Best Books/Techniques to Better Understand the Thoth?

I have been using the Thoth for about two years now and although my understanding of the cards has grown I am still at a loss for some of its symbolisms and interpretations.

That being said, the Thoth has always called to me and I feel a deep connection to it.

Are there any correspondent books or literature that you would recommend that I might be able to procure and would allow me to gain further knowledge on this deck?

Any suggestions are appreciated.

Hi HangedMan,

I'm no expert, but the main recommendations for the Thoth usually include Crowley's Book of Thoth, as well as the Thoth-related books by Lon Milo Duquette (e.g. the Chicken Quabalah, and his take on Crowley's book).

But I'm sure the pros will be here soon to offer their faves!

(You could also try having a nose around the Thoth Special Interest area here. It's mind-boggling, in an awesome way )

I would suggest starting with DuQuette's "Understanding the Thoth Tarot". It's an ideal introduction IMO and explains the system and logic behind the Thoth deck, and how it is different that other decks and why. It's also an enjoyable read, and demystifies a lot of the heavier magical content in the Thoth. Snuffin's book is quite good for interpreting the symbols in readings, and I find Banzaf's books really useful for readings also. These would set you up well and you could then get into Crowley's own book which is very useful, but a bit dense to begin with.

Liber 777 by Crowley is extremely helpful to understand many of the symbols put into the imagery. He mentions what the symbols are when analyzing cards in the Book of Thoth, but often doesn't go into much detail about what they mean on their own. Liber 777 is a distillation of symbols and correspondences, including Tarot symbols, and would make anyone interested in correspondences foam at the mouth with list after list of patterns and links.

Aeric said:

Liber 777 by Crowley is extremely helpful to understand many of the symbols put into the imagery. He mentions what the symbols are when analyzing cards in the Book of Thoth, but often doesn't go into much detail about what they mean on their own. Liber 777 is a distillation of symbols and correspondences, including Tarot symbols, and would make anyone interested in correspondences foam at the mouth with list after list of patterns and links.

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Well, yes and no. 777 may, indeed, have everything, but if you don't have a context it can be like trying to learn a foreign language simply by reading a dictionary. Sure, you'll get something out of it if you try hard enough, but there are more efficient uses of one's time than that.

Still, since it and the Book of Thoth are available for free download, it is a very useful volume to have in any case. The DuQuette book mentioned is the only one the aspiring student should actually buy at first, if only because much or most of the information can be found for free.

I actually have already invested in Snuffin's book, "The Thoth Companion."

I have a small understanding of Qabalistic teachings and The Golden Dawn systems of magic, but it all is very complex and The Thoth Companion only skims the surface.

I will look into The Book of Thoth and Liber 777. I've been meaning to invest in the complete works of Crowley, but funds have been tight. I'm glad to know that these two pieces of literature are available for free. I will be sure to find them and continue my research as soon as possible.

Any other recommendations are appreciated and welcomed!

TheHangedMan said:

......Any other recommendations are appreciated and welcomed!

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Liber Θ: Tarot Symbolism and Divination, a College of Thelema publication, is free (and excellent). The non free DuQuette books: Chicken Qabalah and Understanding the Thoth Tarot are really good too.

Wow. Just discovered this thread and wanted to thank everybody for all the advice and the book suggestions. Personally, I didn't know Snuffin's book, but already have (and have skimmed) DuQuette's books and the Book of Thoth. One has to be thankful for the wealth of free information available.

Curiously enough, I have found this deck really easy to read (and really accurate) using intuition and a basic knowledge of Tarot and symbols. It will be fun to delve deeper.

An other good read is Crowley’s correspondence with Frieda Harris

http://hermetic.com/crowley/crowley-harris.html

"The Crowley Tarot: The Handbook to the Cards" by Akron & Hajo Banzhof is an excellent book.

It gives about 4 pages to each of the Major Arcana and 1 page to each of the Minors. The interpretations for each card are broken down into subjects such as Consciousness, Energy, Profession, and Relationships. That takes a lot of the guesswork out of things.

"The Book of Thoth" is intriguing but the interpretations Crowley provides are not very helpful. On the other hand, his explanation of the Qabalistic component of Tarot is excellent for moving past dictionary-style definitions.

I'd say start with the Akron & Banzhof handbook. Use it for about a year. Then pick up "Book of Thoth" and fade out the handbook. Once you've got the Qabalistic interpretations down, work in the astrological components. This will take a few years.