Aleister Crowley’s Thoth Tarot was his final work, a culmination of his lifetime of occult study and practice. With artist Lady Frieda Harris, he condensed the core of his teachings into 78 cards, including astrology, Qabbalah, magick, gematria, numerology, and alchemy. The deck is unique for its Art Deco design and inclusion of three Magus (Magician) cards.
Understanding Aleister Crowley’s Thoth Tarot has been an essential guide to accessing the unique symbolism and meaning of this remarkable tarot deck. The deck is renowned for its stunning and intricate artwork, setting it apart from other tarot decks. The Thoth Tarot is not just a tarot but a balloon filled with Crowley’s Thelema religion.
The Thoth Tarot is a pack of seventy-eight cards, with four suits derived from it, but the Court cards number four instead of the standard four. Two different decks of playing cards, Le Triumphs of 22 and Pips of 56, were combined to make the game of tarrocia in Italy in the 1400s. The cards are rich in Egyptian symbols and reflect Crowley’s interest in alchemy and magic.
DuQuette provides everything you need to know about Crowley’s fundamental principles to get the most out of using the Thoth deck. The Book of Thoth makes four substantive changes to the traditional titles of the tarot trumps. The Aleister Crowley Tarot can be used for divination, spiritual journey insight, or magickal ritual. The THOTH TAROT CARDS were painted by Lady Frieda Harris (1877-1962) under the guidance of Aleister Crowley (1875-1947) during WWII.
📹 Understanding Aleister Crowley’s Thoth Tarot by Lon Milo Duquette (Foolish Fish 2 Minute Overview)
A 2 minute overview of * Understanding Aleister Crowley’s Thoth Tarot * in paperback by Lon Milo Duquette, published by Weiser.
What culture is tarot from?
Tarot cards originated in Europe during the mid-15th century, with the earliest known decks being created in Italy for a game called tarocchi. These decks, like the Visconti-Sforza deck, were hand-painted and commissioned by wealthy families as symbols of their status. The Major Arcana, consisting of 22 cards, represents life lessons, spiritual themes, and archetypal energies, with each card having its own unique symbolism.
The Minor Arcana, consisting of four suits (Wands, Cups, Swords, and Pentacles) corresponds to the elements of fire, water, air, and earth, focusing on everyday matters, personal experiences, and challenges and opportunities encountered in life.
Who invented the tarot?
In English-speaking countries, cartomantic tarot cards are available for novelty and divination. Early French occultists claimed tarot cards had esoteric links to ancient Egypt, Kabbalah, the Indic Tantra, or I Ching. However, scholarly research shows that tarot cards were invented in northern Italy in the mid-15th century and no significant use of tarot cards for divination until the late 18th century. Historians describe western views of the Tarot pack as a “successful propaganda campaign”.
The earliest evidence of a tarot deck used for cartomancy comes from an anonymous manuscript from around 1750. The popularization of esoteric tarot started with Antoine Court and Jean-Baptiste Alliette (Etteilla) in Paris during the 1780s, using the Tarot of Marseilles. French tarot players abandoned the Marseilles tarot in favor of the Tarot Nouveau around 1900, and the Marseilles pattern is now mostly used by cartomancers. Etteilla was the first to produce a bespoke tarot deck specifically designed for occult purposes around 1789, containing themes related to ancient Egypt.
Who is the famous tarot card reader?
Aryya Roy, a renowned psychic tarot reader and Kabbalah healer, offers solutions for relationship and career problems. She is a power-performance and tarot card expert in India, having successfully transformed the lives of thousands of people through her caliber. Roy has received numerous awards and is known for her tender heart and willingness to help others in need.
Aryya Roy chose the profession due to her love for helping others and her connection with angels since childhood. At the age of 12, she began seeing the past and future in her dreams, which became stronger over time. Her experiences with successes and setbacks have empowered her with valuable knowledge, which she uses to help and heal people experiencing grief and anguish.
Aryya Roy’s passion for helping others stems from her connection with angels since childhood and her ability to see the past and future in her dreams. She believes that her experience and knowledge from her experiences have empowered her to help others in their journey towards success and happiness.
Which is the strongest tarot card?
The Fool is a card in tarot games, not part of the Major Arcana. In most games, the Fool is independent of both plain suit cards and trump cards, and does not belong to either category. Tarot decks originally made for game playing do not assign a number to the Fool indicating its rank in the suit of trumps. The Fool is one of the most valuable cards in almost all tarot games.
In tarot games originating from Italy and France, the Fool has a unique role, sometimes called “the Excuse”. In these games, the player excuses the player from following suit or playing a trump. At the end of the trick, the player takes back the Fool and adds it to their trick pile, giving the trick’s winner the least valuable card from that same pile. If there are no cards to give in exchange, the Fool is worth one point less and an extra point is given to the trick-taker.
In a minor variant option of French tarot, a player dealt trump 1 but with no other trumps or the Fool can make trump 1 behave the same as the Fool. In official tournament rules, a player in this situation must declare their hand and force a redeal.
Who drew the tarot deck?
Pamela Colman Smith, also known as “Pixie”, was a renowned British artist, illustrator, writer, publisher, and occultist. She is best known for her illustrations of the Rider-Waite tarot deck, which became the standard among tarot card readers and remains the most widely used today. Smith also illustrated over 20 books, wrote two collections of Jamaican folklore, edited two magazines, and ran the Green Sheaf Press, a small press focused on women writers.
Born in London, Smith was the only child of a merchant from Brooklyn, New York, and his wife Corinne Colman. They moved to Jamaica when Charles Smith took a job with the West India Improvement Company in 1889. By 1893, Smith moved to Brooklyn and enrolled at the Pratt Institute, where she studied art under Arthur Wesley Dow. Her mature drawing style reflects the visionary qualities of fin-de-siècle Symbolism and the Romanticism of the preceding Arts and Crafts movement.
Smith’s mother died in Jamaica in 1896, and she was ill on and off during this time. She left Pratt in 1897 without a degree. Smith became an illustrator, with her first projects including The Illustrated Verses of William Butler Yeats, a book on actress Dame Ellen Terry by Bram Stoker, and two of her own books, Widdicombe Fair and Fair Vanity.
What man tarot card is also known as the traitor?
The Hanged Man is a term used to describe a man who has been hanged, a concept that has been explored in various forms, including the Major Arcana Tarot card, the album “The Hanged Man” by Poisoned Electrick Head, the song “The Hanged Man” by Moonspell, the short novel “The Hanged Man” by Francesca Lia Block, and the 2017 album by Ted Leo. The Hanged Man has also been featured in various films, TV series, and television episodes, such as “Journeyman” and “Da Vinci’s Demons”. The term “hanged man” can also refer to a type of pattern on a market pricing graph.
Do tarot cards really work?
Tarot readings can be an empowering and insightful tool for self-discovery and future direction. A professional tarot reader can help you understand your goals and desires, providing insight into your situation and guiding you towards the best actions for your love life, career, or other questions. They can also reveal the motivations of others and predict potential outcomes of decisions. A good tarot reading can provide clarity and help heal anxiety.
However, it is crucial to prepare thoroughly for your first reading to fully benefit from the experience. A good tarot reading can provide valuable insights into your future and help you make informed decisions.
Do tarot cards predict the future?
Tarot can help make big decisions, but it cannot predict the future. Michelle Tea suggests beginners start with a three-card reading from the Rider-Waite-Smith tarot deck. Growing up, her family often relied on tarot for tough decisions, such as discussing a brother’s breakup or deciding whether to drop out of school. The deck’s iconic Rider-Waite-Smith cards can be used to guide readers through these situations.
Is tarot ok for Christians?
The notion that tarot cards can exert control over one’s life is a pervasive one, yet there is a paucity of empirical evidence to substantiate this claim.
Do mystics use tarot cards?
Tarot cards represent various aspects of life, from triumphs to struggles. By delving into their symbolism and interpretations, one can gain a deeper understanding of themselves and their place in the world. Reading tarot serves as a tool for self-reflection and introspection, guiding the seeker on a journey of self-discovery. The art of reading tarot can tap into the collective unconscious, providing insights and wisdom beyond the mundane.
As the cards are shuffled and drawn, the veil between the physical and spiritual realms is lifted, allowing the reader to connect with their higher self and find guidance on their spiritual development path.
Many a Mystic have found these cards to be useful for gaining insight into one’s self, exploring the past, present, and future, and gaining a deeper understanding of the spiritual realm. One of the most significant benefits of reading tarot is the ability to gain self-awareness, helping individuals identify their strengths, weaknesses, and areas for growth.
Why is tarot so popular?
In the 1970s, the Waite-Smith deck gained popularity alongside feminist, anti-war, and international human rights movements. Today, tarot is used as a tool for personal understanding, often through readings, interpreting dreams, and selecting a card of the day. Each card can be interpreted differently depending on the individual, and tarot is more than just fortune telling. The image of the card is crucial to any journey with tarot, and the enduring popularity of the Waite-Smith deck is attributed to its creators, Waite and Smith.
Smith’s creativity was influenced by her colorful, international life, moving to Jamaica as a child and enrolling in Brooklyn College. She later settled in London and became intertwined with the capital’s artistic scene, including writers W. B. Yeats, Mark Twain, Rudyard Kipling, and composer Claude Debussy.
📹 CHANNELING OCCULTIST ALEISTER CROWLEY | #Thoth Tarot
All readings are for entertainment and spiritual purposes only. Visit my website: https://revealinglighttarot.com/ If you want to …
he was a very misunderstood person ….he was abused and starved by his christian parents ….instead of crumbling like 99% of people would he took charge of his life through magik and lived a adventurous life and helped many people do the same who were also abused by the church…..many people call him evil but I read and watched every biography I could on him and I never heard of him directly hurting anyone ….I always felt a strong connection to him because he could see through the religious hypocrisy and bullshit coming from Christians and was never silent about ……he was about personal liberation from society .
This morning I’ve been researching biographies on Crowley and there are a number of good biographies of Crowley that dispel a lot of the myths. Oxford theologian Tobias Churton appears informative and this one by Richard Kaczynski, Ph.D. A synopsis of Dr Kaczynski’s biography: “The name “Aleister Crowley” instantly conjures visions of diabolic ceremonies and orgiastic indulgences—and while the sardonic Crowley would perhaps be the last to challenge such a view, he was also much more than “the Beast,” as this authoritative biography shows. Perdurabo—entitled after the magical name Crowley chose when inducted into the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn—traces Crowley’s remarkable journey from his birth as the only son of a wealthy lay preacher to his death in a boarding house as the world’s foremost authority on magick. Along the way, he rebels against his conservative religious upbringing; befriends famous artists, writers, and philosophers (and becomes a poet himself); is attacked for his practice of “the black arts”; and teaches that science and magick can work together. While seeking to spread his infamous philosophy of, “Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law,” Crowley becomes one of the most notorious figures of his day. Based on Richard Kaczynski’s twenty years of research, and including previously unpublished biographical details, Perdurabo paints a memorable portrait of the man who inspired the counterculture and influenced generations of artists, punks, wiccans, and other denizens of the demimonde.
Thank you Maryann for the websiteing and insight into Crowley and Frida Harris. I think you gave great insight into the ‘devil’ energy and how that was a pitfall for Crowley. His life was an example of how one can get entangled in the loop of matter. The message that ‘valour instead of victory’ is the way through to the light was wonderful. There is always a choice. Thank you for your valour.
My dad left several tarot decks behind when he passed. I had asked my sister to pick one for me when she came for a visit recently. She brought the Toth deck. Knowing nothing about it I was disappointed as I had been hoping for the Rider Waite to learn traditional tarot from. She told me her pendulum had picked this for me. Now having spent this evening with you I cannot wait to get into this deck . Thank you so much Maryann! An extraordinary.evening in your company.
Thank you for making All Hallows Eve lovely. I checked out Aleister Crowley a bit before I watched you. Early on you mentioned “volcano” in reference to him. In 1900, he and a friend went to Mexico – “together they climbed several mountains, including Iztaccihuatl, Popocatepetl, and Colima, the latter of which they had to abandon owing to a volcanic eruption.” 😀 I hope you don’t mind but I want to say that when I saw you I was taken aback by the effect of your new hairstyle. It lifts and lightens your face somehow. So pretty.
When I was worked at Goodwill (they are not what they seem!), I came across an Aleister Crowley’s Thoth tarot deck. Can’t remember if it was signed, but it was one of the 1st. ones published. I bought it & gave it to my psychic friend who basically said Crowley was labeled wrong. Thank you for this reading Maryann!
For anyone interested to learn more about Aleister Crowley, Lady Frieda and the origination of the Thoth deck, I would recommend “Understanding Aleister Crowley’s Thoth Tarot” by Lon Milo DuQuette. Lon has immense knowledge and immersion in philosophical and spiritual practices that these two followed and lays out many additional nuances of detail beyond tarot definitions for each card. Besides Magick and Western mythology I had not an inkling Qabalah and the Tree of Life heavily influenced the meaning and symbolism! While Crowley was a man of excess and vilified, it is clear he and Lady Frieda were brilliant. Thank you Maryann for delving into a very complex individual and his inspired artist.
Thank you so much for this websiteing and exploration of what, to my mind, is one of the most mis-understood decks. Yet is is also one of the most popular decks. So there is a very interesting dichotomy in that. This was one of my very first decks when I began to explore tarot and, at 19, I knew NOTHING of Crowley or Qabbalistic teachings. That was 40 plus years ago, I now have more knowledge, and to this day I have never used this deck with any other person. It is solely used for my own work. I have always felt that this deck has been the deck that I use when I wish to part the veil and go beyond all those mudane propensities that keep propelling me to get in my own way. (So interesting that you chose Halloween to do this!) My opinion is that people get confused when they try to reconcile the lives of Crowley and Lady Frieda, complete with all their human frailties, with the actual energies that were guiding and directing the creation and birth of this deck. And, as with all parents and children, the parents are just the vessels. The child still has it’s own essence and life force and karma completely independent from the parents. Those two human beings are the only two who could have brought forth this magnificent, deep, penetrating and mysterious deck that has a wisdom light years beyond 3D. And we bow to them but we do the deck itself a disservice by continuing to attach all the human misunderstandings of the creators to what this deck has to teach us. Sorry…a bit long, but I just wanted to applaud you for helping to ease the burden that surrounds this deck and the people who worked the magic needed to give it life.
I was fascinated by this, thank you for bringing it through with clarity and compassion. I call this my hard core deck because it is able to go into the dark and is fearless. It is brilliant for helping recovery from toxic relationships especially those with deep sexual intensity It showed me the messages behind the devil card by drawing my attention to the three of cups Putting them together the message becomes clear in its geometric positioning. Lady Freida is so clever. I always felt she understood him better than he understood himself and relays that to us in her profound art It revealed to me the phallic symbolism of the devil card and once I saw that I understood how it works to free people and aligns completely with your clairvoyant understanding His dominion through his powerful sexuality served him, hurt those who became trapped and blocked his ascension
You are a brave girl to website Crowley! This was fascinating. I was reminded of William Blake’s quote,” The road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom.” This was apparently Crowley’s life path, including his choice of parents whose teachings he rebelled against. It will be interesting to see what he will manifest in his next life. I’m also reminded of the metaphysical definition of evil: “unfinished good.” I was also reminded, as I noted elsewhere, of Dante’s Divine Comedy. Virgil, representing Wisdom, lead Dante into the hell of self-knowledge but he could not lead him out of there. Only Beatrice, who represented Faith could lead him up into Paradise.
Hardly anyone in your field will touch Crowley. A few on the Thelema deck but again, certainly not detailed and informative as your work. Thank you. He has always been an interesting occultic modern figure. Great awesome job. Thank you. Lady Frieda was a force of the High Priestess an incredible artist adept and woman. The path is varied but it always leads into the spiral. ❤️
Thank You! Very enlightening. I couldn’t help but relate to what you have said to what is going on in our politics in the US currently. Thanks for the insight. You are so very much appreciated. Love, Light and Blessings to you for the service that you provide for me and individuals around our world. ❤️😇🙏
Wow Dear Maryanne, you are one brave and strong Woman….this was definitely SPOOKY and in such good hands, yours…. thank you again for demonstrating how we are cradled by the ONE and that finding a spiritually positive approach conquers all fear!!! Not spooky at all if we learn the way to stay in the light! I hope the moth was Crowley coming from the dark, still being drawn to the light!!..thank you again..this perhaps was my favorite jewel i have seen you present….so ethereal, So earthy.
Very fascinating reading of a very fascinating and unique individual. You are a very brave person to do this. He’s also been a most curious person of history. You delved into the why of him and how he followed his own “yellow brick road ” . Enjoyed this very much. Also the chakra part. Thank you, so stimulating. A truly unique and evolutionary person. Perfect for Halloween. Blessings to you and yours and all of us. Cannot forget Lady Freida also a very special unique lady that you brought to our attention. Thanks again our special lady 😇
Thank you for this as I was given a Thoth Deck some years ago and have never used it. I love the artwork so I am glad to be using them for the first time in the next few weeks as I start reading about US Politics and the upcoming Trials. The hedonistic lifestyle can be all-encompassing when in the throws of it until it consumes you as it did Mr. Crowley. I learned to stop placing judgment without the whole story. Thank You!😍🤗
Thank you for this, your work is always very much appreciated. The Thoth deck is the only deck I own. An acquaintance wrote a book about the deck so it was my introduction to tarot reading. He said that the deck was often too powerful for people but it never lied. The brief time I spent with the cards I found that to be true. I’m glad to know this deck, or the man was never “evil” and I never got that sense from the book, the deck, or my few readings. Everything is packed away and I do miss my deck as I watch you but like everything else, I guess there’s a time and a place. I hope so anyway. As always, I look forward to seeing you and hearing your voice in these uncertain times. I’ve been able to accept parts of myself I’ve kept close, and closed. Your light helps more than you know, and I know it helps more than just me. 💙
Could be wrong but reading up on Crowley he wasn’t very well as a child. He went to the Alps to help with his lungs, which led to climbing. His wife suffered from addiction, and pretty sure he lost a child. Need to pull out his book and reread it. Several benefitted from his knowledge. Fascinating article, so glad you dove in to this❤
Thank you so much for doing this reading. I had read one book on him decades ago and have carried with me his lesson of how to climb the highest mountain by focusing on one small step at a time. And I am glad you chose the young picture of him, I looked up the mature pictures and….yikes! I can see why he was intense to read on!❤
Well done Maryann, well done. I love this deck and it’s depth of intuition. It is the first tarot deck I bought specifically due to connection, understanding and influence of Rudolf Steiner and Anthroposophy. I particularly appreciate hearing more about Lady Freda. Thank you for bringing this depth of understanding to us, much appreciated.
Hi MaryAnne, Wow! I don’t think I have words to express this reading.I totally commend you for going into these characters, dark as they were. I was both in awe & blown away! Thought I might research Crawley, but, I think I’ve learnt through you,as much as I want to about this soul. thank you for sharing, and for being brave enough to read on Crawley & Lady Freida. Totally Different from your usual subjects, fascinating all the same. much love & light to you & your family . 💚💚💚
Wow (noticed there were 77 comments before I commented) thanks Maryann what a fascinating and Illuminating reading . I am reminded that sometimes I say “too much root and not enough Chakra ” and He seemed to embody that . The Moth was spot on as was the Light coming out of Your Third Eye at one stage . Lady Frieda was very interesting energy and Wise . Thanks to both of them for coming through and sharing !
Thank you for going boldly into this work! When I was 20, I encountered the Thoth deck and was immediately drawn to it. I’ve never felt uncomfortable with it, although it’s an intense deck. I looked up Crowley’s natal chart, and it’s fascinating – well worth a look. He had Mercury and Jupiter conjunct in Scorpio (diving deep for knowledge, and a “more is better” philosophy), and Mars in Capricorn (in its exaltation – the literal mountain climber) trining Pluto in Taurus.
Thank you for this reading. I love the Thoth deck–it is so powerful and profound. It has so much information on every card and is my favorite deck to use. I once read that Alistair Crowley ushered in a new era that ended the Victorian Era, which had been very repressed. No wonder he went to such extremes.
Yes, thank you for this deep dive into the mystery of Aleister Crowley. My first experience with Tarot, was back in the late 1970’s, with a heartfull, powerful Basque healer who had a deep respect for the Thoth Deck and its deep Egyptian roots … the driving curiosity of Crowley dared look into the dark night, but unlike a Carl Jung or St. John of the Cross, my sense his extensive use of drugs to open the veils, and step into the vortex, led him to have his brilliancy become distorted at important junctures and though he opened up some important forms, he also got intoxicated and lost in others. That does not lessen the significance and usefulness of the Thoth deck and Lady Harris’s impressive renditions bringing the images to light. The Magician card alone, is worth its weight in alchemist gold. 🙏🏼
Hello sweet lady. What a wonderful reading! I see how thi difficult this was for you. This is because you have so much light in you. Its hard for you to go there. Its very hard to find a way to describe someone who has great ability to lead, has a higher knowledge but chooses the wrong path. I feel Crowley did just that. We are seeing all those things in our world now. I feel the devil card is a warning of how easily evil can entrap you, hold you hostage in constant bondage that there is little way of ever escaping as is shown on the card. Your devine wisdom always amazes me Maryann. You are a gift to all of us. Thank you💕
Thank you, Maryann! Sounds like Lady Freida Harris’ card was the Nine of Pentacles. Crowley was, indeed, a complex individual-for some reason, Lyle Lovett’s song “You’ve Been So Good Up To Now” comes to mind when I think of Crowley’s story. Your websiteing of this fascinating individual is illuminating. So, thank you again!
This was so interesting, Maryann. At first I felt a little worried about your well-being but as more information came out from Alistair Crowley himself I was able to see the complexity of the man. And that his goal was personal, not evil. I don’t think Lady Frida would have worked with him if he himself had not had something of tremendous value to offer. I feel she was very straightforward. I also want to add that they were people of their time. Victorian England found Crowley to be too much when he took his consciousness to the edge. England was very class-oriented and those who were gentry or had money often did not work. Work was considered demeaning so many of the gentry eventually lapsed into true poverty as seems to have happened to Crowley. I had been afraid of Crowley’s evil reputation but now I see he was just a human who tried his best to make spiritual progress and not hurt anyone else. Thanks so much for bringing us once again 2 fascinating people so important to our tarot-reading history.
Absolutely superb work Maryanne, I really felt the man Crowley communicatiing with and through you. I avoided him and the Toth tarot for years based on his reputation and my own prejudice, but I now use it often especially if I’m reading on something dense and need a higher line to spirit. You might like to read Gary Lachman’s 2014 biography of Crowley (published by Penguin) as it will resonate greatly now that you have brought Crowley through. Huge thanks for this.
Maryann, thank you so very much for this websiteing. What you have said is what I had picked up when I purchased his and ladyFrieda’s cards…. It due to what “others” have said, I was cautious of using them. I felt he was a VERY unconventional person and enjoyed pushing the limits .I trust you, and seeing you also have his deck, I’ll feel more comfortable reading with these. Thank you again you wonderful woman.❤️💝
Wow Maryanne… thank you for this websiteing of Aleister Crowley and Lady Frida…💙 I have to say that your description of his dark and lighter sides sound, almost identical to my former teacher, Nome. It’s so interesting how the lighter and darker aspects…of any awakening journey …are quite different from that of what so many of us thought might be enlightenment! Your description of his addiction to the space like quality, I feel is warrant for further discussion, as, for many years, I felt that space-like quality was the primary goal of any awakening. Not only the primary goal, but one that needed ‘sustaining.’ That kept me I. The loop for so long but it was not until I had a deliberately placed ‘auric block’ (for relational control) AND ‘psychic implant’ (for extreme surveillance) pointed out by several seers. Additionally, your descriptions of the drug-like addiction to that space-like experience…on the earthly plane…can lead to all sorts of debauchery, which, in the early years, by all accounts was certainly the case at SAT before I arrived on the scene in 1989. Once, when I experienced a vast space-like feeling…out to the farthest, reaches of the universe…Nome’s co-teacher, Russell, said “That was more than enough time to awaken!” I love your openhearted acceptance of what is coming through your websiteing regarding those darker and lighter aspects…which exhibit in, probably, all humans of the planet. The controlling aspect is precisely the aspect I am reporting on with regard to my former teachers.
Maryann, back in the 80s when I first became interested in mysticism, I met a Tarot reader at a psychic fair in Atlanta. He used the Crowley Thoth deck. I made an appointment and went alone to his apartment in the “hippy” section of Atlanta which now appalls me. He did a reading in which there was a special card in that Crowley deck only, not the Rider Waite. I haven’t thought of this is years and don’t remember many details but it seems that it was black and red. Anyway, when it fell, he gasped and said I had special healing powers as that card had special energy. He then began to chant and I must say, the sexual energy filled the room and was frightening. Your remarks help me understand that. In those days, I didn’t listen to my intuition as attentively as I do now and didn’t get up and run like I wanted to. At some point he did tell me he was gay and I guess that was to signal that I didn’t have anything to worry about. I bought that deck for myself and did throw it away after reading about Crowley. I still have mixed feelings.
Maryann, thank you for websiteing Alister Crowley. I have always believed he was misunderstood and not evil in his intentions or the way he lived his life. I have often wondered if he studied Goethe’s writing of “Faust.” I have studied the “THOTH” deck with little success. I think now I may have some insight into the direction I need to go outside the deck to learn more about Lady Frieda Harris now. Thank you for your courage to take on Aleister Crowley and see the better parts of his life that we are familiar with in this lifetime, and Lady Freida Harris.
Thank you so much, Maryann. I got the Thoth deck myself a couple of years ago along with a couple of books and I know that what I’ve learned so far is only scratching the surface. Lon Milo DuQuette’s book about the cards also attempts to paint a personal picture of both Crowley and Lady Frieda Harris and their relationship which I have found fascinating. His take on it is from a purely established historical perspective, though, and so I really enjoyed and appreciated your connecting with them on a more personal level. This reading was a really wonderful Halloween surprise! Thank you so much.
I found this very very interesting. Such a shame he did not use all those gifts for good. What a powerhouse he could have been in helping people. He was famous alright but for allt he wrong reasons. I did not know much of Freda but they did portray her in Downton Abbey, good to learn a bit more about her and the Cards they both produced. Thanks so much Maryann, I am sure it was a bit chilling at first for you but very educational in the sense of understanding more about him. “Evil”, is a word used to often to describe things that are not evil as such but not in the light eith. I do not feel he was evil but he had a deep wound. A very deep and interesting man and very missunderstood perhaps. Love and light.
There was such an awakening during his early years. Once again, the powers that be…religious in particular, but also educational and governmental wanted to close it down. It did a good job. As it is exactly unfolding today. Look at Blavatsky, Alice Bailey works, etc. there was a chance we could avoid the world wars and greed that have overtaken us. It was a renaissance period. Just has not yet seen for the power that it was. Can we overcome it this time? If not, it may be too late. If you are at all drawn to it study the ancient wisdom…also known as the occult. No reason to be afraid. If you are not me at to know you will not understand the words. They had no clear path. They had to try out many. I think it’s great you decided to do this. Time for humanity to wake up and grab their power that has been stripped from us.
Maryann, you look stunning. When this article opened, I had to check that it’s recent, because your haircut and color of top knock years off you. Thank you for your courage to do this fascinating deep dive. I’ve also felt put off from Crowley’s work, but now understand he embodied to break the binds of man-made limitations and Christian dictates and experience the highest wisdom of the occult. That it eventually entrapped him in its uncontrollable forces, reminds me of Donald Trump who came in as an agent of change he fell so deeply into, he has become the worst of it. I’ve been curious about Crowley’s tarot deck and pleased to hear your feelings about it.
Thank you for your courage to dive into Crowleys world. Interesting, and you always try to find something positive with people.:) Just Crowley’s name give me goosebumps. I read about his life a couple of years ago, and then my Crowley deck was thrown out of my house, lol. I have experience from a long life that here is darkness, as young I didn’t believe that. I have met a person that had about the same dark energy as Crowely. I advise everybody to be careful with the occult. However, I saw a light like an orb appear behind you sometimes, Maryann. Have you some ideas what that was? This was the most creepy Halloween I’ve ever experienced, lol. 😄🧡Greetings from Northern Europe.
Hi Maryann, very interesting info on Crowley, thank you for that. By the way, don’t know if you did anything to your hair but it looks great! You look great and the red color of your sweater looks really good on you. I am such a huge fan and watch all your articles. I am extremely grateful for all you do.
Thank you Maryann!🙏🏼 this was incredible. I’ve studied Crowley, not at depth but was always curious about the energy that was actually there. Wow, your energy fluctuated a lot trying to wrastle in his energy. That must have been exhausting. He almost had a mania about him at times. He was like a huge conduit, and connected with a lot of different realms. It’s interesting a male with a lot of wealth and incredible intelligence. That is like musk. No limitations, doesn’t live in the world like we do. in a realm as dense as this it can go a lot of directions with no one to stop you. Interesting. So interesting that Frida knew Steiner. I just started studying him. Thank you Maryann. Happy Halloween. 🎃 You are incredible. 🙏🏼🎃🧡🌙👻🧡🌙🎃💀🧡👻🎃🙏🏼🎃🧡👻🌙🎃😉😉✌️
Fascinating! Thanks for moving onward with your reading rather than allowing the “spookiness” to stop you! Sounds as though addiction became a curse in Crowley’s complex life. Also, his work as a spy may never be fully appreciated. Bet he was slandered profusely, but under the circumstances at the end of WWII, never could reveal the Truths that were being twisted. Hopefully, he helped more Souls than he hurt. PS The MOTH was a wondrous visitor… as were the LIGHTS moving horizontally in the darkness behind you!
Thank you very much. I believe he learned more than he shared with the world. The path he trod has many fine lines that he crossed. But then, not everyone has balanced enough to walk a tightrope. He was on a quest for knowledge that he never quite got, as to my knowledge he never repudiated the full on hedonism he espoused. He went, I believe, much farther than most hedonist dare. I feel that he never quite reached that knowledge that he now has, which is to understand what harm he could/did inflict was, in the end, his to accept and own. Power games of all kinds should be played most cautiously, be they for money, fame or sexual gratification. I believe there is a biblical quote about gaining something and if it worth gaining should it cost you your soul. Valor indeed to risk all.
As I’m listening to you, I’m getting that he used up or exhausted all of his spiritual chi and didn’t have enough to “come back”, to ascend from the depths…like a diver who becomes so fascinated by what he experiences in the depths of the sea that his oxygen tank runs out before he can reach the surface again.
Curiously, I had just finished reading one of Hemingway’s very short essays in “A Movable Feast” where he briefly mentions Crowley. At a cafe in Paris, Hemingway notices a man in a cape passing by with a tall woman. Hemingway thought it was a writer named Hilare Belloc, but his friend identified the man as Crowley and called him a “diabolist.”
First, Thank you as always for your generosity Mary Ann! You are brave in this reading! Dark vortexes? Not so much, thanks! lol. Second, I kept getting the image of Queen Victoria as you spoke of the excesses he indulged in… There was so much sexual repression in the name of religion during those times. As well as judgment of the poor and anyone different… (sounds familiar, hmmm?) It feels as though he had internalized some of that repression and was trying to work through it but went too far (in my opinion.) I have been using this deck since the early 70s. I have intentionally avoided knowing too much about Mr. Crowley but I have deep love and appreciation for the Lady. lovelovelove to you and all who support you, my friend. Happy Samhain!
Doing some catch up here. I’ve never heard of this man, but this websiteing is fascinating and so is Crowley. I could tell you were getting a little spooked, which is perfect for Halloween of course. You brave soul. ;D The Devil card looks like it has a penis image in it. Sexual addiction was part of what I was picking up on from what you were websiteing for us. I don’t know if that was a recognized disorder back then. I could be totally wrong of course. But it’s obvious there is far more to the man. Really interesting websiteing. I always learn a lot about people and understanding from these websiteings. Thank you Maryann. Love and light.
Is that style eye used by the Illuminati? Reminds me of an eye from ancient Egypt around the time of the pharaohs and Cleopatra. The Devil card where the goat has the others trapped to ascend himself and hold them down reminds me of Dracos who thrive off other peoples’ fears, depression and other negative emotions.
Crowley explored the Qliphoth. That was his soul path. We are here to reconcile the pairs of opposites…light and dark, above and below evil and good, etc. Who we call “GOD” is the sum total of ALL! He did what he came here to do and he immersed himself into the experience completely! No judgement! How one interprets his life experence is a reflection of the interpreter’s consciousness.
1, 2, 3 … the chakras can manifest a rough ride, can’t they … pointedly a modern problem it would seem … Crowley seems to have experienced it fully … however, that difference between victory and valor is refreshing, and significant along the path … 4 … the second birth … releasing the perception that safety lies in control is frightening … Harris’ role in that dance, perhaps … it is so easy to have our vision overly directed toward the 10,000 … but a huge leap of faith to look further ahead … perhaps she clarified that a bit for the gentleman … and then onward into 5, 6, 7, ? … but, then again, we are here, aren’t we … all in appropriate timing … … … thank you Mary Ann … a very interesting reading … wonderful … blessings of the day to you and to yours …
A Wikipedia bio of Lady Frieda Harris says that after her husband, Percy Harris MP was created a baronet, she was entitled to style herself as Lady Harris, but preferred to be known as Lady Frieda Harris. Maybe it was in order to seem less formal and more approachable. Thank you, Maryann, for this fascinating reading.
Watch the moth it flies to your screen behind you, and vanishes disolves right into the wooden frame. The black and white picture you held up of Lady Harris….at first….my eyes only saw the black parts( hat ect.) When I paused it there….I saw all the black as a silhouette, it looked like an older style, military man, wearing a military hat…lifting a handled bag over her head, ( her hat) did you say her husband was an M.P.?……very different reading….In our lifetime it feels like Putin, and Trump are both locked into this same trap…they can’t escape it……mysteriously Halloween, stuff….deep stuff today….Hugs to you.
I resisted perusal this. I read biographies about him because I was curious. Rock start of the late 60s and 70s were into him. I am aware that biographers can be biased and allow their biases to interfere in their writing. I kept that in mind as I read, I got the impression that when Aleister was a child, he was desperate for attention. When being perfectly good didn’t get the results he wanted, he decided to be perfectly bad. For me, his final words uttered in self-pity, summed up his life, “Sometimes I just hate myself”. Interesting that your reading noted that defeat. The devil card looks like a penis and testicles. The goat image is appropriate being associated with sexuality. For me, his energy reminds me of Jeffrey Epstein. It took courage for you to set aside your trepidation and allow yourself to commune with energies you would rather not get close to. Bravo, Marianne!
I knew absolutely nothing of these two. I saw the photo you showed in the thumbnail of Crowley and assumed it was a younger Hunter Biden. I’ll be honest, it prevented me from perusal for a day or so because I’m saturated with politics. Glad I opened it up. Looking forward to the day or two after our elections.
I didn’t notice if someone else mentioned it, but drawing Lust for him is dead on. You kept getting 7s. Its associated, along with cups, of the goddess Babalon, the woman riding the Beast in the Lust card, the apparent goddess of Thelema.. Also, you wearing red to website him made me laugh. You got to be his Scarlet Woman for the evening.
Why do I feel like there are Baby Boomers now who had generational trauma introduced just by Crowley’s heavy drug use and his followers that went along with it and did it too? I’ve always been taught that you want to leave a good name wherever you go. As I age, I realize that I also want to ensure nothing I do leads to generational trauma for others.
Evil= The degree to which one is separated from the natural order. For humans, evil arises when an ego becomes severed from its Soul. Some people are more or less evil to the degree of separation from the Divine, which is of course an illusion. Evil is a temporal manifestation of humans and has nothing to do with the Divine will. In other words, evil does not have an ontological reality of its own…it is created by humans.