The Thoth Tarot Cards Deck Review:
The famous Crowley Thoth Small Tarot deck is now available in a configuration called the Premier Edition, which aims to maximize its visual effect while minimizing theft. Frieda Harris, a student of the occult who goes by the name Lady Frieda, was the one who painted the 78 cards and followed Aleister Crowley’s directions.
The kabbalistic and astrological attributions are discussed in Aleister Crowley’s The Book of Thoth, which is included inside the beautiful art deco masterpiece. Contains a booklet with a total of 48 pages and a spreadsheet measuring 18 inches by 20 inches.
Thoth Tarot Deck
One of the most popular variations on the traditional Rider-Waite Tarot deck is the Thoth Tarot deck, which was created in the nineteenth century. It is an amazing deck that is packed with profound significance and eye-catching graphics.
The Thoth Tarot deck is quite stunning to look at. The designs are simply very distinctive and quite different from most regular Tarot decks. In spite of the fact that it was created in the 1940s, I find that the deck still has a very contemporary feel to it.
It is essentially a Tarot deck, but with its own unique aesthetic and interpretations of the cards.
If you are familiar with the Rider-Waite deck, you will immediately recognize a number of significant deviations. Aleister Crowley, the notorious English occultist, was the one who came up with the design for it. If you ever want to learn more about him, he is a fairly intriguing man.
He thought it would be a good idea to modernize the traditional Tarot deck and shake things up a little. He gave the Tarot a modern spin and incorporated his own spiritual philosophy into the interpretation of the cards.
Page Contents
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Thoth Tarot Card Flip Through Video
What is included in the Thoth Tarot Card Deck?
Hard Box to store and protect your cards
Tarot guidebook with a list of all the tarot cards and the meanings of each and a 10-card spread layout.
78 Tarot Cards
22 Major Arcana cards
56 Minor Arcana cards
What are the Thoth Card Meanings?
An outstanding artist from the nineteenth century named Lady Frieda Harris was responsible for drawing the deck. Approximately five years were spent with her and Aleister Crowley working together on the deck.
The iconography of the Thoth Tarot deck is genuinely one of a kind since it draws symbolism from a wide variety of diverse occult systems, spiritual ideals, and even Crowley’s own personal spiritual philosophy.
In the Book of Thoth, these symbolisms are broken up in great detail throughout the text. Aleister Crowley, a well-known magician and a member of the Golden Dawn, conceived the remarkable and intriguing visual work that is included in the eternal Aleister Crowley Thoth Tarot, and Lady Frieda Harris was the one who made it.
This particular deck consists of 80 playing cards and contains three distinct iterations of the Magus card.
Aleister Crowley’s Thoth Tarot is considered to be one of the most important decks in the history of modern tarot cards. Despite the passage of time, it has remained one of the most popular decks that can be purchased.
The appeal of this deck can’t be overstated, despite the fact that it has been printed in innumerable iterations and also numerous dimensions (with brand-new iterations on the horizon).
Since its first publication in 1969, it has really brought in a continuous stream of honors for its startling appeal, in addition to its portrayal of comprehension of esoteric expertise that was acquired over the course of a lifetime of the focused research study.
It is necessary to point out that the Thoth deck of tarot cards has the distinction of being one of the most controversial options for purchasing tarot cards currently available.
People will sometimes use the word dark to describe the deck, which is most likely attributable to the internet reputation that the deck’s creator has built up over the years.
Although it may not have the instant individual appeal of cards such as the Fey or the warm and fuzzy bunny cuteness of some other decks, it does give a well-balanced picture as a complete summary of the key qualities that people and our world share.
Lady Frieda Harris the illustrator of the Thoth
Born on August 13, in London, United Kingdom, Marguerite Frieda Harris, Lady Harris, was an artist and, later in her life, an associate of the occultist Aleister Crowley. She insisted on being referred to by the incorrect style “Lady Frieda Harris,” and she was known as “Lady Frieda Harris” by her own insistence.
Thoth Tarot Cards
Aleister Crowley and Lady Frieda Harris created the ageless Aleister Crowley Thoth Tarot. This 80-card deck features three Magus versions.
Aleister Crowley’s Thoth Tarot has been a popular deck for years. This deck’s attractiveness cannot be overstated; it’s printed in numerous variations and sizes (with more ones forthcoming).
Since its first publication in 1969, it has won a steady stream of awards for its startling appeal and for representing a lifetime of esoteric investigation.
The Thoth Tarot was never published during their lifetimes. Crowley’s review of the tarot card cites Harris’s paintings and is still accessible as a book and online.
The Book of Thoth is great. Duquette won’t teach you the card meanings, but he’ll explain how the system works, where it comes from, and what to do next. This deck has value even if you don’t like astrology, qabalah, magick, Egyptian mythology, alchemy, etc.
The Thoth Tarot is based on the Golden Dawn tradition, so anyone familiar with the Rider Waite deck or other Golden Dawn products may recognize many of the cards.
Each card features astrological and qabalistic acknowledgments on the portrait and border. The minors also have magical titles written beneath them.
The deck may be used without these mechanisms. These same features may be applied to any deck, but are most evident in the Thoth.
The minors aren’t as detailed as Rider Waite Smith’s, but they’re fairly presented. Harris’ pips show the card’s function clearly, imitating Rider Waite Smith.
The RWS Two of Wands shows a man controlling the globe while ignoring his kingdom; the Thoth Two of Wands (called Dominion) shows two Tibetans crossing before melting flames, a symbol of global power and authority.
The card’s Mars and Aries glyphs tell us it’s from that sign and world, which increases its description of strength, nerves, and fulfillment.
Thoth Tarot Images
Thoth is one of the most controversial tarot card decks available. People often call the deck the black because of its maker’s internet notoriety. It lacks the individualized appeal of cards like the Fey but as a comprehensive survey of people and our world, it gives a balanced perspective.
The pictures on the cards in the traditional Rider-Waite deck are pretty easy to understand. This makes the deck great for people who are just starting out. Most people can learn to read tarot cards pretty quickly with the Rider-Waite deck, which uses classic images from the Middle Ages, Paganism, and Christianity.
The Thoth Tarot deck has a lot of strange symbols and images that come from different occult practices. Crowley shows the Fool as the Green Man on the Fool card.
The Green Man is a spiritual symbol of the circle of life, death, and rebirth. This is different from the Rider-Waite deck, in which the Fool is a young man just starting out on his journey.
Thoth Tarot Card Details
Deck Type: Tarot Deck
Cards: 80
Major Arcana: 24 with 3 variations of the Magus card
Minor Arcana: 56
Card Back: Non-Reversible
Suits: Cups, Swords, Wands, Disks
Court Cards: Princess, Prince, Queen, Knight
The Major Arcana: The Fool, The Magus, The Priestess, The Empress, The The Emperor, The Hierophant, The Lovers, The Chariot, Adjustment, The Hermit, Fortune, Lust, The Hanged Man, Death, Art, The Devil, The Tower, The Star, The Moon, The Sun, The Aeon, The Universe.
Back Design: A Rosicrucian cross with many different colors on a checkered background.
Included with the deck: A 48-page guidebook for the keywords and meanings of each card
Publisher : US Games 1978
Publication date: June 2, 2005
Language : English
Booklet : 48 pages
ISBN-10 : 1572815108
ISBN-13 : 978-1572815100
Item Weight : 10.8 ounces
Box Dimensions : 2.75 x 0.39 x 4.37 inches / 5 x 1 x 11 cm
Dimensions of the cards are 2.76 x 4.33 inches / 7 x 11 cm
Creators (Illustrator): Frieda Harris & Aleister Crowley
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Who published The Thoth Tarot?
Illustration: Frieda Harris
Guidebook: Aleister Crowley
Publisher: U.S. Games Systems Inc.
When was the Thoth Tarot published?
The Thoth Tarot deck was published on June 2, 2005, by U.S. Games Systems Inc.
The Thoth Tarot Review
Aleister Crowley’s Thoth Tarot is a classic of modern tarot and has been one of the most popular decks for a long time. This deck is popular because it has been printed in a lot of different sizes and editions, and more are on the way. Since it was first published in 1969, it has gotten a steady stream of praise for its striking beauty and the way it shows how occult knowledge can be understood after a lifetime of study.
The Thoth is also one of the most controversial tarot decks, which is something that should be said. People sometimes call the deck Dark, which is likely because of the reputation its creator built up.
It doesn’t have the instant personal appeal of decks like the Fey but as an illustrated guide to the basic things about us and our world, it gives a balanced view.
The Thoth Tarot is based on the Golden Dawn tradition. If you know the Rider Waite deck or any other deck that comes from the Golden Dawn, you will recognize a lot of the cards right away.
The astrological and qabalistic meanings of each card are shown both inside the card image and around the edge of the card. The secret title is also written on the bottom of the minors.
The deck can be used without these systems, but I have found that learning about them has been very helpful to me personally and has also helped me learn more about the tarot.
Then, these same features can be added to any deck, but they stand out most clearly and are most beautifully shown in the Thoth.
Even though the minors don’t have scenes drawn in the Rider Waite Smith style, they are very well drawn. The pips make it clear what the card means, and most of the meanings are the same as the Rider Waite Smith.
For example, the RWS Two of Wands shows a man holding the world in his hand as he looks out over his kingdom. The Thoth Two of Wands, called “Dominion,” shows two Tibetan Djores crossed in front of burning flames, which are signs of great power and authority.
The glyphs for Mars and Aries are on the card. This tells us that the card belongs to that sign and planet, which reinforces the meanings of strength, courage, pride, etc.
Some people might not like the Thoth deck, but if you like it at all, you should definitely add it to your collection. It will help you learn more about the history of modern tarot and give you a better understanding of how to use the other decks in your collection.
The Thoth Tarot Cards Deck Package
The court cards are one of the ways that the Thoth deck is different from the Rider Waite Smith, Marseille, and Golden Dawn decks.
The pictures on the court are almost the same as those on the Golden Dawn (Golden Dawn Tarot, Golden Dawn Magical Tarot, etc.) decks. This is because they are based on the details in Book T. (a piece of Golden Dawn literature on the tarot).
There are the usual four court cards in the Golden Dawn tradition. Kings (shown on horses), Queens (sitting on thrones), Princes (in carriages), and Princesses are all shown (standing).
Crowley has kept these traits, but he changed the name of his Kings’ Knights to better show the strength of his character. This has caused a lot of confusion.
For someone who is used to RWS or Marseille-style courts, where the King and Queen are both seated and the Knight is the figure on the horse, this can be confusing at first.
I now look for a King on a horse in any tarot deck I want to add to my collection, no matter what title is given to him.
Some of the majors have also been changed. Some of the cards’ names have been changed to better reflect what Crowley thought the deeper meanings of the cards were.
These include The Magus (magician), The Priestess (high priestess), Adjustment (justice, number 8), Fortune (wheel of fortune), Lust (strength, number 11), Art (moderation), The Aeon (justice), and The Universe (the world). Most of the images on the majors are the same as those on other decks (at least in their basic shapes), but a few have been changed a lot to reflect Crowley’s magical journey and show how he sees the modern world.
In this way, cards like Lust, The Devil, and, most of all, The Aeon stand out.
There are different sizes of the Thoth Deck. The larger deck, which is 14 cm (5 1/2 inches) tall and 9.5 cm (3 3/4 inches) wide, may be too big for many people to shuffle easily. It does make the card’s many details easy to see, which helps with studying.
The smaller sizes are much easier to shuffle, and the images don’t look too bad because of their smaller size. The back of the card has a styled Rosicrucian Cross and can’t be turned over (the Thoth deck not being intended to be reversed).
The Thoth Tarot Card Guidebook
The Thoth Tarot was made by the artist Lady Frieda Harris at the request of the controversial magician Aleister Crowley. However, it wasn’t published during their lifetimes.
The Book of Thoth, a guide to the tarot written by Crowley and illustrated with paintings by Harris, was published and is still available today, both as a book and for free on many websites on the internet.
Even though I think The Book of Thoth is a great book and would recommend it to anyone who has the Thoth Tarot, it might not be the best place to start your studies.
Duquette won’t teach you what the cards usually mean, but he will explain how the system works, where it came from, and what to do next.
Even if you don’t care about astrology, qabalah, magick, Egyptian mythology, alchemy, etc., this deck has a lot to offer. But I found that one of the deck’s best features was that it helped me learn more about things I was already interested in.
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Julianne has a bachelor’s in communication and journalism working with Psychic Spirituality & Relationships. She has also practiced numerology, tarot, and other psychic arts.