
If I could write a screenplay, it would be about the way Lady Frieda Harris (more than Aleister Crowley himself) took the initiative and ensured the Thoth deck came into existence. In my opinion, there is no better way to learn the history and symbolism of the Thoth tarot than to watch Eduardo Filipe Frejta’s hosted 5+ hour video of a Lon Milo DuQuette’s seminar on the topic.
If you click on the card names, a new tab linked to card meanings at TarotX,net will open. This is where I will be directing myself and student readers as a refence when I’m helping with Thoth readings during my “Tarot Lessons” streams on Twitch.
I encourage everyone to read “Clarifying What Attributes And Correspondences Are” before they go too deeply into all the titles, symbols, deities, etc., that are associated with individual cards in most Thoth texts. Some things associated with this deck are painted into specific cards and others things are based on Crowley’s writings including his poetry. I consider Crowley’s writings to be very mystical and full of his personal subjective truths and poetry.
There is only one significant difference between the Harris-Crowley’s Major Arcana Astrological/Hebrew associations and the RWS. “Tzaddi is not the Star” is a piece of knowledge that Crowley he received from his spirit guide. So Crowley associated Tzaddi’s qualities to the Emperor and juxtapositioned the letter He to the Star.
Thoth Major Arcana
Name | Astrological Attribution | Hebrew Attribution | |
0 | The Fool | Mutable Air (Modality) | Alef |
I | The Magus | Mercury | Bet |
II | The Priestess | Moon | Gimel |
III | The Empress | Venus | Dalet |
IV | The Emperor | Aries (Cardinal Fire) | Tzaddi |
V | The Hierophant | Taurus (Fixed Earth) | Vau |
VI | The Lovers | Gemini (Mutable Air) | Zain |
VII | The Chariot | Cancer (Cardinal Water) | Chet |
VIII | Adjustment | Libra (Cardinal Air) | Lamed |
IX | The Hermit | Virgo (Mutable Earth) | Yod |
X | Fortune | Jupiter | Kaf |
XI | Lust | Leo (Fixed Fire) | Tet |
XII | The Hanged Man | Fixed Water (Modality) | Mem |
XIII | Death | Scorpio (Fixed Water) | Nun |
XIV | Art | Sagittarius (Mutable Fire) | Samekh |
XV | The Devil | Capricorn (Cardinal Air) | Ayin |
XVI | The Tower | Mars | Peh |
XVII | The Star | Aquarius (Fixed Air) | Heh |
XVIII | The Moon | Pisces (Mutable Air) | Qof |
XIX | The Sun | Sun | Resh |
XX | The Aeon | Cardinal Fire (Modality) | Shin |
XXI | The Universe | Earth & Saturn | Tav |
Decans are three subdivisions within each of the twelve zodiacal signs. I don’t know at this time if the author(s) of Book T were the first to make attributions of them to the minor trumps or it was borrowed from someone like Levi, possibly in a modified form. That’s a question I intend to explore though when time allows. My assumption is that these titles relate directly to one or more astrological texts available at the time.
The Thoth deck uses the exact same attributions of decans to the pips as the RWS deck. Some of the keywords (found on the Thoth deck but left off the RWS/BOTA decks) are duplicates and others are synonyms of a list found in Book T. Crowley’s versions have become the standard for esoteric tarot.
The ten sefirot (plural of sephira) are part of the Tree of Life which is at the heart of Qabalistic Tarot. Tarot decks can still be esoteric without being Qabalistic. The RWS, Thoth, BOTA, and Haindl decks are most definitely Qabalistic tarot decks. Qabalistic tarot is what I am most well-versed in.
Thoth Minor Arcana
Name | Sefira | Astrological Decan | “Lord of” |
Ace of Wands | Kether | ||
Two of Wands | Chokmah | Mars in Aries | Dominion |
Three of Wands | Binah | Sun in Aries | Virtue |
Four of Wands | Chesed | Venus in Aries | Completion |
Five of Wands | Geburah | Saturn in Leo | Strife |
Six of Wands | Tipareth | Jupiter in Leo | Victory |
Seven of Wands | Netzach | Mars in Leo | Valour |
Eight of Wands | Hod | Mercury in Sagittarius | Swiftness |
Nine of Wands | Yesod | Moon in Sagittarius | Strength |
Ten of Wands | Malkuth | Saturn in Sagittarius | Oppression |
Ace of Cups | Kether | ||
Two of Cups | Chokmah | Venus in Cancer | Love |
Three of Cups | Binah | Mercury in Cancer | Abundance |
Four of Cups | Chesed | Moon in Cancer | Luxury |
Five of Cups | Geburah | Mars in Scorpio | Disappointment |
Six of Cups | Tipareth | Sun in Scorpio | Pleasure |
Seven of Cups | Netzach | Venus in Scorpio | Debauch |
Eight of Cups | Hod | Saturn in Pisces | Indolence |
Nine of Cups | Yesod | Jupiter in Pisces | Happiness |
Ten of Cups | Malkuth | Mars in Pisces | Satiety |
Ace of Swords | Kether | ||
Two of Swords | Chokmah | Moon in Libra | Peace |
Three of Swords | Binah | Saturn in Libra | Sorrow |
Four of Swords | Chesed | Jupiter in Libra | Truce |
Five of Swords | Geburah | Venus in Aquarius | Defeat |
Six of Swords | Tipareth | Mercury in Aquarius | Science |
Seven of Swords | Netzach | Moon in Aquarius | Futility |
Eight of Swords | Hod | Jupiter in Gemini | Interference |
Nine of Swords | Yesod | Mars in Gemini | Cruelty |
Ten of Swords | Malkuth | Sun in Gemini | Ruin |
Ace of Disks | Kether | ||
Two of Disks | Chokmah | Jupiter in Capricorn | Change |
Three of Disks | Binah | Mars in Capricorn | Work |
Four of Disks | Chesed | Sun in Capricorn | Power |
Five of Disks | Geburah | Mercury in Taurus | Worry |
Six of Disks | Tipareth | Moon in Taurus | Success |
Seven of Disks | Netzach | Saturn in Taurus | Failure |
Eight of Disks | Hod | Sun in Virgo | Prudence |
Nine of Disks | Yesod | Venus in Virgo | Gain |
Ten of Disks | Malkuth | Mercury in Virgo | Wealth |
Thoth Court Cards
Name | Elemental Title | Zodical Rulership | MBTI | MBTI Archetype |
Knight of Wands | Fire of Fire | Scorpio-Sagittarius | ENTJ | Commander |
Queen of Wands | Water of Fire | Pisces-Aries | INTJ | Architect |
Prince of Wands | Ar of Fire | Cancer-Leo | ENTP | Debater |
Princess of Wands | Earth of Fire | INTP | Logician | |
Knight of Cups | Fire of Water | Aquarius-Pisces | ENFJ | Protagonist |
Queen of Cups | Water of Water | Gemini-Cancer | INFJ | Advocate |
Prince of Cups | Air of Water | Libra-Scorpio | ENFP | Campaigner |
Princess of Cups | Earth of Water | INFP | Mediator | |
Knight of Swords | Air of Air | Taurus-Gemini | ESTJ | Executive |
Queen of Swords | Water of Air | Virgo-Libra | ISTJ | The Sage |
Prince of Swords | Fire of Air | Capricorn-Aquarius | ESTP | Entrepreneur |
Princess of Swords | Earth of Air | ISTP | Virtuoso | |
Knight of Disks | Air of Earth | Leo-Virgo | ESFJ | Consul |
Queen of Disks | Water of Earth | Sagittarius-Capricorn | ISFJ | Defender |
Prince of Disks | Fire of Earth | Aries-Taurus | ESFP | Entertainer |
Princess of Disks | Earth of Earth | ISFP | Adventurer |
+ first decan of the sequential sign to the the Kings, Queens, and Knights.
These are the most conventional elemental and astrological associations made for the Thoth court cards.
There’s a lot of variance in how the court cards associate with the MBTI personality types. I have provided the MBTI associations I first learned from reading Linda Gail Walter’s work and appear on Tarotx. The MBTI archetype names are fairly conventual and found on 16personalities.com as an example. I plan to create a list of archetype names that are more nuanced for the Thoth Court cards when time allows.