Crowley Thoth Tarot Deck Small Cards – January 15, 1988

Such a wonderful deck. Crowley unlocked the Tarot with this deck, and Lady Frieda Harris gave it an intense beauty. I don't know what other reviewers are talking about, but I received the U.S. Games Systems, INC. edition (small—the playing card sized deck) and the cards are well made and of a good thickness. They're perfect for taking along in a bag. If you want a more "ceremonial" deck, the regular one is nice and big. And if you want to be ostentatious, go with the Large deck! In any case, it's absolutely beautiful, both artistically and spiritually.

THIS IS THE MEDIUM VERSION! It is about the size of normal playing cards & a little shorter than the average Tarot card deck. The Green Box Thoth is the "Large/Standard Version". I believe the blue box is the SMALL version.The deck I received was NOT green, despite certain reviews. That was years ago, due to some publishing crap. The borders on this version are a light grey.I was first drawn to Thoth and Crowley six years ago, at the very start of my Tarot and spiritual journey. I remember there being only two choices in my mind when I placed the order for my first Tarot deck: RWS or Thoth. I went with the Original RWS, and boy do I regret it! I made the choice due to the vast majority of material being used to learn Tarot was based on the RWS, and the common controversy over the Thoth (and what I'm now beginning to read into: Crowley himself). I'm now wondering where I would be if I had chosen the Thoth instead of or in addition to the Original RWS...Since then I've had Thoth and Crowley in the back of my mind for years now!The deck itself is fantastic! I do not see what others claim is so scary about this deck. It is intense, it is detailed, it is bold, and it is beautiful! But scary? No! I simply do not see it. It is not morbid or dark. While I may be a little darker than the average person, I am usually very perceptive. This, however, I simply cannot wrap my head around.I was concerned with the common issue of the Thoth lacking scenic pips. I do not know if I was misinformed or misinterpreted what others have said in regards to the Minors, but for whatever reason I was under the impression they would be minimalistic. While they may not display a full scene of imagry, the pips are very talkative! The expressive style of Harris' rendering of them, in conjunction with the keywords make these Minors VERY readable! Add in astrological correspondences and Quabala, and BAM! -In your face meanings.I can see myself making the purchase of the Large Thoth deck for study and futher clairification of Harris' artwork. -Something I never thought necessary with the RWS! Those are so basic and bland in comparison to Harris's depiction. The imagry itself, in conjunction with Crowley's mad genius enlightenment make this deck stand far above RWS in my mind. Yes, Crowley was a stickler with Harris' artwork, but I have read that she pressured him to create the deck; she paid him money to tudor her in the ways of magick. But, as such, every symbol, every colour, every "backdrop" has meaning! I've read that The Book of Thoth and Thoth Tarot are Crowley's magnum opus, the final culmination of 45 years of magickal/esoteric/spiritual study. That in itself makes this deck far more approachable to me. I cannot wait for the Thoth to "meet me" at whatever level, and I cannot wait for it to grow and adapt to my knowledge base!Finally, I must add that the "official" Magus card is my favourite! The others are nice, too, but this one just "fits" with everything I know about the card. Perhaps it is not important to some, but the fact that I had/have a choice and chose the original speaks volumes to me. I am very individualistic, and I love personalization; but in this case I felt it was not necessary. Crowley's final decison resonated with me, and I'm thrilled!As far as it not being a "beginner's deck" - If you want it, go for it! I certainly wish I did. This deck has opened up so many new windows and doors of study for me and I'm loving every minute of it!***Do yourself a favour and buy DuQuette's 'Understanding Aleister Crowley's Thoth Tarot'. Then, or in conjunction with, buy/read Crowley's own 'Book of Thoth'.*****Then look into: 'The Thoth Companion: The Key to the True Symbolic Meaning of the Thoth Tarot' by Snuffin seems pretty good, as do 'The Crowley Tarot: The Handbook to the Cards' (more in-depth) & 'Keywords for the Crowley Tarot' (more concise & better for purely divination purposes) both by Banzhaf.***Do NOT buy: 'Tarot: Mirror of the Soul: Handbook for the Aleister Crowley Tarot' by Ziegler OR 'The Tarot Handbook: Practical Applications of Ancient Visual Symbols' by Arrien. I've read lots of bad reviews on them.*

I have been into the occult for around 30 years, but was never fond of Crowley or his books, despite encountering his books at an early age.I only became interested in collecting historical tarot decks several years ago. I avoided this deck because I figured it was more of his nonsense. It is, in fact, lovely work by Lady Frieda Harris. I love the art style, and it especially shines on the pip cards, which are much more visually appealing imo than a TdM style deck. It is very clear to read, as well, something I struggle with when using some decks.A great deck that I highly recommend, and I’m especially surprised since it was a deck I only initially picked up as a historical curiosity.

Ok, I have to admit, I come from the Marseille tradition. When I originally purchased these some time ago I wanted to incorporate astrology into my readings and the Thoth Tarot does it plainly and simply enough in some ways. Because I have a personal affinity for the rennaisance period, the style is not as appealing to me. It has an art nouveau stain glass look to it. It's interesting, beautiful and provocative in some cases and although the language used in the deck - changing the order of Knight and King may confuse some it is a really nice system to learn.If you are new to Tarot, then pick your poison. You will need to choose between Crowley and Waite - or at least initially. Choose wisely because they really are quite different even in their similarities. Both systems are interesting and there are similar concepts, but Crowley utilizes different titles on some cards, and yet remains more traditional where the VIII and XI cards are concerned. Waite changes the placement of the Strength and Justice cards to "better coincide with numerology and the zodiac"It really boils down to what resonates with you? What speaks to you personally and on an intimate level? And the funny thing is what may appeal to you may not be the card that speaks to you clearly. So do your homework before jumping into a deck. Search the Internet for images so you can compare and contrast. Once you have determined the best set, go for it with gusto! And above all enjoy the experience.

The art is lovely and the cards are just the right size. Perfect for those into Egyptian mythology and theology!

In spite of the "small" designation, this deck is roughly standard Tarot-sized, not a mini. The stock is sturdy, and it's the only currently available edition I know of that includes the two extra Mage cards.It's NOT green-tinged, in spite of what some reviewers have written. (Actually, the greenies were printed years ago and are very desirable.) This is a good, usable working deck, and I can recommend it as such. My only issue is that there doesn't seem to be a lot of care taken with it - USG seems to consider it just a cheap Tarot for the masses. The doubled text on the bottom border is a little jarring. You can see the work that went into the paintings, and the gorgeous Deco influence. And Mr. Crowley himself is certainly worthy of a better print job (and his writing much more comprehensive and informative than Waite's) - this is one of the big three necessary Tarots, along with TdM and RWS, so minus one star.