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It is a thought far from comforting to the present generation, that 500 years of Dark Ages are likely to be upon us. But, if the analogy holds, that is the case. Fortunately, to-day we have brighter torches and more torch-bearers. [477]

Image : A transparent ancient Egyptian child-god stands in front of a hawk-headed god on a throne. Above them a goddess is arched, with celestial swirls in her body. A stylised Ankh makes up part of the background and the Hebrew letter Shin is placed at the base of the scene. Three foetal bodies are drawn within the Shin.

The Aeon card is one of the most fundamental place-holders of the unique aspects of the Thoth Tarot deck. Crowley clearly states that “in this card it has been necessary to depart completely from the tradition of the cards in order to carry on that tradition”. [478] He adds also that “this new Tarot may therefore be regarded as a series of illustrations to the Book of the Law ; the doctrine of that Book is everywhere implicit”. [479]

As such, the Aeon card is “of necessity an adaptation of the Stélé of Revealing” which we introduced at the start of this present book. [480] This ancient Egyptian funeral plaque, originally labelled 666 when Crowley first saw it in 1909, features three deities; Nuit, the sky goddess, whom we see arched over the card; Hadit, the Winged Globe in the centre of the card and Horus, who arises from the union of Nuit and Hadit in two forms; the enthroned warrior and the silent child, superimposed upon the card.

When using the Thoth Tarot deck, we can empower our readings by making a correspondence of the deities in the cards to the situation of the Querent. We can point to Nuit and enquire “what is the overarching and supporting ‘Nuit’ of the situation or decision - what will nurture it?” We can then turn to Hadit and ask, “What is the fiery core of it? What is the motivation or intent at work?”

We can then finally turn to the Horus aspects of the card and look at how the long-term plan (Nuit) and the short-term passion (Hadit) marry together to create a new entity - the Horus. We might ask, “What will be birthed by the situation or challenge? What new life (or way of life) will arise after the judgement, and what will be the nature of that new Aeon in the world of the client – or ourselves?”

We could also consider the dual aspect of Horus, look to other cards in the spread, and read how Horus – the creation arising from changes following the reading - might be both expressed (Ra-hoor-khuit) and protected (Hoor-pa-kraat) in equal measure.

The deities need not be abstract confusions on the card to be ignored; they are illustrations of powerful patterns and archetypes that remain present in our everyday lives.

It is likely that Crowley was influenced in the design of this card – and his whole model of Aeons – by the Golden Dawn original design for the Last Judgement card. [481] This modified the existing Marseille-type image by making a correspondence to the ancient Egyptian deities; Osiris, Isis, Horus and Typhon. The Order also depicted the Hebrew letter Shin upon the card, another element of esoteric design shown clearly by Crowley but partially-hidden by Waite in his earlier deck created with Pamela Colman Smith.

Crowley saw this card as the change of Aeons, the “destruction of the world by Fire” which he felt had occurred in his revelation of the Book of the Law . [482] In the intervening years between his writing of the Book of the Law in 1904 and his work on the Tarot during 1938 – 1943, there were two World Wars; the second between 1939 – 1945, commencing just after he started on the Tarot and not finishing until after its completion.

It was perhaps no wonder he felt vindicated in his 1904 prophecy in the Book of the Law where Ra Hoor Khut declares himself as “the warrior Lord of the Forties: the Eighties cower before me, & are abased”. [483] In the first ten lines of the third chapter, the word “war” appears three times and is ‘hidden’ in “rewar d”, “homewar d” and “bewar e” - all in the same ten lines. If we were to read this line as a prophecy and match it to significant events, not only did the Second World War take place in the Forties, but the ‘Cold War’ (where nations might be considered ‘abased’) took place between 1979 – 1985, i.e. the Eighties.

We return, in this penultimate card of the Majors, to where we began in this present work, with the ancient Egyptian deities. We have already looked in the main section of this card and the introductory section at the specific deities of the Aeon. I would like to add a wider point of consideration when we think about this card as a reproduction of the Stele of Revealing.

We have seen how Crowley wove these deities throughout the deck as part-vindication and part-illustration of his role as a prophet of a New Aeon. It is fascinating to consider if he realised that by illustrating the principles of Thelema in a tarot deck, he would promulgate the Law of Thelema throughout the world – and it would have an ongoing legacy.

Crowley intended such for the Stele of Revealing and the Book of the Law , as instructed in the latter - but it has in fact happened with his tarot deck:

Get the stele of revealing itself; set it in thy secret temple -- and that temple is already aright disposed -- & it shall be your Kiblah for ever. It shall not fade, but miraculous colour shall come back to it day after day. Close it in locked glass for a proof to the world. [484]

We might imagine that every re-printing of the Thoth Tarot – and its glossing – provides a point at which attention is directed to Thelema, indeed repeated in every reading, “day after day”.

The Book of the Law was intended as a device of religious promulgation, for which we might argue the Thoth Tarot has become the vehicle:

… to each man and woman that thou meetest, were it but to dine or to drink at them, it is the Law to give [the Book of the Law ]. Then they shall chance to abide in this bliss or no; it is no odds. [485]

Every purchase of the Thoth Tarot, every gifting of it, meets this requirement – and it is now ourselves, or our clients when we use the Thoth Tarot, who will choose “to abide in this bliss or no”.

Let us consider how many clients are viewing the Thoth Tarot and the Aeon card; how many readers are discussing the symbolism as a means of offering guidance to decisions and actions; how many times the reproductions are seen in digital format by people who may know little or nothing of Crowley and the ancient Egyptian deities.

Could it be that Crowley is indeed vindicated in his prophecy and the instructions of the Book of the Law , but not perhaps in the way he might have expected? Even this is covered in the book itself:

The Hebrew letter Shin is here used in terms of its correspondence to Fire; specifically, the Fire that destroys an old way of thinking – an Aeon – and brings about a resurrection into a new life. The letter Shin is used on the Tefillin in Jewish practice, with three heads on one side top represent this world and four heads on the other side of the Tefillin to represent “the world to come”. The Shin shows all the potential to be born from the fire – in the card we see three embryonic figures in the heads of the Shin character.

In a reading I sometimes point to these three figures and suggest that ‘If you only have one option, you are a robot. If you have two options, that is better, but you still have a dilemma. It is only with three options that we begin to have freedom”. I then work with the client to ensure they have at least positive options which might arise from any significant change work indicated by the presence of this card.

The Aeon card indicates “final decision in respect of the past, new current in respect of the future; always represents the taking of a definite step”. [488]

This card is about making every act count towards a unified target of our will. In each and every moment we are acting. We are making one decision, one movement after another. Crowley’s philosophy of Thelema asks us to consider where those acts are leading us, and whether they are congruent towards a singular aim. The appearance of this card in a reading is a challenge to ask of every decision, connection, action, ‘are you with me or against me?’

A further reading of the card calls for an entire overthrow of the old ways and the entry into a new life. In effect, every decision or action brings about a new state of being, no matter how trivial or momentous. We are always entering the New Aeon as much as we are constructing or receiving it.