Aleister Crowley (Thoth deck)

Crowley was a typical Modern - that is, a rebel Victorian, with all that entailed. Remember his deck was made in 1940 in Britain, during the war (and when Britain Stood Alone Against the Nazis), that Crowley was already 65 by then, and his heart was in contestation: he sought the end of Victorian social & intellectual stuffiness, he wanted to usher in the new "Aeon". He is a man of his times - and a very bright, if eccentric one.

So imagine Crowley, aged 38. It's 1913. The cusp of modernity, and a year before the Great War. He is a bright man, slightly eccentric, upper-class. He looks down on colonials and up to Ancients - Egyptians, Greeks, Hindoos (I use 1913 spelling). Just as Einstein in science and Proust in literature, he is formulating all sorts of theories, breaking down walls, some of them sexual. As a very young man he was a member of the Golden Dawn, but branched out, and took his distances from the old profs, Mathers & co. Simply because he was young, egotistical and bold. And why not?

Why are you trying to apply 2005 criteria to him?

Ummm.
I always assummed that cats died from their first fatality.

No, I havn't tried it.
But we have got a plan involving the cat from across the road and a catapault.
Not the cross bow, we don't want it to be fatal, as I really do believe it only has the one life. (As do the birds it slaughters in our garden)

Lillie said:

But we have got a plan involving the cat from across the road and a catapault.

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Are you going to pult the cat? Against the dog across the road?

We have imagined doing various things to this cat, it hunts in our garden.
Sometime I think we are feeding the birds for it's benefit.

But really we don't want to hurt it.

The idea is to make mud balls, and dry them out.
Then, we fire them near the cat to scare it away, and if it does get hit by accident it should only give it a discouraging sting, rather than actual damage.

But now you have me thinking...

A great big trebuchet, tempt the cat in with a few birds, pull the lever and it flys!

Back on topic...

If Crowley did torture and kill a cat as a child, then that's nasty.
I don't think it was sacrificed. More killed in a desire for scientific enquiry. (if you take him at his word)
Which does not make it better (makes it worse actually), as that kind of 'faliure of empathy' in a child is very horrible, and a bad sign for the future.

However, I doubt that he did what he said. I was just very unconvinced by the story.

But, to put things into perspective.
If it had been a sacrifice, and if he did sacrifice animals as an adult, this is not unusual.
Animals are sacrificd all the time, particularly in voodoo and related religions/practices.

Helvetica said:

Why are you trying to apply 2005 criteria to him?

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If you mean moi, I'm not. I would just rather take the deck and the man separately. The deck stands well alone, and I like to look at the cards, not think about who made them and where he was coming from - if you see what I mean. I find the MAN fascinating too. And I don't care if he was a Satanist, atheist, or the devil himself, he is still really interesting to read and to read about.

Quite often people's writings are surprisingly far from how they behave anyway - Hitler wrote some interesting stuff, indeed - I read it in my teens - not Mein Kampf, I forget what it was now.... but it was nothing like how he turned out as dictator.

One thing is for sure, I have yet to find a tarot reader who can honestly profess indifference to this deck. Readers either love it or hate it.

Thoth was my first ever deck and as I knew nothing about it beyond how much I loved handling it, and looking at it, and reading with it, I have never found it anything less than truthful, profound and empowering. I was amazed the first time I met somebody who confessed they were 'nervous' about it and thought it was too complicated to get to grips with. Even as a clueless beginner, this deck has always availed me of its considered wisdom.

If anyone is considering having a look at this deck, PLEASE do not be put off by the anti-Thoth bigots out there. It may not be for everyone, but it is worth finding out for yourself. You never know, you may make an exciting discovery! I have many other decks which I take great pleasure in using, but I have to say that they pale in comparison to Thoth.

In a nutshell, it is an incredible deck

Fury x

Sulis said:

Take a look at the Lust (11) card http://www.bluecatsden.com/t11lust.html
and The Devil (15) http://www.bluecatsden.com/t15devil.html

Love Sulis xx

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Ok, I can see how the Lust card is sexual. I didn't see lust in the Devil card though.

Has anybody ever noticed that the Lust card looks like a scene in the movie 9th Gate where the naked woman is riding the beast? That scene where Johnny Depp is at the buring tower.........wait ...burning tower.....naked woman riding the beast?????????? Wait........those are Tarot images in that move!!!!

I need to watch that movie againnnnnnnnnn.

Lust in Atu 15: The Devil

Take a look at what the goat is standing upon, and at what the goat stands before; it's pretty literal. In fact, remove the goat and the staff and you're pretty much left with the most primitive depiction of patriarchal lust possible.

ShekinahMoon said:

Ok, I can see how the Lust card is sexual. I didn't see lust in the Devil card though.

Has anybody ever noticed that the Lust card looks like a scene in the movie 9th Gate where the naked woman is riding the beast? That scene where Johnny Depp is at the buring tower.........wait ...burning tower.....naked woman riding the beast?????????? Wait........those are Tarot images in that move!!!!

I need to watch that movie againnnnnnnnnn.

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I believe that both the film and the card take inspiration from the bible.
From revelation, and the beast with 7 heads, and Babalon riding upon the beast.

That is where the imagary comes from, as far as I can tell.

Scion said:

Lust in Atu 15: The Devil

Take a look at what the goat is standing upon, and at what the goat stands before; it's pretty literal. In fact, remove the goat and the staff and you're pretty much left with the most primitive depiction of patriarchal lust possible.

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Arrrrrrrrrrrrrggggggggggggg my innocent eyes. ROFL.