Lady Frieda Harris, Artist of the Aleister Crowley THOTH tarot
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
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.
