Rating: 
Summary: Entry to a Magickal Universe
Review:
This beautifully designed book works well at communicating and serving as a gateway to the tarot cards designed by Aleister Crowley and executed by Lady Freida Harris. Called the Thoth tarot after the Egyptian god of magic, language and communication, these cards and its companion piece, "The Book of Thoth", by Crowley, is perhaps the most sophisticated presentation of tarot one will currently find. It is, indeed, a complete representation of the magickal Universe. However, at first sight, it appears recondite, arcane and difficult to follow. Enter Lon Milo Duquette with this invaluable book.
Part of the difficulty in grasping Crowley's tarot is that it is thoroughly infused with the cosmology he spent his life expounding to the world, called Thelema. Also, The Book of Thoth reads, as Duquette said in a recent interview, "like a post-graduate treatise... it is way over the head of even very knowledgeable students."
The wealth of information to be found in "Understanding Aleister Crowley's Thoth Tarot" (UACTT) includes extensive background material on Crowley and the Golden Dawn - the magical order whose system of tarot was the foundation for the Thoth tarot. There are also clear, concise primers on Thelema and Qabalah - the system of correspondences that is the basis of both the Golden Dawn and Thoth tarot.
One of the many mysteries that Duquette clears up is how each of the small cards receives its attribution. For example, the Nine of Wands has the word "Strength" printed on its lower border. He gives a formula based on qabalistic and astrological considerations for determining the attribution. The formula is easy to understand and makes perfect sense.
Other notable explanations include, the relationship between the court cards and the small cards, the unique qualities of the aces, the zodiac and planetary correspondences of the Minor Arcana and a very detailed examination of the Rose Cross found on the back of every card.
One chapter covers the mystical visions Crowley wrote of in his work "Liber 418: The Vision and the Voice" and how these provided inspiration to the imagry found in some of the Major Arcana cards. Another chapter looks at the qabalistic significance of color and its effect upon these cards.
One of the most fascinating aspects of UACTT is the biographical sketch of Lady Freida Harris and her relationship with Crowley. Duquette describes background details on her artistic approach and style that greatly influenced the paintings of the Thoth tarot. These cards have an energetic vitality to them that one could call psychedelic. They are alive.
Duquette also had access to correspondence between Crowley and Harris that he peppers liberally throughout the book. They reveal the painstaking effort and attention to detail that went into the creation of these unique cards. It also gives the reader an inside, behind the scenes view of the process.
UACTT is written in two parts. Part One has the background information while Part Two is a comprehensive description of each of the cards. There are some suggested methods of divination from The Book of Thoth, very thorough footnotes, and an excellent glossary of Thelemic, Qabalistic and Tarot terms.
The book is direct and at times humorous in its writing style. It is very accessible to anyone unfamiliar with Crowley's work though it would prove more difficult as an introduction to tarot cards. It is also a great aid and highly beneficial to the long time student and practitioner of Magick. I recommend it highly.
By no means does UACTT cover everything there is to understand regarding the Thoth tarot. It acts as a doorway. The most profound insight will be from personal experience personally experienced. Duquette put it best on page 275 when he said,
" Any adept of tarot cards will tell you that if you wish to use the tarot as a divinatory tool, it is best to choose a spread and to develop a personal glossary of meanings based upon your own familiarity with the qualities and characteristics of each card and the knowledge and experience you gather in actually working with the cards." This is the most important sentence in the book in this reviewer's view. One could add that the use of the tarot may extend to spiritual diagnostics, and bardo navigation and course correction. It may also act as a communication device with unseen guides.
Duquette begins UACTT with a classic invocation of Thoth. With the manifestation of this book, the invocation proves extremely successful.
Rating:
Summary: Awesome
Review: Fantastic work yet again Master Duquette!!!! This book is even great WITHOUT the Toth deck! I love it, so much information its ridiculous. BUY IT! If you have the Toth deck get this book for sure.
Rating:
Summary: Thoth Tarot for those below 5=6 (Adeptus Minor, dummy!)
Review: If the Crowley-Harris Tarot hadn't become so popular with the uninitiated this book by Maestro DuQuette might not have been so necessary--but it did, and so it is! I had the same experience with Crowley's Book of Thoth (his book about this deck) that Lon had when first reading it in 1969 (or attempting to read it)Ugh! Where do I go to learn all this stuff? The Golden Dawn, of course. That's where Crowley learned it. So, if the average Joe/Jane wants to understand, much less use this deck and Crowley's book on it he/she needs to read five or six other books...But not anymore. Lon has condensed, polished and made understandable the esoteric essentials that apply to the Thoth Tarot. He even explains the Star-Emperor switch (whether you like it or not) and he gives us background on Lady Harris' role as the artist that I found fascinating. DuQuette's easy writing style and sparkling humor are both delightful and make the book a joy to read. One thing he does not do is provide a "quickie" divination system (Crowley didn't either) but you'll get that in the little booklet that comes with the deck, so no loss there. All-in-all Lon's book fills a definate need. He opens the Thoth Tarot to those who are drawn to it but don't know a Theoricus from an Enochian.Reviewed by Poke Runyon
Editor - The Seventh Ray
Rating:
Summary: AT LAST !
Review: If you have ever tried understanding the Book OF Thoth and like me became frustrated, this book is for you. This book explains in plain language the meaning behind the sometimes veiled unintelligible writings of Aleister Crowley. Unless you are well versed in the language of the Kabbalah, Geometra. Egyptian magick to the extream this book is a God send. You won't be disappointed. Some Knowledge of Crowleyanity I would say is necessary for full enjoyment. Recommended.
Rating:
Summary: About time
Review: Lon DuQuette has a talent for making things like the writings of Aleister Crowley almost make sense. With "Understanding Aleister Crowley's Thoth Tarot", DuQuette continues his project of demystifying the difficult but critical body of literature left behind by the Beast. The current work includes an introduction to the Rose Cross design that is worth the price of the book in itself. There is also a brief overview of Crowley's life and work. This latter is somewhat superficial, but any biography of Crowley is bound to be incomplete. DuQuette then goes over each card in turn, bringing the lofty metaphysics of the Book of Thoth down to earth. His formula for understanding the small cards is a good example of this. Apply it, and you should be able to memorize and internalize the cards at a much faster rate. This book was written both for people with no interest in Crowley, and for those who wish to understand the Beast better. As such, it has to make a few concessions that it might not have if it had been written exclusively for magicians. Some of the more sexual aspects of Crowley's doctrines are toned down a bit, for example. This is only a deterrent for those who wish to keep Crowley in a box, along with their honorary degrees, suitable for framing. The rest of us will profit immeasurably from DuQuette's hacking through the thicket of Victorian prose to expose the roots and blossoms.
Rating:
Summary: Using the Thoth Tarot Deck
Review: This book would better be entitled "An Accurate and Complete Book on the Thoth Tarot Deck" or "A Method of Spiritual Attainment Using the Thoth Tarot" because this is precisely what Lon DuQuette has done in this offering.
Rarely since either Papus' or Mouni Sadhu's works on tarot have I seen a book that is this much in depth in knowledge and scope as what DuQuette has presented in this book. Also knowing the complexity of the Thelemic system and the resulting madness which is rightfully Aleister Crowley's, the Thoth deck is not something to which many are capable of grasping more than straws.
I have owned a Thoth deck from the first year I got involved in the Occult and that's been 17 years as of this writing and still there is so much offered in the Thoth deck that I find something new about it each time I unwrap my cards and gaze at them! How many other Tarot decks can make this simple claim?
Originally I bought Crowley's accompanying book on the Thoth deck & after my first reading, I was more perplexed than before I started! Thus I did not use the deck for little more than contemplation and as a method to help induce altered states and astral travel experiences. Lon has offered me much more now that I've read his book and have a deeper understanding of the complexities of the Thoth deck and to that I am grateful.
Chapters Zero and One should be read a few times prior to reading the rest of the book so you are prepped for what is to come and why it's coming. Take my advice and do not overlook this step. You'll glean a LOT more from doing this simple thing than reading the rest of the book more than once.
Chapters Two thru Seven are the obligatory history of Uncle Al and why he was who he was. Frankly this material is not necessary in my opinion as there are plenty of other sources Lon could have referenced just as easily instead of adding this filler to the book. But there are some who have this attitude that if you like their book they have to include as much history or ethical platitudes as possible to make it a "complete" work.
Chapter Eight is very helpful if you happen to be into the Rosicrucian oriented framework as it covers the all important Rosy Cross. Now even if you're NOT into this aspect, it helps to further understand the Qabalistic designs of Uncle Al's Thoth deck. Why? Because this aspect of Thelema is patterened after the Golden Dawn's Rose Cross symbol and is central to Thelema as well.
I could go on and on touching on each chapter and would end up spoiling the fun of working thru this manual before you read it. So I won't however I will say you should have your Thoth deck out and at hand as you read thru each subsequent chapter on the various cards. Take your time and read each section carefully then let that information flow thru your mind and let it drift away THEN gaze and contemplate the card in your hand. If you don't gain some sort of insights by the time you're done contemplating the card, then go back and re-read that section on that card. You'll gain SOMETHING worthwhile!
I rate this book five stars for the breadth of the subject matter. The book is complete and tight in its offering. There are some useful insights offered by DuQuette as you work your way thru the book and he even offers some quips and personal anecdotes as well. I recommend this book to those who have a strong desire to master the Thoth deck. This is not to say that by reading this book you'll have mastered the deck itself but rather will gain a useful starting point from which to begin and material to help fill in the gaps of understanding which are most surely to plague you when trying to use this deck for more than mere divination.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic
Review: This is the first book of DuQuette's I have read, and I have to say I am very impressed. (So much so that I've read three more of his books in the months since reading this one). He has a very down-to-earth way of discussing somewhat abstract occult topics. The first 94 pages of the book are dedicated to examining some background topics such as Crowley himself, the Rose Cross, the Tree of Life, the Holy Guardian Angel, etc.
This is the best book on the subject I could ever recommend to a beginner. Of course nothing is better than the Book of Thoth itself, but that's hardly a book for a novice. After reading this book, I almost consider the time I spent with other texts concerning the subject to be a waste. That said, if you are interested in using the Thoth Tarot simply for "fortune telling," this is not the book you want. The focus of this text is on using the tarot for it's primary purpose: a study guide for spiritual growth and understanding.
But as much as I love this book, it seems that there are times when DuQuette withholds some of his knowledge; times when it seems like a symbol or concept should really be discussed, but isn't. In fact, I get that feeling from all of his books. I suppose this may serve to give the reader the incentive to research and learn more on their own.
Rating:
Summary: Another winner from Lon Milo Duquette!
Review: Truly an excellent book. And I must disagree with the earlier reviewer who felt that Crowley had somehow been "dumbed down" or sanitized. Nothing could be further from the truth. Duquette spends a significant amount of space and time (nearly 100 pages) on explaining such things as the Holy Guardian Angel, the new Aeon of Horus, the Tree of Life, the significance of the Book of the Law as it relates to Crowley's tarot, etc. The bulk of the book is filled with detailed descriptions of each card, and their significance in the Tarot as a spiritual journey...rather than dwelling on divinatory meanings. There is a section at the back that gives brief divination meanings for readings, but clearly he (and Crowley too), thought that divination was a side effect produced by the Tarot...useful certainly, but not the main significance. My only complaint really, and it is a very minor complaint, is that Duquette keeps apologizing for having to spend so much time on the background stuff. One apology would have been enough...anyone completely unfamilar with Qabala et al should know what they are getting into, and EXPECT some time spent explaining it. Continually apologizing for it was not necessary. I particulary liked the inclusion of bits of correspondence between Harris and Crowley, while the paintings were still being done. Duquette suggests that Crowley's original Book of Thoth (book) would be required reading alongside this book, and I must agree. It doesn't replace the original, it just makes jumping into it a lot less painful. I wish this book had been available years ago when I first read the Crowley book!
Rating:
Summary: A detailed resource filled from cover to cover with insights
Review: Understanding Aleister Crowley's Thoth Tarot: An Authoritative Examination Of The World's Most Fascinating And Magical Tarot Cards by occult studies expert Lon Milo DuQuette is an impressively informative resource that expertly dissects and analyzes the occult symbolism of the popular Thoth Tarot deck. Each individual card of the major and minor arcana is examined with its potential meanings for carefully analyzing readings appropriately. A detailed resource filled from cover to cover with insights accessible to any dedicated Tarot card reader, whether amateur or professional, Understanding Aleister Crowley's Thoth Tarot is a welcome and seminal contribution to the growing library of Tarot Studies, as well as a highly recommended addition to personal, professional, and academic Metaphysical Studies collections.
Rating:
Summary: Knowledge of the Best Kind
Review: When it comes to the subject of Tarot cards, many people have become jaded, due to the proliferation of
decks like the "Tarot of the Cat People" or the "Baseball Tarot". It is nearly impossible to find any depth
to the divinatory meanings of such decks. Best, by far, to look for the richness of tradition, which is where Aleister Crowley's Thoth Tarot
can be found. Unfortunately, the book Crowley wrote to elucidate the meaning of the cards so brilliantly
painted by Lady Freida Harris - The Book of Thoth - requires a patience and supplemental knowledge
quite a few readers do not possess. That is where Lon Milo DuQuette's latest comes in. He looks at the history of not only Crowley,
but of Harris, the historical situation surrounding the Thoth deck's creation, and the myriad magickal
components inherent to the deck. And he does it in plain English, with touches of his delightful humor,
so the door can be thrown wide open for more Tarot enthusiasts to come to an understanding of what
Tarot is really about, especially the Thoth deck. The extensive research which went into this volume, as well as DuQuette's own considerable
experience on the subject, make this a text to be valued and read time and again - just as DuQuette
himself recommends reading The Book of Thoth on a regular basis. But now, because of DuQuette's
incredible efforts, the latter will be better understood by a broader audience, and the Thoth Tarot more
comprehensively used for spiritually enlightening purposes, as it was meant to be.
|
