This is the second of my episodic attempts to translate the quatrains of The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam into the visual language of the tarot cards, approximately one card per quatrain. I'm looking for logical transition points in the flow of the text so I can limit these posts to four or five related paragraphs … Continue reading Omar’s Picture Book, Episode #2
Thoth Material
“Better a Live Sparrow”
In my ongoing (and lately intermittent) attempts to transform classic English-language poetry into visual narrative via the tarot cards, one work stands out as the "Holy Grail" of my lofty aspiration: The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam. It is one I have been reluctant to tackle because it is so heavily laden with metaphysical imagery (the … Continue reading “Better a Live Sparrow”
Air Apparent
I put the Book of Thoth's slant on elemental Air under the microscope next. In his discussion of the Ace of Swords, Crowley called Air "all-embracing, all-wandering, all-penetrating, all-consuming." He also said "In nature, the obvious symbol of Air is the Wind, 'which bloweth whithersoever it listeth.'" Taken together, these observation could be seen as … Continue reading Air Apparent
Water, Water Everywhere
Expanding on my analysis of elemental Fire as described in The Book of Thoth, I examined Crowley's observations regarding the other two "primal" elements ("completely spiritual forms of pure energy"), Water and Air, and the special case of Earth, which represents a "crystallizing out" or coalescing of the other three in order to effectively impinge … Continue reading Water, Water Everywhere
The Inner Flame
In re-reading The Book of Thoth for what is now the fourth time, I'm constantly being enriched by fresh insights and epiphanies regarding the esoteric underpinnings of the modern tarot. I've long appreciated Crowley's statement regarding the Hebrew letter Shin (relative to Judgement in the Golden Dawn system of trump-card correspondences) that "The element of Fire … Continue reading The Inner Flame
Ulalume and Thoth: A Perfect Pair
Edgar Allan Poe's somber, stately poem, To -- -- --. Ulalume: A Ballad may represent the peak (or pit, depending on your opinion of Poe) of tarot symbolism above all his other works. It embraces the Moon foremost, but also the Star, the Tower and the Devil, as well as many of the harsher Thoth Minor Arcana … Continue reading Ulalume and Thoth: A Perfect Pair
A Moment’s Reflection
I have now completed my detailed instructional material for the cards of the Major Arcana. In going back over it, I realized just how much of a personal connection I've made with them over the last four decades, and how seriously I've taken Aleister Crowley's advice to heart regarding the best approach to the cards: … Continue reading A Moment’s Reflection
Tarot 101, My Way – Major Arcana: Judgement and the World
Although Judgement (the archaic spelling of judgment, as spell-check keeps reminding me) has a biblical origin, showing the Archangel Gabriel summoning souls to their final reckoning with his trumpet, it is fundamentally a card of individual renewal and regeneration. It is the final bend in the road on the Fool's Journey, a "wake-up call" that presents an offer that can't … Continue reading Tarot 101, My Way – Major Arcana: Judgement and the World
My Thoth Material: Of Gold and Gorillas
I've long considered the Thoth deck by Aleister Crowley and Frieda Harris to be the "gold standard" and the "300-pound gorilla" of the tarot world, and my blog is graced (or littered, depending on your level of tolerance for Crowley) with numerous dedicated posts and incidental references to it. I decided to create a category … Continue reading My Thoth Material: Of Gold and Gorillas
The Thoth and the Liber T: A Deck Comparison
I've used the Thoth deck with the Liber T: Tarot of Stars Eternal in two-deck readings for some time, but it never occurred to me to size them up using my "Friend or Foe" deck comparison spread. The Liber T is an almost worshipful rendering of the Crowley/Harris Thoth - at least in the Major … Continue reading The Thoth and the Liber T: A Deck Comparison
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 