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Hello,
So I decided to start working with tarot and the Thoth deck is the one that keeps interesting me. So i have a few questions about the tarot and Thoth deck. The first thing is when you flip cards do you go side to side or up and down? Then also, I know some people do the readings for reverse and normal way the cards are placed. With thoth deck should I only work with normal placement of cards or is reverse also possible or if I start off should I just do it normal? Also when starting should I start off right away with the whole deck or just major Arcana to get a handle of it? Also what is a good spread to start off with to just get the handle of it? And what are some good books for thoth deck that are useful to read to help me get the handle of it? I searched some on amazon and quite a few names came up so I was wondering if someone has any input or read some, and could suggest some. Thank you very much for taking the time to read this and thank you for your time.

Let´s see. Well, I am not very fond of the Toth tarot, but anyway, I guess I have some input:
Literature:
- Best would of course be to go with one of crowleys own works about his tarot, I think the related book should be "The Book of Thoth : A Short Essay on the Tarot of the Egyptians" or Liber LXXVIII, depending on who you ask. A very nice one and gives a little look what crowley was into at that point of time. What would be a better start then the literature of the guy who created the deck?

- I also heard that Acrons Crowley Tarot guide, but that one I did not read so I can only give you the recommedation another person gave me about that matter

For spreads the smallest ones are of course the simplest ones, but sometimes it can be difficult to interpret because of the small amount of input. The greater the spread, the more input you get but it can also become more complicated the more cards you get. However, on the Internet there are dozends of spreads and spread recommedation. When it goes up to over 20 cards it can be really a pain in the ass but in the end the picture can be incredible. Spreads with 8-10 are rather average and with practice they can get quite handy. I like the celtic cross since you can use it for nearly all kinds of questions and it has not that much cards to use (9-10).

For simple questions which you would answer with "yes" or "no" I would recommend this very simple spread which makes it mostly also very easy for beginners:
Spread sceme:
-------1--------
2----------3

1) Card one above is the card which mirrors the question or the background of it, but it can also be an image of the person asking the question. Anyway, this card is question related
2) Card two is the "yes" card, which gives you a hint into the direction you should go.
3) Card three is the "no card" which gives you input about the direction you shouldn´t go.

It is just a very basic sceme, but I have seen it for beeing used in other kinds of questions too, it also depends on the literature you look into and what you prefer by yourself.

I hope this helped you a little bit. Don´t forget that this advice is mostly based on my own experience, so the opinions are too. I don´t guarantee corectness and other people might disagree with what I said. However, I hope you have a good start. Tarot is an art, so enjoy what you are doing and creating [wink]

Ramscha

Hello,
Thank you for such a wonderful and detailed answer, I really appreciate it. Will definitely look into and thats true though, about the fact that I should read something that was written by the guy who created the deck, thank you again.

Hello!

I acquired Crowley's Thoth deck a few months ago, and have found that his Book of Thoth was very useful. Also, for a simpler understanding, I recommend this website, Raven's Tarot Site.

Good luck!

Isis

Hey, thank you for the site,looks really interesting

Also, I just found this myself. It's Lon Milo Duquette's Understanding Aleister Crowley's Thoth Tarot book. I've been trying to find it in pdf, for free, for a long time and, well, I found it on scribd (at last). Unless you pay for it or trade it for another document, you can't really download it, but you can read it online just fine. Hope it helps!

I've read a few chapters already and he knows what he's talking about.

Isis

Awesome, thank you very much will definitely read when i get a chance

Romez wrote:Hello,
So I decided to start working with tarot and the Thoth deck is the one that keeps interesting me. So i have a few questions about the tarot and Thoth deck. The first thing is when you flip cards do you go side to side or up and down? Then also, I know some people do the readings for reverse and normal way the cards are placed. With thoth deck should I only work with normal placement of cards or is reverse also possible or if I start off should I just do it normal?

Hi Romez, how's it going?

Whether or not to reverse cards is generally a matter for individual preference - I personally never use reversed cards because I don't see the point. A reversed card simply indicates inverse, opposite or negative energy - but the thing is, it is already possible to interpret every card in either a positive or negative way depending on your feeling towards it, and its identity within the spread. I prefer to just see which cards come out, and make my own judgement as to whether that card's energy is high or low.

Of note, the Thoth deck has a cross pattern on the back of the cards (at least I think they all do), which is not conducive to using reversed cards when you shuffle and deal them (since you can tell which way up a card is before it is dealt). Perhaps Crowley wasn't fussed on reversing cards, though I can't say for sure as I haven't yet read the Book of Thoth.

Also when starting should I start off right away with the whole deck or just major Arcana to get a handle of it?

You can certainly do this if you wish! The potential information you will receive will not be as extensive, however.

What I would recommend is spending some time becoming acquainted with each card in turn (just by going through your deck one card at a time) until you get a general feel for each card.

If you perform a reading, and turn up a card or two that you can't comprehend, you can always refer to a reference table, guide book or your own notes to refresh your memory as to what that card may represent.

Also what is a good spread to start off with to just get the handle of it? And what are some good books for thoth deck that are useful to read to help me get the handle of it?

I think the Celtic Cross will forever be my go-to spread, and I define it in the following way:

-----------------10
------5-----------9
4---1/2---6-----8
------3-----------7

1. The Query - the problem. The question. What's going on.
2. The Crosser - what's crossing the problem. Another factor. Negative or additional influence.
3. Subconscious Influence - Unconsidered factor. What's stirring the mental pot. "Have you considered this?"
4. Past - An influence from the past that is relevant to the present. Helps explain what's going on.
5. Conscious Influence - Energies consciously apparent in the present. Attitude. Outlook.
6. Future - Incoming factor having bearing on situation. Possible consequence.
7. Inner Environment - What's happening in the querent's mind. Subtle influences.
8. Outer Environment - Situation for the querent. Home life. Work life. Material existence. Physical factor.
9. The Wild Card - Additional factor. Unresolved conflict. Something to consider. "How does this fit in?"
10. The Outcome - Possible outcome as things now stand. Likely future. Something to watch out for.

I like this spread, because 10 cards is a good number - neither too many nor too little. There are also a few obvious cross-overs/correlations between the cards in this spread - for example, you will notice that cards 2, 3, 7 and 9 share a strong similarity, and often provide similar insights. They link up, as it were. Cards 1, 5 and 8 also have a strong link, as do cards 6 and 10.

I've seen a few different versions of this spread, where the cards come out in a different order, or represent slightly different things. This is simply the one I use.

I'm also going to share one more spread which I've been using for years, and had some very interesting results with. This is called the Horseshoe, or Pyramid spread. It uses 7 cards.

------4
----3---5
--2-------6
1-----------7

1. Past - Influence from the past having bearing on the question.
2. Present - Present situation.
3. Future - Influence from the future having bearing on the question.
4. Inner Environment - What's happening in the querent's mind. Subtle influences.
5. Outer Environment - Situation for the querent. Home life. Work life. Material existence. Physical factor.
6. The Wild Card - Additional factor. Unresolved conflict. Something to consider. "How does this fit in?"
7. The Outcome - Possible outcome as things now stand. Likely future. Something to watch out for.

This spread is lovely, as it's a little simpler and faster than the 10 card Celtic Cross but still covers the important steps.

I sincerely hope you find some of this information useful, and that it wasn't just so much spam. :p

One final point - there is really no right and wrong when it comes to Tarot. Yes, each card has layers of meaning that have been built up over many, many years, and it helps to know a little about the traditional practice of the art. However, ultimately the Tarot is simply a tool. The cards have no inherent power - any insights we may gain by using them arise from our own incredible powers of perception and analysis, not from the cards themselves. Thus, have no worry about making mistakes or not doing a spread "correctly", or whatever. Just play around with them, develop your own viewpoint on the whole thing, and run with it. It's all a learning experience.


With the L-O-V-E
Eremita