#thothdeck

Behind the androgynous figure (The Lovers combined) in ART, is a Golden Sun with the Latin inscription inviting us to "visit the interior parts of the Earth: by rectification you shall find the Hidden Stone." This bringing together of opposites sees opposing forces transforming into a new state of Being - the Emperor and Empress (of The Lovers) reaches fulfillment, the Highest Transformation.

The Sun (in Art) is also held aloft by Khephra, the Holy Beetle in THE MOON, signifying an emergence from the source of Life (Binah, the Waters of the Subconsciousness), climbing towards external goals: "it is this beetle that bears the Sun in his Silence through the darkness of Night and the bitterness of Winter" (A.C/B.o.T.)

The same Disk is featured on the Ace as a golden coin, here however it depicts Body and Soul have finally met in harmonic union, relating to the MOON's emerging scarab, we now realise that the deeper our roots reach into the Earth, the higher we will be able to soar (the many wings surrounding the Disk).

(Phyllis Seckler/THE MOON) - "The trump describes the inner growth which takes place in the unconscious and which can surface in remembered dreams. This is also a path with a good deal of danger, for if the signs from the unconscious are poorly understood, or the student is lost in the astral life, he forgets his spiritual nature and his higher aim towards his true self, his H.G.A., he can become confused and lost."

"It is not out of dust that sorrow comes, nor out of the Earth that trouble grows; but Man is born of suffering, like sparks, to rush upwards." (Job 5: 6-7)

The image of the Knight bears this out - he brings forth the harvest of the Earth but only through toil, even his steed is flagging. The shining Sun of ART, held aloft by the beetle in the MOON and central to the Ace - is his shield, which he holds up reflecting the nourishing rays of sunlight across his domain, producing life.

"Let there be no difference made among you, between any one thing and any other thing; for thereby cometh hurt." (A.C./B.o.T.)

The Knight's flail is the central fiery Wand of 7/Wands - "the army has been thrown into disorder; if a Victory is to be won, it will be by dint of individual valour - a Soldier's Battle." (A.C./B.o.T.)

The Knight's ultimate goal is to reach Happiness (9/Cups) but he sees the journey ahead will be long and arduous - in his stiff armour holding his shining Disk he is THE MOON's holy scarab Khephra emerging from the Sea of Binah:

New moons🌑 are about re-phasing several things and matters in your life, it marks a new, Leo cycle. You will reap what you sow in this cycle over time🌾

👀 Check what in which house of your astral chart has fallen the New Moon, and you'll have a sneak peek about the transformation that will befall upon your self. Let go. Embrace your inner fire. And rise over your own darkness✨

THE TAROT OF THOTH

A fellow Frater and I have been carrying on the same conversation for several years now. I’ve always adhered very strictly to the roots of Jewish mysticism when it comes to, let’s call them spheres, and only study hermeticism as it relates to Christianized Alchemy? (Not sure that describes it) Anyways, he’s passed through several degrees in several occult schools over the years and is devastatingly Thelemic in his approach.

I have always viewed Qabalah as an abomination of Jewish mystics and studied/applied Abulafia, Gikatellia, and Maimonides to my understanding of Rav Yeshuas instruction. Naturally, I am woefully ignorant of Crowley and Thelemists in general. Like I come from a magickal family- Father followed the old gods of Ireland, sisters read tarot for 20+ years, mothers an old school acolyte with a completely different take- I should have studied western esotericism fiercely. But I didn’t. My meditations are Jewish, my prayers Aramaic. My understanding “God is, nothing else exists.”

*it’s worth noting I don’t consider AMORC to be a fount of quabbalistic wisdom. They’re more armchair occultists slaving themselves out every time they enter their sanctum- someday I’ll elaborate on that.

Unfortunately, that’s a blind considering most of the people who read these posts are drawn to the alchemical aspects that I’ve “Christianized.” (Again, not sold on the word.) Yeshua is a master alchemist to me. I don’t know, His entire story in the Gospels just reads like the Great Work and I can’t shake that Christian Rosenkreutz approach because it gave me relationship with Sophia. Relationship with Logos became an inner guide and meditators end up in all sorts of places we can’t describe. I’d have gotten lost a million times I’ve the Bridal Chamber wasn’t the heart of my path.

Turns out, Crowley’s Gnostic Mass leads to that exact level of understanding. It’s something that can’t be taught. It’s why Teresa of Avila wrote the Interior Castle. It’s why the Hasidic teacher I studied under calls her work the best explanation of Hekhalot a Christian mystic ever wrote. Crowley’s work fits into that same narrative from a completely different approach. It just happens to be one I’ve never even considered.

Aside from reading everything attributed to Hermes Trismegistus, Dion Fortune, Cornelius Agrippa, and dissecting The Book of the Law because the ka is explained I know very little about “Magick.” (Not sold on that word either, but labels bother me in general.)

Anyways, all this came about because of my personal pathwork… Revelation- John describes his meditation unfolding in chapter 1:9-20 in this world of symbolism that goes well beyond “Christian” understanding. The 6 jars at the Wedding at Cana, the 7th left behind by the High Priestess(Samaritan Woman) at Jacobs well screams “pay attention to the twin flames of hermeticism and Kabbalah!”

So, deck is here. Introductory course from OTO initiate was included. It’ll be months, maybe years, of meditating on the symbols Crowley placed on the cards before I’ll even pretend to be able to extract the hidden symbolism from the most esoteric epistles of scripture. But… I am expanding my understanding and opening myself up to aspects of the path I’ve ignored.

It’s doubtful I’ll ever use the deck for divination- thats for people who couldn’t divine the entrails of animals if they needed too. Thanks Dad! 😂 but I can see myself doing readings on the aspects of the gospel that are so obviously related to the sephirot it needs to happen.

In the Thoth tarot deck, Judgement is referred to as The Aeon and includes pictorial representations of Nuit, Hadit and Ra-Hoor-Khuit and Harpocrates.