Without a doubt, the second most recognizable and used Tarot deck in existence is the Thoth Tarot. While many are familiar with the originator of this deck, the Great Beast himself, Aleister Crowley, less is known about perhaps the most important person in this decks popularity- Lady Frieda Harris. In this episode, we are focussing solely on this infamous deck, the two figures who brought it to life, and the history of it. No one knows this deck better than my guest- Lon Milo Duquette!
My guest for this episode should be familiar to everyone who listens to my podcast. Lon Milo Duquette is an author, musician and Magician who has been active for nearly 50 years. He is the author of some of my favourite books on magic including My Life with the Spirits, Enochian Vision Magick as well as Low Magick. He is extremely active on his Facebook page, and does a daily video show there. Those videos are also put up at Arcanum Luminarium so head there to watch them on YouTube! He also put out a series of classes and workshops a few years ago which is worth checking out. Also, Lon has a Patreon so if you’d like to support his upcoming work, that’s where you need to be!
There is really only one book I would recommend when one wants to learn more about Crowley and Harris’ Thoth Tarot- and you guessed it- Lon wrote it. Understanding Aleister Crowley’s Thoth Tarot is one of the best distillations of Western Lodge Magic ever put into print. Do yourself a favour- grab it. Lon did such an amazing job with this book!
As mentioned in the show, Lon also has his own Tarot deck which has recently been rereleased for purchase. The Tarot of Ceremonial Magick is a fantastic deck which blends Enochian, Zodiacal, Elemental aspects and so much more into one deck- it’s absolutely amazing! Be sure to grab the deck here! Also available as just a deck or just the Book (but getting both would probably be best!)
Show Notes
- Lon Milo Duquette reads Understanding Aleister Crowley’s Thoth Tarot – YouTube
- TarotX.net entry on the Thoth Tarot
- The Book of Thoth by Aleister Crowley – Hermetic Library
- Thoth Sightings – Crowley Biographer Richard Kaczynski showcases all the places where he has spotted the Thoth deck in Popular culture and media. Pretty fun!
- Crowley Thoth dot com – Pretty basic site which does free online readings with the Thoth Deck
- Agm Urania has just released a recoloured version of the Thoth deck which matches the original painting’s colours wonderfully! (Offical website currently down as of posting July 5th 2024, but this is the deck available from Amazon)
- The Large Thoth Deck – I use this deck and while it is big, I quite like it
- My episodes on Crowley’s Liber 777 might be worth checking out as well, although I would probably do this episode differently today
What Magic is This? 