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| Author | Aleister Crowley |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Series | The Equinox |
Release number | III (5) |
| Publisher | Ordo Templi Orientis |
Publication date | March 21, 1944 |
| Publication place | United Kingdom |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 288 |
| ISBN | 978-0-87728-950-0 |
| Preceded by | Eight Lectures on Yoga |
| Followed by | The Book of Wisdom or Folly |
The Book of Thoth: A Short Essay on the Tarot of the Egyptians is the title ofThe Equinox, volume III, number 5, by Englishoccult writerAleister Crowley. The publication date is recorded as the vernalequinox of 1944 (an Ixviii Sol in 0° 0' 0" Aries, March 21, 1944 e. v. 5:29 p.m.) and was originally published in an edition limited to 200 numbered and signed copies.
The Book of Thoth explores the symbolism, philosophy, and practical use of theThoth Tarot, a deck conceived by occultistAleister Crowley and painted byLady Frieda Harris between 1938 and 1943. The deck draws upon a wide range of esoteric systems, includingceremonial magic,astrology,alchemy, theBook of Thoth inEgyptian mythology, and the religious philosophy ofThelema, which Crowley founded. It is known for its rich symbolic complexity and integration ofHermetic Qabalah.
The original signed limited edition was bound inMoroccan leather and printed on pre-wartime paper. Crowley sold £1,500 worth of the edition (equal to £57,540 in 2013) in less than three months.[1]
The book is divided into four major parts:
Part One is further divided into three chapters; Part Two into two chapters and an appendix; Part Three into one chapter; and Part Four into one chapter. The book includes a list of plates depicting the Tarot cards as seen by Crowley and Harris.
There is an Appendix A: the use ofthe Tarot in the Art of Divination; and an Appendix B which includes theobiter dictum: "the 'correspondences' are not arbitrary". Appendix B also includes the Key Scale of theTree of Life with theconic sections ofmathematics and a diagram attributing thetrigrams of theI Ching to the tenSephirot.
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