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In drawing together several of Crowley’s psychological writings and illustrations, I would like to offer a tentative set of correspondences to a Thelemic view of the psyche, expressed through tarot. This is not to be taken as authoritative or authentic to Crowley’s intent but rather as a draft concept. It may offer a framework for advanced readers who wish to draw psychological interpretations (albeit through a Thelemic lens) to their readings.

3. Binah: Understanding.

4. Chesed: Social Conscience.

5. Geburah: Critical Faculty.

6. Tiphareth: Consciousness.

7. Netzach: Patterns of Behaviour (illusionary).

8. Hod: Patterns of Thought (illusionary).

9. Yesod: Ego Consciousness (illusionary).

10: Malkuth: Instinct.

Whilst Crowley saw instinct as a driving force, he saw the ego and patterns arising from its activity as an illusionary response to reality. This was one reason for directing practitioners to the Understanding of their Will and Self – seen in this model as the upper triad of Sephiroth.

0. Fool: All forms of arising ideas before given form.

1. Magus: Inner symbolic landscape.

2. Priestess: Aspirational elements of the psyche.

4. Emperor: Unconscious drives.

5. Hierophant: Beliefs expressed in action.

6. Lovers: Intuition.

7. Chariot: Memory and Motivation based on past experience.

8. Adjustment: Judgement, Values.

9. Hermit: Self-Purpose.

10. Fortune: Interaction of Will with arising events and situations. Ongoing modification of psyche through resting state, energised state and repressed state [see also Hanged Man].

11. Lust: Initiative, courage to overcome present state.

12. Hanged Man: Interaction of Will with arising events and situations. Ongoing modification of psyche through exhaustion, observation and experience [see also Fortune].

13. Death: Transformation of self or environment through break down of existing state.

14. Art: Moderation of behaviour through repetition and reflection.

15. Devil: Attention, Focus and Purpose.

16. Tower: Disturbance of psyche due to dissatisfaction.

17. Star: Identifying goals and ambitions.

18. Moon: The senses.

19. Sun: Identifying possible expressions of the psyche.

20. Aeon: Habitual drives.

21. Universe: Habitual responses.

Several of these headings may be different to usual correspondences, however, they are composed of a set, so can be applied together in a reading. If we map these to the Tree of Life, we leave the Emperor and the Star in their Golden Dawn positions, not with the Crowley swap. [536]

If we were to perform a three-card reading about a long-standing behavioural issue and receive Lovers + Emperor + Aeon, this would indicate “Intuition + Unconscious Drives + Habitual Drives”. It would be a fairly clear signal that the behaviour was being driven – rather than responding – and that it was on a pre-conscious level. However, it is also being intuited, so there is some idea of what is driving the behaviour.

If we then looked at the Tree of Life, we could see that ‘highest’ card (most unconscious) is the Emperor, between the Will and Consciousness. In making the Will more conscious, we could begin to work with the behaviour, making it obsolete.

The advanced reader might place these concepts onto the Tree of Life and discover their application in readings for deeper psychological insight. The Thoth Tarot cut right down to the bare bones.