Thoth tarot deck

Cover of the Thoth tarot deck box.

The Thoth Tarot (/ˌtoʊt ˈtæroʊ/) is a divinatory tarot deck painted by Lady Frieda Harris according to instructions from Aleister Crowley. Crowley referred to this deck as The Book of Thoth, and also wrote a book of that title intended for use with the deck.

Background

Crowley originally intended the Thoth deck to be a six-month project aimed at updating the traditional pictorial symbolism of the tarot. However, the project was to span five years, between 1938 and 1943, as its scope grew ever wider. Crowley and Harris were meticulous in their work, and Harris painted some of the cards as many as eight times.The current edition of the U.S. Games Systems deck contains two prototypes of The Magus card as painted by Lady Harris, each making use of markedly different style and symbols. Completed by Lady Harris but then rejected by Crowley, these were never intended to be a part of the deck proper. They are now included as a bonus treat for aficionados of the deck. Neither Harris nor Crowley lived to see the deck published. The first full publication was by Ordo Templi Orientis in 1969, although this initial printing was seen by many to be of inferior quality, and in 1977 Harris' paintings were rephotographed for a second edition. A further update with new photography took place in 1986, while the current edition is based on a revision of this update which was first printed in 1996.

Symbolism

The illustrations of the Thoth deck are rich in symbolism, based upon Crowley's stated desire to incorporate symbols from many disparate disciplines, including science and philosophy, as well as to draw on his extensive knowledge of various occult systems (as described in detail in his Book of Thoth). For example, The Hanged Man and The Moon draw from Egyptian mythology, and the Princess of Disks holds a disk bearing the Taijitu. The pip cards in the four suits (Wands, Cups, Swords, and Disks) depict their objects in carefully crafted positions; for example, the Four of Swords (which Crowley named "truce") shows four swords with their points toward the center of an imaginary square, suggesting a possibly tense peace. The card illustrations are uniformly stark and vividly illustrated throughout.

Differences from Rider Waite Tarot

Order and names of trumps

Crowley renamed several of the trumps, and also re-arranged the astrological and Hebrew alphabet correspondences of some cards, in accordance with his earlier book, Liber AL vel Legis (The Book of the Law):

All these old letters of my Book are aright; but צ is not the Star. (AL I:57)

Rider-Waite card	Thoth equivalent
I: The Magician	I: The Magus
II: The High Priestess	II: The Priestess
VIII: Strength	XI: Lust
X: Wheel of Fortune	X: Fortune
XI: Justice	VIII: Adjustment
XIV: Temperance	XIV: Art
XX: Judgement	XX: The Æon
XXI: The World	XXI: The Universe

The Minor Arcana

Each of the minor arcana pips (1-10 of each suit), other than the four Aces, has been given a title. Crowley named them based on his intended symbolism. This symbolism does not always follow the more popular Rider-Waite tarot deck.

In the Minor Arcana, cards 1-10 are attributions of the sephira on the Tree of Life. Kether rules the Ones, Chokmah rules the Twos, Binah the Threes, and so on, and so forth down to Malkuth ruling the Tens. Kether being Unity, moving down the Tree to Malkuth, being Manifestation furthest away from that Unity.

Names of court cards

Crowley altered the names of all the court cards apart from the Queen in the Thoth deck, which can cause some confusion for people used to the more common decks. The typical corresponding names are as follows:

Traditional Court Card Name	Thoth Deck Court Card Name
Page	Princess
Knight	Prince
Queen	Queen
King	Knight

Titles and attributions of the Wands Suit

Number	Sign	Decan	Ruler of Decan	Name
1				The Root of the Powers of Fire
2	Aries	1st	Mars	Dominion
3	Aries	2nd	Sun	Virtue
4	Aries	3rd	Venus	Completion
5	Leo	1st	Saturn	Strife
6	Leo	2nd	Jupiter	Victory
7	Leo	3rd	Mars	Valour
8	Sagittarius	1st	Mercury	Swiftness
9	Sagittarius	2nd	Moon	Strength
10	Sagittarius	3rd	Saturn	Oppression

Titles and attributions of the Cups Suit

Number	Sign	Decan	Ruler of Decan	Name
1				The Root of the Powers of Water
2	Cancer	1st	Venus	Love
3	Cancer	2nd	Mercury	Abundance
4	Cancer	3rd	Moon	Luxury
5	Scorpio	1st	Mars	Disappointment
6	Scorpio	2nd	Sun	Pleasure
7	Scorpio	3rd	Venus	Debauch
8	Pisces	1st	Saturn	Indolence
9	Pisces	2nd	Jupiter	Happiness
10	Pisces	3rd	Mars	Satiety

Titles and attributions of the Swords Suit

Number	Sign	Decan	Ruler of Decan	Name
1				The Root of the Powers of Air
2	Libra	1st	Moon	Peace
3	Libra	2nd	Saturn	Sorrow
4	Libra	3rd	Jupiter	Truce
5	Aquarius	1st	Venus	Defeat
6	Aquarius	2nd	Mercury	Science
7	Aquarius	3rd	Moon	Futility
8	Gemini	1st	Jupiter	Interference
9	Gemini	2nd	Mars	Cruelty
10	Gemini	3rd	Sun	Ruin

Titles and attributions of the Disks Suit

Number	Sign	Decan	Ruler of Decan	Name
1				The Root of the Powers of Earth
2	Capricorn	1st	Jupiter	Change
3	Capricorn	2nd	Mars	Works
4	Capricorn	3rd	Sun	Power
5	Taurus	1st	Mercury	Worry
6	Taurus	2nd	Moon	Success
7	Taurus	3rd	Saturn	Failure
8	Virgo	1st	Sun	Prudence
9	Virgo	2nd	Venus	Gain
10	Virgo	3rd	Mercury	Wealth

References

• Duquette, Lon Milo (2003). Understanding Aleister Crowley's Thoth Tarot. Weiser Books.
• Wasserman, James. Instructions for Aleister Crowley's Thoth Tarot Deck, included in the U.S. Games Systems publication of the deck.
• Aleister Crowley (June 1974). The Book of Thoth: A Short Essay on the Tarot of the Egyptians, Being the Equinox Volume III No. V. Illustrated by Frieda Harris. Samuel Weiser, Inc. p. 308. ISBN 978-0877282686.
• Bill Butler (1975). Dictionary of the Tarot. Schocken Books. p. 250. ISBN 978-0805205596.
• Gerd Ziegler (January 1, 1988). Tarot: Mirror of the Soul: Handbook for the Aleister Crowley Tarot. Weiser Books. p. 208. ISBN 978-0877286837.