Was Crowley a good tarot reader?

I'm wondering because his method of reading (outlined in Duquette's book) is so cumbersome.

Also, I was reading John st. John (one of AC's diaries) and on day two or therebouts of the retreat he decides to do a tarot reading. He does "three operations" and decides that the first two are irrelevant but he'll wait to see if the third one comes true.

One of the first things I learned here at Aeclectic is that the cards you get are the reading. You have to figure out what those cards are trying to tell you, not just keep pulling cards untill you get a reading more like what you were expecting.

Crowley was a very very intelligent person and sometimes people who are the most intelligent aren't the most intuitive. The systems and logic get in the way.

How much does understanding Crowley's qabalistic system help you to *read* with the cards? People keep recommending Duquette's book that helps you figure all that out (and it is fascinating) but I wonder how helpful for actually reading the cards.

--Myrrha

Well, in my humble opinion, ever since I got the Thoth Deck, my understanding and appreciation of the Tarot has increased more than a 100%, and through Crowley's qabalistic system, my reading abilities have been enhanced. But then again, this is just my experience, to each their own.

Love and Blessings



Edited to add: No I don't follow the divinatory system given in the Book of Thoth, and neither do I follow the card meanings (I read intuitively with Thoth, crazy huh? But works for me). However, I feel these cards came to me as a blessing

Was Crowley a good reader?

I don't know!!!!
He never read for me.

I wish he had.
Wouldn't that be cool?
To have had a reading off Crowley.

Mind you, he wouldn't have used his deck.

What would he have used?
Anyone know what Crowleys personal deck was?
A Marseilles?
The one he drew in the GD? (if he did that)

I have a thoth deck, but I don't follow the divinatory system given in the Book of Thoth.
The deck it self was one that found me, and has been a good and accurate deck.

But as for crowley, he perverted many of the right and old ways.
He once stated that “I am an enemy to god, and am here to destroy his truth. As I have done over many life times"

even when he was in the golden dawn, he was not favored, for perverting and changing so much

That's a bit harsh.

And, to be honest, I disagree.

Apart from the thing about that spread.
I wouldn't use it if it was plated with gold.

Actually the method of reading you are describing is not an invention of Crowley's at all, but is the Golden Dawn system, and can be found in Book T. It is a complicated spread, I don't like it or use it, but it is designed to be able to say "no answer for you, try again" and so dismissing one or all of the operations is a feature of the spread, and is built into it. It has nothing to do with the reader. All this actually has nothing at all to do with Crowley except that he studied the Golden Dawn system of Tarot and reading using tarot.

Given that he is the self proclaimed prophet of a new aeon, and the GD system being based in the old one, it is no insult to Crowley to suggest he changed too much. Though to intimate he made sweeping changes to the GD is false. He made changes based on the GD, after its demise (though perhaps it could be said one of the changes he made, was the demise of the GD )

Having studied Crowley's life for awhile now, I get the distinct impression that he was plagued much of the time (whether he would admit it or not) by his own personal demons. When you read about some of his magickal experiments that involved - for lack of a better word- channeling, you get the feeling that he was ofentimes not quite sure if the entities he was communicating with were pulling his leg or not. I don't know if this was because of the befuddled state he and his mediums were in most of the time or something else. All of the drugs he did wouldn't be very conducive to clear thinking seems to me.

lonewolf said:

I have a thoth deck, but I don't follow the divinatory system given in the Book of Thoth.
The deck it self was one that found me, and has been a good and accurate deck.

But as for crowley, he perverted many of the right and old ways.
He once stated that “I am an enemy to god, and am here to destroy his truth. As I have done over many life times"

even when he was in the golden dawn, he was not favored, for perverting and changing so much

Click to expand...

Interesting that the deck is 'good' for you yet your opinion of its maker seems devilish and perverting.....? What is the source of your quote?

Abrac said:

When you read about some of his magickal experiments that involved - for lack of a better word- channeling, you get the feeling that he was ofentimes not quite sure if the entities he was communicating with were pulling his leg or not. I don't know if this was because of the defuddled state he and his mediums were in most of the time or something else.

Click to expand...

AS opposed to a lot of channers now days that are ABSOLUTLY SURE of the source of their spiritual channelling (even though it reads like a load of ....)

Dont be surprised that 'entities' often have an extremly ironic sense of humour!

There is no doubt in my mind that most of the modern-day channelers are outright frauds. I do believe that Crowley was at least sincere.