| Learning to read the Thoth deck | | | | awareness we gain access to the fullness of ourself. |
| Why read with the Thoth tarot deck? Often the deck | | | | Our shadow side - the parts of us we would like to |
| we chose to read with is just a personal choice of | | | | deny - often hold the greatest 'gold' for us. As we get |
| what we are drawn to and this is reason enough, if | | | | in touch with these, the anger, rage, jealousy, we would |
| you are drawn to the Thoth then it can work for you | | | | rather not have, acknowledging their existence, it |
| as a deck. It may be it is the beautiful imagery, the | | | | makes us whole and shows us how we can be more |
| knowledge that it has been designed with many layers | | | | of who we are - for every part of us we lock away |
| of correspondences or the reputation that this deck will | | | | and declare is not good enough, we also lock away |
| give you very direct readings that appeals to you, or | | | | some gold of our true nature which to be balanced we |
| perhaps it is just a feeling it wants to work with you | | | | need. As we lock away anger we also lock away our |
| that has brought you to consider owning this wonderful | | | | ability to stand up for ourselves in the face of a bully |
| deck. | | | | for example. As we access our own shadows we |
| I feel this deck is indeed a very powerful tool, there are | | | | are less likely to see them - or project them into |
| so many systems of thought represented in the deck | | | | others and thus we will see our clients more for who |
| in so many ways that it can tap into our collective | | | | they are rather than who we are projecting onto them. |
| unconscious very easily and bring us to intuitive | | | | Another method of accessing your intuition is to |
| meanings easily particularly if you are focused on your | | | | journey into the card using a guided visualisation |
| inner world and how we can better manifest our | | | | technique and to meet and converse with the |
| potential in this lifetime. The deck is balanced with its | | | | characters and elements depicted in the card. People |
| depictions of the happiest times of our lives and also | | | | often experience the card landscape changing as they |
| the hardest times of our lives. So you can build a trust | | | | do this and additional images and messages come to |
| in this deck that it will tell you the truth of a situation. | | | | them through the cards journey. This technique is good |
| When it is difficult it won't pull the punches however it | | | | to open out your intuition in a general sense as well as |
| also shows the way to work through and overcome | | | | when connected to a specific card image. It is also |
| the difficulties through working on ourselves. Every | | | | excellent to use to develop ourselves and our lives, |
| situation we experience externally brings with it a | | | | clearing out issues and projections in our outer worlds, |
| lesson we can learn from and by using the Thoth tarot | | | | and also making our intuitive channelling for others |
| to help us work through these lessons it opens the | | | | clearer and more accurate. |
| doors to our inner wisdom and healing. | | | | Often when we are using our intuition we are tapping |
| So it is balanced, beautiful, multi-layered, direct and has | | | | into what Jung called the collective unconscious and |
| no taboos - all topics can be expressed through this | | | | here lies the archetypal energies that the tarot |
| powerful deck. Crowley, I feel, was an excellent | | | | embodies in itself. These energies are also |
| scholar of so many esoteric pathways, he also | | | | represented by astrology and also the Kabbalah and |
| practiced all he learned and, though he had his own | | | | consequently when the images on the Thoth were |
| issues, throughout his life he was strong enough to | | | | created the symbols associated with these |
| follow his own heart and direction searching for the | | | | archetypes were represented on the cards. This is the |
| truth in all things despite being bedeviled. By using the | | | | case to a greater and lesser extent with all tarot as |
| Thoth we are given his study in correspondences | | | | each card can be said to be an archetypal energy - |
| through so many systems as a starting point and we | | | | however with the Thoth the correspondences are well |
| then begin our own journey into our inner worlds to find | | | | worked out and can be seen in so many different |
| our personal connection with the realms beyond the | | | | systems that there are many different access points |
| mundane. | | | | to the cards energies. We just have to allow our |
| Many people however, despite the attraction of the | | | | thinking minds to step back enough to access the |
| Thoth - find that they don't know where to start once | | | | collective and so be shown the meanings needed. |
| they have the deck in their hands, that somehow there | | | | When I work with the Thoth I start from the Jungian |
| is a resistance to working with it. It might be you have | | | | approach suggested by Gerd Zeigler in his books on |
| tried to read with it and have been put off by the | | | | the Thoth, this gives a good starting to point to |
| direct keywords on some of the cards and the feeling | | | | understanding the depth of process that goes on |
| of darkness that may be alongside these words. It | | | | within us and also how the tarot relates to this - it also |
| might be you have read some of the books about the | | | | shows us how to gain the healing potential from the |
| deck and have found the information from so many | | | | most difficult of the cards. Sometimes if we work with |
| systems of thought coming together in one deck just | | | | the tarot for ourselves it is very hard to see how a |
| seems overwhelming, how will you learn all these | | | | card which on the surface is very negative is not |
| things and be able to use the deck. Perhaps you have | | | | actually gloom and doom for us - whilst it is telling the |
| heard of the reputation of Crowley and are nervous to | | | | truth of a difficult time it is also pointing the way to |
| be associated with some of the darker sides of his life. | | | | work with this within ourselves to create healing and |
| So the first place to start with reading with this deck is | | | | thereby bring peace within us. |
| to look at your associations with it in the beginning and | | | | I feel to work with the Thoth in this way on your own |
| see which of these are really true for you and which | | | | personal journey also adds to the ability to have to |
| are just getting in the way from someone else's | | | | work with others in their lives and be able to stand |
| viewpoints that you have taken on as true. | | | | alongside another and indicate the way forward when |
| Once you have acknowledged your misgivings and | | | | you have covered the terrain yourself - for you to |
| possible blocks to using the deck you can then move | | | | 'know' the card on a deep level and how it acted |
| forward. You can start working with the Thoth from | | | | within your own life you are then able to have a |
| wherever you are at the time. You bring to it your | | | | deeper knowledge of it when it is active for another in |
| current knowledge even if incomplete and allow your | | | | a reading you may be doing. |
| intuition to grow from your current place. You may | | | | Using all these techniques you can then form a truly |
| know some astrology, or be familiar with the Kabbalah | | | | personal relationship with the deck, no longer soley |
| and these can help you access the cards intuitively as | | | | based upon someone else's meaning or an accepted |
| well as your own life experience. When you see an | | | | meaning of a card, you have your own library of |
| image on a card you can allow yourself to free | | | | experience to draw upon as well as your intuitive |
| associate with it, this loosens up any tendency to | | | | access to the card and its archetypes. |
| censor our intuitive thoughts and though many freely | | | | From this stage of development you can then gather |
| associated images my be relevant only to ourselves | | | | your own associations for cards from others use of |
| initially, in amongst this you very often find something | | | | them and how they work for them in their lives - you |
| close to an intended meaning for the card. With | | | | can add to your system of knowledge information |
| practice and continual self awareness you can come | | | | from traditional sources - taking a deeper looking into |
| to know the sense of true intuition in you as opposed | | | | the astrological correspondences and understanding |
| to wishful thinking or projected meanings. | | | | how the astrology on a card can add another layer of |
| The depth of information included in this deck doesn't | | | | meaning to it. Here too additional practical situations, |
| have to be known fully and intellectually to use the | | | | issues, people, places, careers etc can be linked to |
| deck well - the images are universal, though we may | | | | cards through the astrological association. Similarly with |
| know nothing of the connection of venus to love, or | | | | the Kabbalah, Hebrew etc. Each system you are |
| what the symbol is for venus we can know the | | | | drawn to learn and use adds yet more information you |
| keyword love, we understand the colours are soft and | | | | can intuitively draw upon in a reading. By coming from |
| bring a feeling of love in the 2 cups for example, we | | | | this intuitive approach you can prevent yourself being |
| see two sides to a water feature perhaps in the card, | | | | blocked by the intellectual systems as you approach a |
| each necessary for the balance of it yet each is both | | | | reading, allowing the things you have learned |
| separate and connected. Already we have gained | | | | intellectually to spring up from within you when they |
| much meaning from the associations on the image as | | | | are needed rather than feeling overwhelmed about |
| well as with the keyword and the feeling from the | | | | what a card could possibly mean from your intellectual |
| colours. We have a start to the energy of the card. | | | | mind. |
| When we add the association of water with emotions | | | | So get out your decks and have a go, ask yourself |
| and the number two for partnerships, the meaning | | | | about your blocks to the deck (perhaps even ask the |
| develops further. | | | | Thoth itself too through a reading) and allow yourself |
| Self awareness if important though I feel, through self | | | | to get to know your deck intuitively. |