Book of Thoth Study Group #1: Bibliographical Note

Zephyros

Book of Thoth Study Group #1: Bibliographical Note

Bibliographical Note

Weiser edition page: xi

On 18th November, 1898 e.v., Aleister Crowley was initiated into the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn; he took the motto “Perdurabo’ ‘---“I shall endure to the end”

To trace his progress in the Order will assist the reader to follow his work.
He attained the grade of Adeptus Minor 5º=6º (Era: R.R. et A.C.) in January, 1900 e.v.
That of Adeptus Major 6º = 5º, taking the motto “OL SONUF VAORESAJI”, in April, 1904 e.v.
That of Adeptus Exemptus 7º = 4º, taking the motto OY MH, in 1909 e.v. (Fra: A.: A.)
That of Magister Templi 8º = 3º on 3rd December, 1910 e.v. accepting the motto previously (Oct., 1906 e.v.) bestowed upon him, Vi Veri Vniversum Vivus Vici. See Liber 418pp. 73-76 et al.
That of Magus 9º = 2º taking the motto TO ΜΕΓΑ ΘΗΡΙΟΝ (ןוירת) on October 12, 1915 e.v.
In February of the year following, he attained the grade of Practicus, and was accordingly entrusted with the secret attributions of the Tarot, especially those of the Atu. (See pp.5-10).

He worked daily on these MSS., for the most part under the personal instruction of G.H. Frater 7º = 4º, D.D.C.F. (S. Liddell Mathers) and V.H. Fratres 5º = 6º Iehi Aour (Allan Bennett, later Sayadaw Ananda Metteya) and Volo Noscere (George Cecil Jones) as host or guest of one of these Adepts.

He continued these studies alone during his first Voyage around the earth in search Of the Hidden Wisdom.

On 8th, 9th and 10th April, 1904 e.v., he received the Book of the Law. Chosen by the Masters to carry out Their sublime plan, he began to prepare the way for the establishment of the New Aeon, as They instructed him. (See The Equinox of the Gods for a very full and detailed account of this, the most important event in his career). He accordingly published the previously secret attributions of the Tarot in the Book 777

vel
Prolegomena symbolica ad systemam Sceptico-mysticae viae explicandae,
fundamentum hieroglyphicum sanctissimorum scientiae summae.

Following the tradition of Eliphaz Levi, much of his magical writing is modelled on, or adorned by references to, the Tarot. Notable in this connexion are:
• Ambrosii Magi Hortus Rosarum (The Sword of Song, 1904 e.v.).
• The Wake-World (Konx Om Pax, 1907 e.v.).
• Liber XXX Aerum vel Saeculi sub figura CCCCXVIII: being of the Angels of the 30 Aethyrs the Vision and the Voice (1911 e.v.).
• The Book of Lies (1913 e.v.).
• Magick in Theory and Practice (Book 4, Part III) 1929 e.v.
He published a full account of the Tarot, according to the MSS. of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn in The Equinox, Vol.1, Nos. 7 and 8 (1912 e.v.).

During all this time the Tarot was his daily companion, guide, and object of research. He succeeded in uniting under the Schema of the Holy Qabalah, of which the Tarot is the greatest single element, all philosophical and magical systems soever, including that of the Chinese. This, and his “Naples Arrangement” are with little doubt his greatest achievements in scholarship.

For many years he had deplored the absence of any authentic Text of the Tarot. The mediaeval packs are hopelessly corrupt, compiled by partisans of existing political systems, or otherwise far from presenting the Ancient Truth of the Book in a coherent system, or a shape of lucid beauty.

It had from the beginning of his study been his fervent wish to construct a worthy Text. Eliphaz Levi had himself wished to execute a similar task, but succeeded only in leaving us two of the Atu, “The Chariot” and “The Devil”. Many others have attempted the work, but without even the knowledge of the true Attributions. Their attempts have been gross, senseless, pitifully grotesque.

But the Masters who had watched, guided, and chastised the author of this present volume, had in store the reward of his labours. They introduced to him a skilled artist, Frieda Harris, who, though she had little or no previous knowledge of the Tarot, possessed in her own right the Essential Spirit of the book.

Together they bent their energies to the formidable task of preparing the 78 cards of the Book of Thoth.

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. But she found technical difficulties, such as introducing “10 rayed Angelic hands” all over the place, producing a grotesque effect; and she also observed that his teaching, in the course of his explanations went far higher and deeper than any-thing in any accessible models. She accordingly forced him---the laziest man in three continents!---to undertake what is to all intent an original work, including the latest discoveries in modern science, mathematics, philosophy, and anthropology; in a word, to reproduce the whole of his Magical Mind pictorially on the skeleton of the ancient Qabalistic tradition. He accepted this colossal burden; it renewed his energy and his enthusiasm.

Yet the burden was sore: the anticipated three months’ work extended to five years. Her success as his interpreter surpasses belief. She had to work from his very rough sketches, often from mere descriptions, or from reading between the lines of the old packs. She devoted her genius to the Work. With incredible rapidity she picked up the rhythm, and with inexhaustible patience submitted to the corrections of the fanatical slave-driver that she had invoked, often painting the same card as many as eight times until it measured up to his Vanadium Steel yardstick!

May the passionate “love under will” which she has stored in this Treasury of Truth and Beauty flow forth from the Splendour and Strength of her work to enlighten the world; may this Tarot serve as a chart for the bold seamen of the New Aeon, to guide them across the Great Sea of Understanding to the City of the Pyramids!

The accompanying booklet was dashed off by Aleister Crowley, without help from parents. Its perusal may be omitted with advantage.

S. H. Soror I.W.E. 8º = 3º A.’. A.’.

Next:
The Theory of the Tarot: Part One: The Contents of the Tarot
Weiser edition page: 3
 

Zephyros

Since this is our first endeavor, and it's short, I quoted the section in full.

In most books this section is dull and skipped over but like with anything about this book, here it's special. More of a biographical note than a bibliographical one. Usually a bibliography would cite the works the writer based themselves on, but here Crowley cites his own works. This would seem to make sense, as he based everything on his own magickal knowledge and experience. Still amusing, though.

What I find especially interesting is that the person who's signed as the author of this introduction. S. H. Soror I.W.E., a.k.a. Martha Kuntzel, clearly didn't write this. When I was looking for information on her just now, I couldn't find much, but I did find something by Jim Eshelman who states, and I agree with him, that firstly Kuntzel's native language wasn't English and the passage was clearly written by someone who was a native speaker. Secondly, the disparagement about Crowley himself, elevating Harris while ending with a remark that the book had little worth, could only have been written by him alone. I couldn't imagine a close disciple of him writing that. In any case, the general tone of the passage is very Crowley, and leaves almost no doubt as to its authorship. So why the subterfuge?

And who is Martha Kuntzel anyway? Why was she chosen to be signed, and why didn't she actually write this introduction?
 

Babalon Jones

I too have always thought he wrote it himself, but more interesting is why or if and how he had an agreement with her to put her name to it. A great question!
 

Michael Sternbach

The Book of Thoth said:
On 18th November, 1898 e.v., Aleister Crowley was initiated into the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn; he took the motto “Perdurabo’ ‘---“I shall endure to the end”

To trace his progress in the Order will assist the reader to follow his work.
He attained the grade of Adeptus Minor 5º=6º (Era: R.R. et A.C.) in January, 1900 e.v.
That of Adeptus Major 6º = 5º, taking the motto “OL SONUF VAORESAJI”, in April, 1904 e.v.
That of Adeptus Exemptus 7º = 4º, taking the motto OY MH, in 1909 e.v. (Fra: A.: A.)
That of Magister Templi 8º = 3º on 3rd December, 1910 e.v. accepting the motto previously (Oct., 1906 e.v.) bestowed upon him, Vi Veri Vniversum Vivus Vici. See Liber 418pp. 73-76 et al.
That of Magus 9º = 2º taking the motto TO ΜΕΓΑ ΘΗΡΙΟΝ (ןוירת) on October 12, 1915 e.v.
In February of the year following, he attained the grade of Practicus, and was accordingly entrusted with the secret attributions of the Tarot, especially those of the Atu. (See pp.5-10).

He worked daily on these MSS., for the most part under the personal instruction of G.H. Frater 7º = 4º, D.D.C.F. (S. Liddell Mathers) and V.H. Fratres 5º = 6º Iehi Aour (Allan Bennett, later Sayadaw Ananda Metteya) and Volo Noscere (George Cecil Jones) as host or guest of one of these Adepts.

Interesting to imagine how AC was intensely studying these MSS. under the guidance of these Adepts.

He continued these studies alone during his first Voyage around the earth in search Of the Hidden Wisdom.

Even more interesting to imagine how he travelled around the world searching for the Hidden Wisdom while carrying it in his backpack!

On 8th, 9th and 10th April, 1904 e.v., he received the Book of the Law. Chosen by the Masters to carry out Their sublime plan, he began to prepare the way for the establishment of the New Aeon, as They instructed him. (See The Equinox of the Gods for a very full and detailed account of this, the most important event in his career). He accordingly published the previously secret attributions of the Tarot in the Book 777

vel
Prolegomena symbolica ad systemam Sceptico-mysticae viae explicandae,
fundamentum hieroglyphicum sanctissimorum scientiae summae.

Of course the reception of the BoL was the most important event in his career - it was the foundation stone for the creation of his own order Thelema. ;)

For the record: AC became an Adeptus Major 6º = 5º in the Golden Dawn the very same month that he received the BoL.

Following the tradition of Eliphaz Levi, much of his magical writing is modelled on, or adorned by references to, the Tarot. Notable in this connexion are:
• Ambrosii Magi Hortus Rosarum (The Sword of Song, 1904 e.v.).
• The Wake-World (Konx Om Pax, 1907 e.v.).
• Liber XXX Aerum vel Saeculi sub figura CCCCXVIII: being of the Angels of the 30 Aethyrs the Vision and the Voice (1911 e.v.).
• The Book of Lies (1913 e.v.).
• Magick in Theory and Practice (Book 4, Part III) 1929 e.v.

It would be interesting to document the connection of all these texts to Tarot. It is probably best known in the case of The Book of Lies.

He published a full account of the Tarot, according to the MSS. of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn in The Equinox, Vol.1, Nos. 7 and 8 (1912 e.v.).

Including the order's Book T which he published in full in The Equinox, Vol. 1, No. 8 under the title: A Description of the Cards of the Tarot; Including a Method of Divination by their Use.

See:

http://the-equinox.org/vol1/no8/eqi08016.html

I believe that Crowley's publication of hitherto secret order materials in The Equinox provoked some of his outraged GD fellows them to spread rumours that permanently damaged his reputation.

The Book T is worth studying not least for the divinatory meanings of the Minor Arcana, not directly covered in the BoT (which I found to be an omission when I first studied it nearly 30 years ago). Whereas the divinatory meanings of the Major Arcana in that book can be said to be an extension of their meanings in Book T, including some Crowley poetry.

During all this time the Tarot was his daily companion, guide, and object of research. He succeeded in uniting under the Schema of the Holy Qabalah, of which the Tarot is the greatest single element, all philosophical and magical systems soever, including that of the Chinese.

Crowley's schemes are interesting although sometimes debatable. We will surely have the opportunity to talk about them later.

This, and his “Naples Arrangement” are with little doubt his greatest achievements in scholarship.

Well, if he says so. (I also think that this intro was written by AC himself.)

For many years he had deplored the absence of any authentic Text of the Tarot. The mediaeval packs are hopelessly corrupt, compiled by partisans of existing political systems, or otherwise far from presenting the Ancient Truth of the Book in a coherent system, or a shape of lucid beauty.

Now, now... The aficionados of the ancient decks or the RWS won't like to hear this. But AC couldn't have cared less, of course.

It had from the beginning of his study been his fervent wish to construct a worthy Text. Eliphaz Levi had himself wished to execute a similar task, but succeeded only in leaving us two of the Atu, “The Chariot” and “The Devil”.

This hint made me trace Levi's designs many years ago. Too bad really that he hasn't left us more conceptions of the Atu.

Many others have attempted the work, but without even the knowledge of the true Attributions. Their attempts have been gross, senseless, pitifully grotesque.

Alright, AC. Take it easy.

Personally, I don't think that even Levy knew the "true" attributions in the sense of the Golden Dawn. The variations of the French system are well founded in their own right, imo.

Anyway, again, Crowley hints at a topic to be elaborated later in the book.

But the Masters who had watched, guided, and chastised the author of this present volume, had in store the reward of his labours. They introduced to him a skilled artist, Frieda Harris, who, though she had little or no previous knowledge of the Tarot, possessed in her own right the Essential Spirit of the book.

A great compliment from the Maestro. Not least, Harris was a student of Projective Geometry which is also a topic implicit in The Book of the Law.

Together they bent their energies to the formidable task of preparing the 78 cards of the Book of Thoth.

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. But she found technical difficulties, such as introducing “10 rayed Angelic hands” all over the place, producing a grotesque effect; and she also observed that his teaching, in the course of his explanations went far higher and deeper than any-thing in any accessible models. She accordingly forced him---the laziest man in three continents!---to undertake what is to all intent an original work, including the latest discoveries in modern science, mathematics, philosophy, and anthropology; in a word, to reproduce the whole of his Magical Mind pictorially on the skeleton of the ancient Qabalistic tradition.

Thus the Thoth deck can be regarded as a true handbook of occult knowledge. For me, it opened the gate to so many esoteric strands.

He accepted this colossal burden; it renewed his energy and his enthusiasm.

Well done, Frieda, giving AC a kick in the backside! :D

Yet the burden was sore: the anticipated three months’ work extended to five years. Her success as his interpreter surpasses belief. She had to work from his very rough sketches, often from mere descriptions, or from reading between the lines of the old packs. She devoted her genius to the Work. With incredible rapidity she picked up the rhythm, and with inexhaustible patience submitted to the corrections of the fanatical slave-driver that she had invoked, often painting the same card as many as eight times until it measured up to his Vanadium Steel yardstick!

Banzhaf thought of that as a great exaggeration, emphasizing that we know various versions only of The Magus. However, meanwhile some more alternative versions by Harris have shown up on the Internet, so I think AC's statement here may well be factually correct.

May the passionate “love under will” which she has stored in this Treasury of Truth and Beauty flow forth from the Splendour and Strength of her work to enlighten the world; may this Tarot serve as a chart for the bold seamen of the New Aeon, to guide them across the Great Sea of Understanding to the City of the Pyramids!

Crowley poetry at its best!

The accompanying booklet was dashed off by Aleister Crowley, without help from parents. Its perusal may be omitted with advantage.

:bugeyed: The accompanying booklet is none other than the BoT itself - which Crowley wanted to accompany every sold deck! Surely every true Thothie will see this quote as a total understatement. Yet there is a grain of truth in it, imo. The BoT, despite all its greatness, does have imperfections and incompletenesses that we will get to in due time.

S. H. Soror I.W.E. 8º = 3º A.’. A.’.
 

Richard

Book of Thoth said:
For many years he had deplored the absence of any authentic Text of the Tarot. The mediaeval packs are hopelessly corrupt, compiled by partisans of existing political systems, or otherwise far from presenting the Ancient Truth of the Book in a coherent system, or a shape of lucid beauty.

.......Now, now... The aficionados of the ancient decks or the RWS won't like to hear this. But AC couldn't have cared less, of course.......

It doesn't bother me in the least.

The interesting thing is his belief in an "authentic text of the Tarot," since "the medieval packs are hopelessly corrupt."

He obviously thought that the existing decks derived from an "authentic" Tarot tradition. Thus the existing decks must somehow reflect their authentic origin, whatever that is. This I find extremely interesting.
 

Michael Sternbach

It doesn't bother me in the least.

The interesting thing is his belief in an "authentic text of the Tarot," since "the medieval packs are hopelessly corrupt."

He obviously thought that the existing decks derived from an "authentic" Tarot tradition. Thus the existing decks must somehow reflect their authentic origin, whatever that is. This I find extremely interesting.

Me too.

It ties in with the belief of the Golden Dawn (and other Hermetic organizations and individual thinkers, including Newton and Bruno, and later, Waite) that there once existed an all encompassing system of knowledge of which only fragments have come down to us in the various strands of occultism.

It seems like Crowley attempted to resurrect that original Tarot in his deck.

Waite may well have called his own deck "corrected" with a similar thought in mind.
 

Samweiss

The Book T is worth studying not least for the divinatory meanings of the Minor Arcana, not directly covered in the BoT (which I found to be an omission when I first studied it nearly 30 years ago). Whereas the divinatory meanings of the Major Arcana in that book can be said to be an extension of their meanings in Book T, including some Crowley poetry.

I agree about studying Book T. Sure, Crowley doesn't tell you the divinatory meanings, but I still think that BoT is probably one of the best books about minor arcana. Crowley gives you some nice explanations in which to sink your teeth into, whereas most of his contemporaries just give you the meanings and that's it. (For example, Paul Foster Case in his otherwise excellent The Tarot: A Key to the Wisdom of the Ages)
 

Barleywine

I never had the slightest doubt that the Introduction was written by Crowley. The tone could only be his. Why the subterfuge? Perhaps a tongue-in-cheek nod to the the literary convention of having laudatory remarks contributed by other persons of note (but . . . Martha Kuntzle? Could that have been part of the joke?) The BoT is a towering achievement, even with its flaws (a paucity of useful scholarly footnotes, for one), not the least because Crowley clearly didn't give a damn whether the general reader's mind was elastic enough to synthesize everything he threw into the "stew;" he hints at far more more than he explains, which is a large part of the challenge and the charm.

I've often pondered that "accompanying booklet" quip. It was well before the time an LWB was packed in with published decks, so he must have meant the BoT. It took me a while to realize that the "authentic Text of the Tarot" referred to the 78 images themselves, not the written commentary. Thus, the dismissive remark about "parental oversight," and the notion that the commentary was an afterthought. I can't think of many works less "dashed off" than the BoT, except perhaps in comparison to some of AC's other writing.
 

Michael Sternbach

I never had the slightest doubt that the Introduction was written by Crowley. The tone could only be his.

Yes, the tone is unmistakable.

Why the subterfuge? Perhaps a tongue-in-cheek nod to the the literary convention of having laudatory remarks contributed by other persons of note (but . . . Martha Kuntzle? Could that have been part of the joke?) The BoT is a towering achievement, even with its flaws (a paucity of useful scholarly footnotes, for one), not the least because Crowley clearly didn't give a damn whether the general reader's mind was elastic enough to synthesize everything he threw into the "stew;" he hints at far more more than he explains, which is a large part of the challenge and the charm.

I've often pondered that "accompanying booklet" quip. It was well before the time an LWB was packed in with published decks, so he must have meant the BoT.

This also confused me for a while when I was a newbie. It is worth recalling here that Crowley insisted on each copy of the deck being accompanied by a copy of the BoT.

It took me a while to realize that the "authentic Text of the Tarot" referred to the 78 images themselves, not the written commentary. Thus, the dismissive remark about "parental oversight," and the notion that the commentary was an afterthought.

I am still not quite sure who AC is referring to by those "parents". The GD instructors he was studying under, decades before? Or even Aiwass, the "father" of his system Thelema, that the cards are illustrating? Probably the former, although he had digressed from them in some ways.

I can't think of many works less "dashed off" than the BoT, except perhaps in comparison to some of AC's other writing.

:laugh: Yes, and it became such a classic nonetheless! Or perhaps because of its improvised character?!