Interview new Thoth deck confused

garfield585

After a few day trying to bond with Thoth, I conducted an interview spread and the result confused me. It gives me mix message and feeling and don't make sense. I don't know it's due to the deck or my lack of experience in reading. Please helpppp. To make it short, I will go directly to the points that make me confused.

1. Tell me about your important characteristic: The Hermit. It reminds me of an wise old man like Dumbledore or Gandalf. It's about introversion, silence, wisdom, going deep to oneself.

2. Strength of the deck: Prince of Sword. It's conflict with the deck's characteristic, isn't it? Bcoz I think Prince of Sword is about action, cutting through bonds, having unlimited of new ideas, clear and sharp mind, full of energy like a young man (not an old wise man, duh? How can these 2 opposite traits can appear the same time with each other?)

3. Weakness of the deck: Queen of Disk. I guess its limited is timid, undecided, changeable. those things still don't get along pretty well with the above.

4. What the deck brings to the table or what is the deck trying to teach me: Princess of Cup. This card is about sth gentle, sweet, dreamy and emotional. Nothings to do with the deck characteristic or strength at all.

5. How can I best learn from and collaborate with the deck: the Art.
6. Finally, outcome of our working relationship: 3 of Wands.

Honestly, question 1-4 makes me thinking and got headache enough so that I cannot think or feel anything about question 5 and 6. Should I wait and try getting to know my Thoth deck later?
 

elektrius

i am in love with the thoth deck for 5 years now, and i still feel like theres more room to bond and i love it more every time i use it. it is quite an impressive and deep tarot that took decades to come to completion so i suggest giving it time! a real connection takes time and this deck is definitely worth it. it took me quite some time to feel it when i first got it, but reading the first book about it the author suggested using it every day for a couple of weeks, maybe doing a daily spread, in order to connect to it. study the images, see how they make you feel, think about it in the day and carry it around with you in your bag when out and about. that's the first advice i got and i did it that way and the connection that came from it is still alive and beautiful.
 

elektrius

also, people who are open to doing a ritual might benefit greatly from doing one to connect to this deck as it is built around the beautiful principles of magick. i keep learning so much from this deck, all the time. so deep, so beautiful!
 

elektrius

card 5: art. it depicts the orphic egg on which you can read: visita interiora terrae rectificando invenies occultum lapidem.. which translates to: visit the interior parts of the earth, by rectification thou shalt find the hidden stone...... so the hidden stone is the philosophers stone, highest achievement in alchemy. the ultimate truth. and the image represents a wondrous being that reprsents the lovers from trump VI merged together. opposite aspects merged into one. to best learn from the deck you need to look deep inside and you will find the answers and the guidance. by being open you can transmute the initial resistance and master the art of inner transformation with the help of the thoth. again, i feel like the messages this tarot carries have the power of transforming and awakening, mr. crowley had in mind the highest achievement! once we pay our respect and are humble and patient, the connection comes and we recieve the gift of insight! at least that is how i feel... cheers!
 

garfield585

I just thought Thoth is powerful and more about sth like intuition, perception, innerself..., about big and important issues. I didn't think I can using it for daily life. thank you for your advice, I will try that way to learn and understand more about Thoth.
 

elektrius

as for card 6: outcome of your working relationship... 3 of wands is a very pleasant and harmonious card. its name is: virtue! astrologically it represents the energy of sun in aries, and sun is said to be "exalted" in aries, meaning it is very happy in that sign and is able to express its qualities with no obstacles. also, being card number three in the suit of wands, on the kabalistic tree of life this card belongs to the third sephira, and the name of that sephira is "understanding" ... so, outcome of your future relationship with this deck: virtue through understanding! sounds beautiful and quite promising, i recommend taking the time to connect and researching all the beautiful systems incorporated in this stunning work of art!
 

elektrius

I just thought Thoth is powerful and more about sth like intuition, perception, innerself..., about big and important issues. I didn't think I can using it for daily life. thank you for your advice, I will try that way to learn and understand more about Thoth.


yes you can definitely use it in daily life and through that work on understanding your inner self and through intuitive recognition learn to see the big picture! for example, no matter what kind of spread you do as your daily spread you will see certain cards showing up more often than other ones in a certain period of time. that can be a clue and an invitation to connect and understand the message and energy of that card and what it represents for you, and what it teaches in this period of time.
 

Nemia

Let me have a try with your cards. (Maybe a 6 card spread is information overload? I find the Thoth works very well with short spreads because each card is so rich.)

1. Tell me about your important characteristic: The Hermit.
Inner guidance, wisdom, introspection, acting alone - these are the well known Hermit characteristics. The Thoth Hermit is a very complex figure, taking the humble element Earth (which we'll meet again in the Queen/Disks) in a sublime role.
The card is associated with Virgo, the mutable Earth sign, and the Hermit himself moves - this is not your typical passive, slow Earth sign. The ear of wheat is the reminder of Virgo; it's the star Spica in Virgo in the sky, the ear of grain the virgin is holding, promise of fertility and development (like the little sperm Homunculus).
Very important in tarot: the letter yod, the divine first letter - the Hermit himself looks like a yod. It's the first letter of the divine name, it's the smallest, most compact Hebrew letter and the only one that is present only in the upper part of the line - but it's also the practical hand (yad). Potential, concentrated energy.
The message of this deck is hermetic; with the Hermit, it's connected to the deepest wisdom of the deck. The path from Chesed to Tipheret, what could be more beautiful? The Hermit demands study, patience, flexibility of mind and seeking for truth with hard work, alone, but in a spirit of generosity.

2. Strength of the deck: Prince of Sword.
This deck holds nothing back, and it doesn't sugarcoat anything. If you are easily insulted, get used to the tough truths this deck will tell you, also about yourself. No illusions with this deck.

3. Weakness of the deck: Queen of Disk.
You won't find answers to practical matters. If you're one of the people who ask the tarot which shoes to wear to your next rendez vous - you'll find that other decks are more interested in such matters. This deck is less pragmatic than others.
And the Thoth demands patience. There will be times that you feel like walking in the desert, long dry spells - this is no instant fix. It's a deck for a long time relationship. As opposed to other decks that promise (maybe don't deliver but promise) instant gratification, instant access, instant success etc - the Thoth takes you on a long, tough journey. Finding the well (Water of Earth) will make you all the happier.

4. What the deck brings to the table or what is the deck trying to teach me: Princess of Cup.
Are you prone to illusions, a dreamer, soft and gentle? It's wonderful to be selfless and have dreams, but you'll have to move on from the immature belief that being nice is enough. Where are your weaknesses? A sense of entitlement, naivete, self pity? If yes, this deck may help you to get over the weaknesses of this Princess. And it may teach you a thing or two about the Princess's strengths if necessary.
Interesting that this card, Earth of Water, echoes the Queen/Disks (Water of Earth). I don't know enough about you to put my finger on it but think about it. Two feminine court cards of the passive/feminine elements; one in a position of the deck's weakness, the other in the position of what it is trying to teach you, i.e., your weakness that is being met by the deck.

5. How can I best learn from and collaborate with the deck: the Art.
Alchemy, and the never ending process of change and purification. Associated with Sagittarius, another mutable sign - two Majors with mutable associations hint to the changes the deck can bring you. Take a look at your life from a new perspective, blend and connect sphere you kept separate before, apply lessons from one part of your life to the other, and try to achieve the impossible. Shoot your arrows wide but not wildly.

6. Finally, outcome of our working relationship: 3 of Wands.
The energies of Fire in its most beneficial form. The Threes, Binah, above the abyss, and the process of creation, fertilization like the Hermit - a card that tells you to get moving. The aggressive power of Aries is harnessed here by Binah and it basks in the light and warmth of the Sun. The lotus hints to the gentler side of this most un-gentle sign in the zodiac.

Good, promising cards, I think. You have two Atus - three court cards - your only minor is a noble Three - you have 2 Fire cards (3/Wands and Art), 1 Water card (Princess/Cups), 1 Air (Prince/Swords) and 2 Earth cards (Hermit and Queen/Disks). In a spread of six, no element is missing. There is an emphasis on action and application, and less emphasis on emotion or ratio, but nothing is absent in your potential relationship with this deck.

I find the two mutables especially interesting - expect movement, changes, unexpected insights and a growth in self confidence that allows you to enjoy change. And the question mark of the Water/Earth court cards.
 

garfield585

wow, this is really eye-opener, Nemia. I have to admit that as a Taurus born in May I see part of myself in card like Queen of Disk or Page of Pentacles. If I won't find answer to practical matters with Thoth (of course I never ask questions like what shoes should I wear or should I hang out with friends tonight, those kind of matters I can decide by myself...), then how can I practice and learn Thoth and, further what kind of matter should I seek consult from Thoth?
 

Nemia

April Taurus here ;-)

The question you just asked is a question you can ask the Thoth.

Thoth is great for self reflective questions because it tells truths that nobody else would dare tell you, from my experience. Obviously, this is very personal.

Just go slowly with it. Study it, read books, read Zephyros' posts here on AT... I don't know how much background knowledge you have already. I had my first Thoth reading in 1982 or 83 and bought my deck in the early 1990s. For the first years, I used it with the LWB and an RWS-based book, then I bought Banzhaf's book, later I read Snuffin and Milo DuQuette, started slowly reading the master himself... and reading about alchemy and kabbalah really helped, too. (Astrology and mythology are important too, and I find my art historian's training is a great help). I still feel at the beginning. I think with the Thoth, it's okay to feel that way.

The deck becomes richer the more you study and things connect. Keep looking at the cards, play with them, sort them according to colors, decans, elements, symbols, figures - until the associations build up in your mind.

I de-bordered on of my Thoths once I knew all the information on the border by heart - later I trimmed also my smaller copy. Putting trimmed Fool and Art above each other is amazing; look for the places where projective geometry declares its independence, connects cards and gives echoes. Question come up when you see this net evolving.

The last Thoth reading I did was for a friend's friend - very fundamental questions about directions in her life. The Thoth was amazingly precise and honest.

Ask what you want to know or have to know or don't want to know.