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A Handbook For the Thoth Tarot
An Excerpt From Gerd Ziegler’s
Tarot: Mirror of Soul
A Handbook For the Thoth Tarot
Tarot: Mirror of the Soul can be ordered here
FORWARD
My relationship with Tarot: Mirror of the Soul is a rather personal one. My spiritual quest commenced in the early 1990s. I was in my mid-twenties and started to be curious about life, death, love, and the Universe. I turned to the tarot, and Tarot: Mirror of the Soul was one of my first forays into the subject.
The book was the perfect companion to—what was then for me—the intimidating Thoth Tarot. The book is extremely accessible to the beginning student in that it provides keywords for each card; a short, digestible description of the card; and ends with Indications, Questions, a Suggestion, and an Affirmation. This simple formula allows one to “enter” the cards and actually live with, experience, and feel each one on a deep soul level. This is one of the original meanings of “Pathworking.” It is especially helpful to those familiarizing themselves with the Thoth Tarot by doing daily single card pulls. The cards have an uncanny way of revealing more information and insights as one continues to work with them, and Tarot: Mirror of the Soul is the perfect vehicle in which to embark upon this lifelong voyage.
It has been my long-held belief that we stand upon the shoulders of those who have gone before us. The deck has always been referred to as the Crowley-Thoth Tarot, but who was the woman behind the creation of this uniquely influential and enduring masterpiece? Lady Frieda Harris, as we know her to be called, and the recognition of her role in the creation of the cards is long overdue.
Marguerite Frieda Harris was born on August 13, 1877, in London. She later married Sir Percy Harris, an English Liberal Party Member of Parliament and British baronet, so her actual title is Frieda, Lady Harris; or, more accurately, Lady Harris.
Aleister Crowley and Lady Harris were initially introduced at a dinner party in 1937 by Clifford Bax. In May of 1938, Lady Harris officially joined both the O.T.O. and the A A , choosing the motto Soror TzBA, translating in Hebrew to “Host” and enumerating to the number 93.
She later became Crowley’s student, collaborator, benefactor, artist, executant, and, toward the end of his life, caretaker and one of the executors of his will. By 1947, the year of Crowley’s death, there were very few individuals with whom he had not alienated himself.
It was Lady Harris’s suggestion that they collaborate on creating a tarot deck similar to the Golden Dawn attributions. In 1938, at the outbreak of the Second World War, Lady Harris was engaged by Crowley to paint the seventy-eight cards. Soon after embarking on this momentous task, they began to realize that the traditional descriptions of the cards were inadequate. Lady Harris suggested that Crowley use his lifetime’s worth of study and experience to create the cards. That, coupled with Lady Harris’s creative genius, brought the Thoth Tarot to life.
She was approximately sixty years old at the commencement of the project. That alone should be an inspiration to us all! The project was supposed to take six months, but due to both of them being inherent perfectionists and the difficulties brought about by the war, the project ended up taking five years to complete. Part of the delay was that their communication mostly consisted of physical correspondence and that Lady Harris had to paint up to eight different versions of certain cards because of Crowley’s painstaking demands. Crowley would later write of the Thoth Tarot: “It is the vindication of my life’s work for the last 44 years; and will be the Compass of Power of the good ship Magick for the next 2,000 years.”
Lady Harris had been interested in myriad occult subjects prior to the commencement of the Thoth Tarot. She had been drawn to Mary Baker Eddy’s Christian Science, anthroposophy, Co-Freemasonry, Indian mysticism, and the teachings of Rudolf Steiner. She had also studied projective synthetic geometry and utilized this technique in the execution of the designs of the Thoth Tarot.
As part of being a Co-Freemason, Lady Harris designed three “tracing boards” based on the original designs. Tracing boards are illustrations illuminating the various emblems and symbols of Freemasonry. The three boards were interpretations of the First, Second, and Third Degree tracing boards. They are distinctively hers in that they are rendered in a modern style and utilize bold and energetic symmetry in the creation of the designs.
Lady Harris would contribute artwork for several other of Crowley’s projects, including the image of the Tree of Life on the dust jacket for Little Essays Toward Truth, Crowley’s portrait on the dust jacket for Olla: An Anthology of Sixty Years of Song, and, after Crowley’s death, the cover and frontispiece for Crowley’s funeral program: “The Last Ritual.” Finally, in 1962, she provided the cover art for Liber Aleph: The Book of Wisdom and Folly. There also exist several heart-rending sketches of how The Great Beast appeared on his deathbed.
The Book of Thoth was published in 1944 in a limited edition of two hundred copies, but neither Crowley nor Lady Harris lived to see their beloved deck in print. The deck was finally produced in full-color by Grady Louis McMurtry in 1969 in collaboration with Samuel Weiser. Ultimately, Lady Harris bequeathed the original paintings of the Thoth Tarot to Gerald Yorke, another stalwart associate and executor of Crowley’s will, who in turn placed them in the safe and capable hands of the Warburg Institute in London where they reside to this day.
As previously stated, Crowley fell out with most of his associates throughout his life, so his heartfelt testimonial of Lady Harris in the beginning of The Book of Thoth speaks volumes:
She devoted her genius to the Work. With incredible rapidity she picked up the rhythm, and with inexhaustible patience submitted to the corrections of the fanatical slave-driver that she had invoked, often painting the same card as many as eight times until it measured up to his Vanadium Steel yardstick! May the passionate “love under will” which she has stored in this Treasury of Truth and Beauty flow forth from the Splendor and Strength of her work to enlighten the world; may this Tarot serve as a chart for the bold seamen of the New Aeon, to guide them across the great Sea of Understanding to the City of the Pyramids.
The tarot aids us to access the spiritual and manifest it in our daily lives. The temple we build on the physical plane is a reflection (mirror) of the one we build within ourselves. To seek the Divine, the Cosmic Source, The All, is verily to peer within the Mirror of the Soul. This classic text has stood the test of time and is an invaluable reference source for beginning and seasoned tarot students alike.
— Diane Champigny
PriestessThea-Soror Shahin
FORWARD
Just as we use a mirror to observe our exterior, we can use the images of the Tarot to approach our inner reality. An adventurous expedition! The images of the Tarot are a mirror of the images in our souls. The longer we look inward, the more we discover about ourselves and our lives.
A mirror reflects visible reality without judging it. It shows the beautiful and the ugly, the pleasant and the unpleasant. It cannot do anything else. We can put it aside or shatter it if we don’t like our reflection, but doing so won’t change our appearance.
The images of the Tarot describe spiritual conditions. In using the cards we see our inner reality from new perspectives. The images are neither “positive” nor “negative,” neither “for” nor “against” us. They simply offer hints and clues. We can examine them, choosing either to discard or consider, ignore or use them.
Many people are afraid to confront their inner reality; they may find ugly or unpleasant aspects of themselves. They pretend to know themselves, often believing they really do. They expend enormous amounts of energy in maintaining an illusory facade; the more illusory, the more desperately they defend it and the greater their underlying fear. Yet each defensive action, each denial, reveals, rather than hides, the underlying insecurity. Fear, narrow-mindedness, repression, constriction and a sense of isolation result, and the true inner reality remains unknown.
Surprisingly, we learn to accept and love ourselves only when we stop trying to hide, and hide from, our inner reality. We can only share with others those parts of ourselves which we had discovered and accepted, and can only change those unpleasant aspects in ourselves which we have thoroughly examined, and recognized as needing change.
Self-exploration can be risky at times. Newly won perspectives can upset old habits and attitudes, and shake the very foundation of our belief systems (see The Tower). Yet this is an essential step in any transformational process.
The “rewards” of such an internal cleansing process are great. Each time we reveal and let go of one of our illusions, we come one step closer to our own true, boundless and enduring selves. What we let go and lose in this process never has been really ours; what is destroyed never has been rooted in our true being.
In letting go you arrive at the still place in yourself where you and the stillness are one; you arrive home and you and your home are one.
This book offers suggestions for playing with and increasing your understanding of the Crowley-Thoth Tarot. It will help you in your work with the cards, sometimes guiding your inner exploration, sometimes pointing the way in daily situations and difficult decision-making processes.
Tarot means, above all, subjectivity, and maintaining a vital readiness to being touched. The Tarot’s images, as mirrors of our own unconscious impulses, unlock and make these impulses available to our conscious mind. And we learn to interpret the messages of the cards, as we might interpret a muddled dream, we can discover new inner realms, and gain a glimpse into the mysteries of the Universe in its all-encompassing cosmic order.
Gerd Ziegler
Waakirchen, Germany, August 1984
Zolling, Germany, July 1985
Key Words: openness, trust; ready to take a risk; courage to stand your ground; freedom, independence; creativity; great potential; possibility to take a quantum leap; listening to the heart’s voice.
The Fool is represented by the god of Spring, Dionysus. The green color reminds us of the powerful creative force of Spring. The crocodile (the ancient Egyptian god of creativity) is also the bearer of the greatest creative powers.
The long umbilical cord, connection to cosmic oneness, wraps the Fool in four spirals. The possibility of rebirth is given on all four planes of human existence: spiritual, intellectual, emotional, and physical. The prerequisite is your readiness to change in all areas; your responsibility to self-development.
The four spirals are described as follows:
The first spiral surrounds the heart in heart-shape. It stands for emotional rebirth; the recognition, perception, and acceptance of true emotional needs.
The second spiral bears three symbols. The dove represents vulnerability and sensitivity as requirements for love of oneself and others. The ability to set limits and say “No” in unclear relationships is also needed. The butterfly means transformation (the caterpillar becomes the butterfly). The snakes wrapped around each other (Caduceus) are a symbol for engagement in in healing and health.
On the third spiral lie two naked children entwined. Their presence brings the realm of relationship into the picture. The quality of your relationships with family, friends, business associates, and deep emotional bonds must be reexamined and reevaluated. Which people do you really want around you?
The fourth spiral is occupied by the tiger and the crocodile. The crocodile urges for the development of creative abilities in work and career. The rose it wears symbolizes the unfolding of creative powers. The crocodile’s powerful jaws testify to its endurance and leadership qualities, as well as to the ability to work independently and self-sufficiently. It is possible to break through old, worn-out conditioning.
The tiger symbolizes fear (see Princess of Wands). Dionysus is repeatedly bitten by this tiger, but his gaze remains directed forward. He gives no attention to fear, so it has lost its power over him. The tiger cannot injure him at all. His unshakable faith in existence allows him to be aware of fearful feelings without being their victim. He is liberated, able to be receptive for mystical peak experiences and interpersonal interaction. Basic, dynamic powers are released which drive forward. The onrushing creative unfolding process cannot be held back.
The Fool holds a cup with a base of crystal in his right hand and a burning torch in his left. These are alchemical symbols (see the card XIV Art). They show the meeting of opposite forces which creates the energy for the transformation, the quantum leap, to take place.
The grapes, symbols of fertility, are ripe for harvest. The white spots on the golden background mean Fall (harvest time); falling leaves, dropping, letting go, surrender. The coins at the right, engraved with astrological symbols, reflect the overflowing wealth on all planes which comes when you give your creative energies full rein to unfold.
The horns Dionysus wears reflect expanded perception. The rainbow surrounding his head means wholeness, Unity, the bridge between heaven and earth, inner and outer. Between his legs is a cluster of flowers which represents the process of transformation. At the bottom, the active aspect (the three flowers to the left symbolize body, mind, and spirit) combines with the passive aspect, receptivity, willingness to learn. The simple blossoms below, when united, give birth to the many-petalled blossom above.
The sun symbolizes the creative and transformatory powers released by the melting of basic sexual energy.
Indications: You are ready for a new beginning, perhaps even a quantum leap. Give in, dare to leap, even if fear attempts to hold you back. Trust the voice from within your heart.
Questions: What is the “tiger of fear” for you? How do you imagine the courageous leap into the new? What does it look like? Where does your heart call you to go?
Suggestion: Draw other cards for the above questions if their answers are not clear for you.
Affirmation: I now follow my heart. I am open, and ready to go wherever it may lead me.
Gerd Ziegler (born February 8, 1951) is a therapist specializing in humanistic and spiritual therapy. He studied psychology, political science, theater, and religious studies at Freie Universität Berlin, and also worked with encounter groups, gestalt, psychodrama, neo-Reichian bodywork, and meditation. He studied at the Boyesen Institute in London from 1976–1978. In 1979, his path led him to India, where he spent two years studying and living at the Shree Rajneesh Ashram and Rajneesh International University.
Tarot: Mirror of the Soul
A Handbook for the Thoth Tarot
Gerd Ziegler
ISBN: 978-1578637904
Book (Paperback)
Weiser Books
