot readings using aleister crowley and lady frieda harris book of thoth in its purest form, using crowley s original meanings. Thoth was variously depicted wearing a crescent moon on his headdress, or wearing the atef crown, or sometimes, the crown of upper and lower egypt. Together they bent their energies to the formidable task of preparing the 78 cards of the book of thoth. The thoth tarot is a divinatory tarot deck painted by lady frieda harris according to instructions from aleister crowley. I first read this book in the mid1970s, when i purchased it along with his thoth tarot. If youre going to read this first then just read the first few chapters which are mainly background history, then start reading the book of thoth and let this. The designs contain kabbalistic and astrological attributions described in aleister crowley s work, the book of thoth. The atu keys or trumps the book of thoth the libri of. This book is essential to the study of the thoth deck.
In aleister crowley achievement was the publication of the book of thoth 1944, in which he interpreted a new tarot card deck, called the thoth, that he had designed in collaboration with the artist frieda harris. Thoth is the name of a station monitoring activities and the location of a major battle in the novel leviathan wakes. Liber 777 vel prolegomena symbolica ad systemam sceptico mysticae by aleister crowley 760. The book is in very good condition and was issued without a dust jacket. Several methods of reading are available, including the famous 15card thoth method. V aleister crowley, the master therion, frieda harris on. See all books authored by aleister crowley, including the book of thoth. Book 4 part iii magick in theory and practice by aleister crowley 898. Crowley referred to this deck as the book of thoth, and also wrote a 1944 book of that title intended for use with the deck. Ive been planning to buy this deck for a while, and i wasnt disappointed when i finally got it. Crowley referred to this deck as the book of thoth, and wrote a book of that title for use with the deck.
His works include the book of thoth, the vision and the voice, 777 and other qabalistic writings, the book of lies, little essays toward truth, and the confessions of aleister crowley. The book of thoth by aleister crowley magick books library. Aleister crowley, who published the book of thoth helped in reviving the popularity of thoth egyptian god. The video presentation for the 5 of wands can be accessed by clicking on the image below. The book is recorded in the vernal equinox of 1944 an ixviii sol in 0 0 0 aries, march 21, 1944 e. Crowley originally anticipated the thoth deck to be a sixmonth project, aimed at updating the traditional pictorial symbolism of the tarot to the more primordial or archaic representation. He also wrote fiction including plays, novels, and. Aleister crowley s legendary deck by cards by aleister crowley with art by lady frieda harris, book written by evelin burger and johannes fiebig, et al. Purchasing lon milo duquette understanding aleister crowley s thoth tarot along with this book should help buff out some of the difficulties of crowley s writing. It was dictated by a praeterhuman intelligence calling itself aiwass. The rider waite tarot deck has one simple instruction book about the cards which can be referred to easily during any reading. In his book, remembering aleister crowley, kenneth grant reproduces a letter to him from aleister crowley in which crowley states that any one who bought two or more copies of the book received one copy bound in 12 morocco leather. A short essay on the tarot of the egyptians is the title of the equinox, volume iii, number 5, by english author and occultist aleister crowley.
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