Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.

“This card represents the essence of the element of Fire in its inception. It is a solar-phallic outburst of flame from which springs lightning in every direction. These flames are Yods, arranged in the form of the Tree of Life. It is the primordial energy of the divine manifesting in matter, at so early a stage that it is not yet definitely formulated as Will. The Ace of Wands is the beginning or seed of Fire, so that not even Will has formed.” —Aleister Crowley

In general, the Ace of Wands can be interpreted as an optimistic fresh creation. A feeling of inventiveness will arise. One may have an exhilarating new inspiration or a pitch of ingenuity. In one’s professional life there will be a desire to start new projects or become the epitome of self fulfillment and be your own boss. You will come to see that in order to attain true self fulfillment you must first accept that risks have to be taken. For relationships this is a new beginning or revival. Anything occurring will be passionate and ablaze. Take heed of the following word of caution. Avoid becoming impatient, being hot headed or arrogant.

A deeper interpretation the Ace of Wands; let events happen naturally do not try to will things to your way. This is the birth of new ideas. Sprouting out of the flames is the dawn of fresh thoughts and processes. Before jumping into something new, think of what may grow from the seed you are about to plant. As the beating heart and breathing lungs take place naturally and without will, so should you.

Writing a definition for the THOTH deck tarot cards simply for the purpose of divination is almost doing an injustice to the complexity of its symbolism. However, it is only practical to want a concise summary of each tarot card meaning for Divination purposes. See: Tarot Card Meaning: How to Interpret Aleister Crowley tarot Cards

Love is the law, love under will.

Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.

The Magus can skillfully master any situation that arises. Do not be afraid to take the initiative and pursue your will in this matter. This card is always a very positive sign. The Magus brings self-confidence and the ability to achieve whatever you have set out to do. You should, however, avoid attempting to force square pegs into round holes. Instead, navigate your way around seemingly impossible barriers by thinking outside the box and utilizing your unique skills. Reach into your bag of tricks because you already have the tools necessary to conquer just about anything that comes your way.

In relationships, the Magus indicates accepting one’s self and their partner for who they are as individuals. If the magus is positioned in the spread to represent the relationship as a whole, then the partnership has the ability to solve problems together. If the card’s position in the spread indicates only one of the partners, then it can signify that the individual has assumed or has been given the role of the problem solver. This is not always a bad thing, however, that person should be aware of the needs of their partner. It is possible they may be seen as overbearing and controlling. Subsequently, they should try to engage their partner in the decision making process.

If the questioner is asking things of a spiritual nature, the magus represents a breakthrough in their understanding of the nature of the universe. If they have not achieved this already, they are most likely well on their way.

Writing a definition for the THOTH deck tarot cards simply for the purpose of divination is almost doing an injustice to the complexity of its symbolism. However, it is only practical to want a concise summary of each tarot card meaning for Divination purposes. See: Tarot Card Meaning: How to Interpret Aleister Crowley tarot Cards

Love is the law, love under will.

Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.

One thing is always clear when the fool is drawn and that is your normal every day routine is about to be broken and your life is about to change. The Fool tarot card represents new beginnings. These new beginning can be anything from a new job, to a new relationship, or spiritual awaking. The Fool warns against being too careless and encourages the questioner to take an active role in their own life. Pursue this new phase of life with an open mind and optimism and put effort into making it what you want it to be.

In a person’s professional or financial life, The Fool can be viewed as either a curse or a great opportunity. Chances are they are starting a new career or they are feeling like they are at the bottom of the totem pole in their current position. If the questioner is in between jobs or is feeling insecure about their current situation, they should look upon this as an excuse to explore their options. Right now opportunities are abundant and they could use this time to do some freelance work, start their own business, or find their dream job.

If the question deals with spirituality, it is very likely that the questioner feels as if they have just awoken from the matrix. They have been given a glimpse of universal truths and this has motivated them to dive deeper into the rabbit hole to explore the nature of the universe.

It is the nature of the Fool to be a bit naive. Do not turn your back on good advice if there is someone who can help guide you through this situation. It may be a good idea to soak up the wisdom of someone more experienced than yourself.

Writing a definition for the THOTH deck tarot cards simply for the purpose of divination is almost doing an injustice to the complexity of its symbolism. However, it is only practical to want a concise summary of each tarot card meaning for Divination purposes. See: Tarot Card Meaning: How to Interpret Aleister Crowley tarot Cards

Love is the law, love under will.

Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.

The Celtic cross is one of the most useful tarot card spreads for use with divination. It provides the depth necessary to explore any question. This is probably the reason why it has been the most commonly used spread since it was published in The Pictorial Key to the Tarot, by A.E. Waite in 1910. I highly recommend that any practitioner interested in doing readings for other people learn to use this spread. The diversity of this spread and the fact that it is so widely known make it the perfect choice for commercial or even friendly use.

• Card 1.) The card in the first position represents the situation as it stands today; how the questioner sees it.
• Card 2.) The second card in this spread indicates additional elements surrounding the immediate situation. It could be anything from forces helping the questioner to obstacles, impulses of the questioner or even parallel situations that have an effect on the present query. This card is neither positive nor negative. It can be either depending on how it relates to the situation and the other cards in the spread.
• Card 3.) This card represents something the questioner is already consciously aware of.
• Card 4.) Card four works at the unconscious level; these are the hidden influences on the situation. While these factors are usually internal, sometimes they can indicate circumstances or individuals in the shadows working for or against you.
• Card 5.) The fifth card in this spread looks to the past to bring the full picture into view. This card generally indicates the reason why the present situation came about in the first place.
• Card 6.) Card six is your first indication of events that will come to pass. This is a very short term look into the future–usually not more than two weeks–and is likely the catalyst that sets the rest of the events into motion. I usually encourage people to act at this point in order to influence the final outcome of the reading.
• Card 7.) This card reveals the way the questioner feels about the situation.
• Card 8.) Card 8 is the environment surrounding the questioner or the immediate situation. It can also refer to people impacted by the question. For example, if the question is in regard to a relationship between two people, this card represents the other person.
• Card 9.) The 9th card represents what the questioner hopes or fears about the situation at hand. This card gives insight into the intention of the questioner.
• Card 10.) Card 10 illuminates the conclusion of the situation that is in question. This is the long-term result of the events discussed in the reading. It is important to note that the future is not written in stone and the questioner always has the ability to alter the course of events by their actions.

Unlike some of the more simple tarot card spreads we have discussed, The Celtic Cross is not meant to be read card-by-card. Instead, consider all of the elements of the reading together and formulate a narrative that incorporates all of the things learned from the reading.

Love is the law, love under will.

Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.

If you are new to tarot divination, I highly recommend learning to read the cross. Out of the entire range of tarot card spreads, The Cross is a spread you will use forever. This spread gives you a short simple reading that identifies the situation, issues a warning, suggests an action, then tells you where the situation is headed. These readings are generally used for more general questions, such as, “How is my relationship doing?” or “Am I making good progress on my project?”

• Tarot Card 1.) The first card in the spread represents the situation.
• Tarot Card 2.) The second card in this spread shows an action that should not be taken. It can indicate something to watch out for.
• Tarot Card 3.) The third card indicates the action that should be taken to receive the outcome indicated by the fourth card in the spread.
• Tarot Card 4.) The fourth card in this tarot card spread indicates the outcome of the situation if the action suggested by the card in position three was taken.

Even after you have started using more intricate tarot card spreads, the cross can be used to check the meaning of a specific card that may have confused you in the former reading. It is not uncommon that you will get a card that does not seem to fit in with the rest of the reading. Rather than trying to fit it in where it doesn’t make sense to you, try laying out the cross spread with the question “What did card X represent in the previous reading?” Once you have determined the meaning of the ambiguous card, you can summarize the entire reading for the asker.

• Tarot Card 1.) The first card embodies the core concept of the card in question.
• Tarot Card 2.) The card in position 2 shows what the card in question did not mean.
• Tarot Card 3.) The third card indicates the overall meaning of the card in question.
• Tarot Card 4.) The fourth card summarizes the purpose of the card in question. This is what it was meant to add to the reading, and generally, the card in this position corresponds to the position of the card in question.

Love is the law, love under will.

Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.

Of all of the tarot card spreads, the next step spread is probably the simplest of all tarot card spreads to learn. Even though this is a simple spread, it can be quite effective when you are feeling indecisive or want to carefully navigate your way through a sticky situation. This tarot card spread typically focuses on the short-term answer to a question like, “What is my next step”? The result of this spread is something that needs to be acted upon within a very short period, usually not longer than two weeks.

• Card 1.) The card in position 1 represents the present situation; how the asker perceives it.
• Card 2.) The card in position 2 does not matter yet. This card should not be the present goal or the present worry. Put it out of your mind for the time being.
• Card 3.) This is the important card of the spread. This card represents the action that should be taken. I have found it can reveal information about the situation that you may have previously overlooked.
• Card 4.) The fourth card in the spread represents the outcome of the situation if the action suggested by card 3 is taken. Once you notice this result, it is time to redo the spread if you would like the tarot to guide you through the next step as well.

Do not give too much thought to the outcome suggested by the card in position 4. This spread is not intended as a beginning to the end style reading. The purpose of this spread is to assist the asker by helping them navigate the situation step-by-step.

A small warning for the wise; sometimes you have to follow your own instinct. Allowing the tarot to dictate your every move is a kin to the infamous super villain in Batman—Two Face—allowing the flip of a coin to dictate his every move. If the action suggested by the spread does not sit right with you, it may be because you have allowed your fears or hopes to influence your interpretation of the reading. Of all of the tarot card spreads, the next step spread can be the most useful tool in your arsenal if you approach it with an open mind and use it to creatively troubleshoot problems.

Love is the law, love under will.

Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.

One of the core principals of any Gnostic tradition is that spiritual knowledge comes from within and not from external sources. It is important that you develop your own relationship with the cards and not allow yourself to be forced into a specific interpretation just because some book, or website tells you that a card means some specific thing.

When you first begin to use the cards for divination, it does not hurt to have some loose interpretations of the cards handy, so that you can get the general feel for what the meaning of the card is, such as the book Keywords for the Crowley Tarot, by Hajo Banzhalf and Brigitte Theler. This book is a very general quick reference guide that provides keywords and points out key symbols in the cards of the THOTH tarot deck. While I am doing readings, I generally have this book close by just in case a particular spread is giving me some trouble. I will be posting general interpretations of each card of the Crowley THOTH tarot deck to be used as a starting point for individuals looking to jump right into divination. However, they are only a general guide. Your best readings will be done with your intuition, using tarot card meanings, as a tool to aid you.

To get a more thorough understanding of the THOTH tarot deck it is important that you spend some time getting to know each card and read what Aleister Crowley wrote about them in The Book of Thoth. Spend some time considering the symbolism, how Crowley intended it to be used within Thelemic mysticism, and what it means to you. Another book worth reading on the subject is Understanding Aleister Crowley’s Thoth Tarot, by Lon Milo DuQuette. DuQuette is the governing officer of the O.T.O, since 1975 and is an authority on the volumes of work left behind by Aleister Crowley. His own writing is arguably easier to understand than that of Aleister Crowley. In many cases he sheds light on points that might otherwise be lost if you were left to decode the mysteries of The Book of THOTH on your own. Understanding Aleister Crowley’s Thoth Tarot, Takes the same approach to discovering tarot card meaning as Crowley’s own book, leaving the ultimate interpretations up to the reader, but serves as a great guide to understanding the symbolism and various mythologies that have been incorporated into the cards.

Love is the law, love under will.

Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.

Tarot card spreads assist the tarot reader in determining one tarot cards relationship to another. Over time many tarot readers develop their own spreads or variations on more traditional spreads. They generally implement these variations in order to gain clarity on readings that may be ambiguous without additional cards to help define portions of the reading that may not be clear. Sometimes people you are giving readings to will not volunteer certain information, either because they do not feel comfortable sharing it or because they do not think it is important in the final outcome of the reading, however, these small details can sometimes change the flow of the entire reading. Additional clarity cards can sometimes help you push through these barriers.

Out of all of all of the tarot card spreads available, which should I choose to learn?

It is not a bad idea to learn to use a few different spreads that appeal to you. However, If you are planning on doing readings for other people, you may want to focus on a few of the more common spreads that your patrons will be more familiar with. The first spread I recommend learning is called the “next step tarot card spread.” Then I would suggest the “cross tarot spread,” and overtime build up mastery with the “Celtic cross tarot card spread.”

The Next step tarot card spread is a simple 4-card layout that helps the questioner obtain answers to his or her inquiries of what to do next in a particular situation. This type of reading is very concise, dealing with the specific situation in the present and helps to determine what the immediate reaction should be. This spread remains useful, even after you have mastered the more complex tarot card spreads because the askers follow up question to a more complex spread will often be something to the effect of, “well what do I do now”?

The cross tarot card spread is another simple 4-card arrangement, but its scope is a bit wider than the next step. The first card in this spread shows the focus of the questioner. The second card indicates the action the questioner should not take. The third card expresses the action the questioner should take. And the final card represents the outcome of the situation.

The Celtic cross tarot spread is probably the most commonly used spread and can be applied to any situation. Most people will be at least somewhat familiar with the spread and it will provide a great overview of the situation, where the situation came from and where it is going if circumstances stay as they are. I usually recommend that all new tarot readers make it their goal to master this spread.

Sometimes you will have people come to you who want to ask a question, but they have real trouble formulating a question or even telling you what the question is about. This can be challenging, but you can use the cards to assist the person you are reading in building their question. When I encounter this situation I will generally shuffle the deck and flip over a card. Identify what the theme of the card is then ask the person questions about that. For example, if the card is a heavily materialistic card I will ask the person if they are interested in finding out about their career or financial situation. If they say yes, I will continue to flip over cards and ask them questions until we have built a question for use in the reading. Once the greater questions has been established, I ask the person if they would like to revise the question in any way before we start the reading.

A good quick reference guide for all of the above tarot card spreads can be found Keywords for the Crowley Tarot, by Hajo Banzhalf and Brigitte Theler.

Love is the law, love under will.

Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.

The original tarot card designs were beautiful watercolor paintings done by Lady Frieda Harris. Harris completed the artwork of the Crowley THOTH tarot deck based on the instructions she received from Aleister Crowley; however, it would be wrong to discount the influence of Harris’ own artistic expression on the outcome of the final images.

Harris was a student of Projective geometry—theoretical mathematics—under two of Rudolf Steiner’s brilliant disciples, Olive Whicher and George Adams. One principal of projective geometry states that a central point and infinite space can coexist in the same space. This perfectly illustrates the higher concepts of Qabalistic thought, as well as, the relationship between Nuit and Hadit in Aleister Crowley’s Thelema. More on this subject can be found in: Understanding Aleister Crowley’s Thoth Tarot, by Lon Milo Duquette.

Without Harris, it is quite possible that the Crowley THOTH tarot would not have been published; or at the very least it would not have received as much attention. Harris pushed Crowley to incorporate all of his esoteric knowledge into the design of the cards. She did not want to create just another mundane tarot deck. Harris invested her own time seeking funding throughout the project, in order to send Crowley a stipend and fund publication, as well as exhibitions of the cards. Crowley Noted in The Book of Thoth:

Frieda Harris, who, though she had little or no previous knowledge of the Tarot, possessed in her own right the Essential Spirit of the book.

Love is the law, love under will.

Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.

I am an advocate of the Aleister Crowley tarot deck for several reasons; however, when choosing a tarot deck what really matters is if you are in some way moved by the cards. It does not matter if it is the artwork, symbolism, the creators back story or a fond memory you have from a reading on a particular deck. It is most important that the tool you choose to use is something that you can identify with.

Most tarot decks are copies of the Rider-Wait Tarot deck, co-created by Arthur Edward Waite. A.E Waite based his tarot system on information he gathered while he was a member of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn and was influenced by the works of Eliphas Levi. Wait was in several secret societies and took his oaths very seriously. Unfortunately, this means that he could not reveal everything he learned. This secrecy corrupted his system of tarot, thus the breadth of this corruption is open to debate.

Aleister Crowley was also a member of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, as well as many other secret societies, but was not the type to withhold important information. Crowley’s writings are somewhat obscure because his mind works in geometry, numbers, and symbolism; however, he never attempted to hold anything back. Crowley’s approach to initiation—from my perspective—focused on disseminating information in a manageable way, building on what was learned in the previous grade. This is no different from going to school. It should be noted that all of Aleister Crowley’s original writings are available in the public domain and the edited versions of his volumes of work have been in publication since his death. Anyone can study any of his work at any time they wish.

Aleister Crowley tarot is the culmination of a lifetime of study of world religions and esoteric occult traditions. Moreover, it is created around a philosophical system I support and symbolism I can identify with. In short, the THOTH tarot deck is for me.

Love is the law, love under will.