New Deck with no book?

failelynn

So I got this thoth deck, not a clue which one it is because it has no box and no book. ( does it matter which color/version I have or do they all mean the same thing?)I never got the hang of reading tarot but really want to learn. Tried reading book of Thoth online, but fell asleep :( I have glanced thru this forum for bits of answers but wanted to know what the easiest way for a complete beginniner, like myself, to learn the deck and the meanings. Appreciate any help I can get.
 

Babylon_Jasmine

Many of the book of thoth cards are self explanatory, they say on them what they mean. Although the names are not always exactly the meaning of the card. The Book of Thoth that Crowley wrote is really the best resource on that particular deck, if you are having trouble getting it ask, but Crowley did design the deck and is certainly the best authority on it.
 

room

It means an extra purchase, but I would recommend getting this book:

Understanding Aleister Crowley's Thoth Tarot: An Authoritative Examination of the World's Most Fascinating and Magical Tarot Cards by Lon Milo Duquette
Paperback: 330 pages
Publisher: Red Wheel/Conari Press (Oct 15 2003)
ISBN: 1578632765


Great book for a great deck. The book is $16.47 on amazon.com.

Crowley's writing is a tad obscure unless you're really into it. Duquette manages to give you the meat without having to wade through Crowley's unintelligible mysticism.
 

failelynn

So does it matte which deck I have. I think it is a gray deck, might be green cant really tell. The back has the cross design with all the pretty colors, but no white border.
 

room

I don't think it matters--they are all the same images, just different print runs by different publishers (i.e. the dreaded green version that people refer to.)

My version has 3 Magus cards--do you have 1 or 3 in your deck?
 

Abrac

failelynn said:
So does it matte which deck I have. I think it is a gray deck, might be green cant really tell. The back has the cross design with all the pretty colors, but no white border.
Hi failelynn-

The bad news is, without a box or booklet it will probably be impossible to say for sure who the publisher is, or what version it is exactly. The good news is, it doesn't really matter as far as meanings go. There are many different versions with different card stock and color variations, but as room said, the images are the same and the cards mean the same. I have noticed though that at times I get different "feelings" from different decks depending on coloring. Subtle differences in the coloring can create a mood, or tone that influences the way I look at, and interpret, the card.

If your deck has no white border around the backs then it is a greenie. Some of the greenies are actually a grayish green and can easily be mistaken for gray. But if you put it up next to something that is a pure gray, you will see the green jump out at you.

Not all greenies are that bad, in my opinion. I have one with grayish green borders and the images and colors are very good. But I used to have one with green borders that looked like celery and the images and coloring were awful.

The dark green greenies are in my opinion the very best, bar none. Even compared with the newer editions with gray borders (which are very nice), I like the dark greenie best.
 

Abrac

failelynn said:
I have glanced thru this forum for bits of answers but wanted to know what the easiest way for a complete beginniner, like myself, to learn the deck and the meanings. Appreciate any help I can get.
If you want my opinion on the easiest way to learn the deck, I would only say don't be in a hurry. The Thoth can be pretty complicated if you don't have a lot of the backgound material. Look at it as a lifelong project. This forum is probably as good a place to start as any. :) If you Google "Crowley Tarot" or something to that effect, you might also find some interesting Web sites. Any way you go you can expect to do lots of reading.
 

failelynn

yea i do believe this is a gray-green kinda border and i really think it looks cool. almost like a nuetral tone. :)i just wasnt sure if it mattered.

i only have one magnus i believe.

i have been searching for as many good online resources since i really dont have the time or money to check out a bookstore or anything.
 

Fulgour

Lon puts it right on the Line

room said:
Great book for a great deck.
Understanding Aleister Crowley's Thoth Tarot
Lon Milo Duquette
Paperback 352 Pages
Red Wheel/Weiser, November 2003
ISBN 1578632765

Click on to Compare Prices
 

Fulgour

Gypsy Origins

failelynn said:
i have been searching for as many good online resources since i really dont have the time or money to check out a bookstore or anything.
In the Middle Ages, these cards were much used for fortune telling,
especially by gypsies, so that it was customary to speak of the
"Tarot of the Bohemians", or "Egyptians".
:) Aliester Crowley BoT

Book of Thoth
http://altreligion.about.com/library/texts/bl_thoth.htm

follow along online by clicking on "Next>"

PART ONE
THE THEORY OF THE TAROT
http://altreligion.about.com/library/texts/bl_thoth4.htm