The Major Arcana

The complexity of the Major Arcana is a testament to the lifetime of experience and philosophy drawn into the cards by Crowley and Harris. In this section we will provide an overall guide to each card and look at the most important symbols in terms of their meaning and where possible their application to a divinatory reading.

A selected quote will introduce each card, followed by key correspondences such as to the Hebrew alphabet and the Tree of Life. We then take a brief description of the card as if we were seeing it for the first time with little background knowledge. This allows us to contrast the immediate appearance of the card with the following depth and complexity of the symbolism.

We will look at specific colours in a card where highly significant but will cover colour symbolism in more detail in the following volume on the Minor Arcana, referring back also to the Major Arcana. As the colour symbolism requires a larger section and particularly applies to the Minors, it is clearer to place it in the next book:

At the top of the chart are 10 colour sequences which we don't seem to have used much. We did combine them in the 1st plain card of wands & then what with the governing planet & zodiacal sign we stopped. [152]

We will look at the card as a whole, picking out and re-organising Crowley’s writings on the symbolism, drawing together disparate references, and placing it in context of Thelema and the esoteric initiatory system. Again, where practical, we provide ways of using this context within an everyday reading.

At the end of this book we will look at a fifteen-card spread method and an innovative Tarosophy method called “Sleeping Beauty” for practice. The further two books of the trilogy will provide additional and unique ways of using the Thoth Tarot in readings.

We then take the most significant symbols in the card in isolation, providing additional references and interpretations as close to Crowley’s likely intent as possible. We draw upon several important works which influence the design of the deck; particularly the Book of the Law and The Vision and the Voice . I present the individual symbols in order of theme and flow, rather than alphabetically or by prominence or importance. Where beneficial, I describe some symbols in pairs or sets, where Crowley has stressed the importance of their relationship.

Several minor symbols may have been excluded from the text where they complicate the card or where they might be considered vague or of little importance. A number are included in the free mailings to accompany this first volume – see the introduction for the registration link.

Several cards will have more or less text in their individual explanation; the Lovers card contains the most overlapping and important symbols with other cards, so is treated at more length. The Chariot card is described using a comparative to the Waite-Smith Tarot, so is a little longer as an example of comparison. The Hanged Man card is the shortest description, due in part to its simplicity of design, but also because Crowley treats it as a powerful symbol of an unwanted past. It is profound in its symbolism of standing for something in life which does not warrant attention.

Finally, I provide keywords, a keyphrase and a further summary of how we might interpret the card in a practical and everyday reading. I have drawn upon my own experiences using the deck over thirty years, in a variety of readings for many different audiences. I have also stuck to Crowley’s conception, which may vary from other readings; the Empress, for example, to Crowley, is more connected to ‘love’ than the Lovers card, which is interpreted as ‘analysis’.

You are encouraged to use Crowley’s interpretations to shake up the way you might usually read the cards – particularly when using the Thoth Tarot. The reader is also encouraged to make their own notes and journal of readings in order to develop or replace these interpretations.

The ‘In a Reading’ section is a brief summary of the overall symbolism in order to present a clear overview of the card. There are many more interpretations and applications of the card in an everyday reading given against the individual symbols on the card.

The reader is recommended to refer to each card and then return to the original text in the Book of Thoth , then re-read the introductory section of this present book, and then look at the card again. You may then wish to read the full sections of The Vision and the Voice and refer to the Book of the Law , before repeating this study cycle.

You can also deepen your appreciation of the deck by reading a biography of Crowley, particularly Richard Kaczynski’s Perdurabo , and Crowley’s own autobiography, The Confessions of Aleister Crowley . Then skip ahead to Crowley’s final sustained piece of writing, published as Magick without Tears but originally intended to be titled Aleister Explains Everything .

As you unlock the deck you might then go onto to read other relevant works including Magick , The Holy Books , ‘Wake World’ (in Konx Om Pax ) and explore the world of esotericism and Thelema from which these illustrations arise.

This present book is intended to re-cast the writing of the Book of Thoth and provide an ongoing reference guide in accompaniment to it.