Aleister Crowley's The Book of Thoth REDUX

ALEISTER CROWLEY'S THE BOOK OF THOTH REDUX
(Part 1)
by Aleister Crowley, Rescribed by Ian Burton (Frater Nyx)

THE CONTENTS OF THE TAROT

The Tarot is a pack of seventy-eight cards that includes four suits, like modern playing cards. However, it differs in that there are four court cards instead of three, and an additional twenty-two symbolic cards called "Trumps," each with its own unique picture and title. Although the arrangement may appear arbitrary, it is structured based on the universe's organization and particularly, the Solar System as symbolized by the Holy Qabalah. This will be explained going forward.

THE ORIGIN OF THE TAROT

The origin of the Tarot remains a mystery to experts, with some tracing it back to the ancient Egyptian Mysteries while others believe it only dates as far back as the 15th or 16th century. Nonetheless, the Tarot has existed in its classical form since at least the 14th century. During the Middle Ages, these cards were popularly used for fortune-telling, especially by the Romani people. This led to the Tarot being referred to as the "Tarot of the Bohemians" or "Egyptians," despite the Romani being (likely) of Asian origin. While some people tried to find the Tarot's source in Indian art and literature, scholars still dispute this point. It is believed by some scholars that the Rota (wheel) consulted in the Collegium ad Spiritum Sanctum, as mentioned in the "Fama Fraternitatis" manifesto of the Brothers of the Rosy Cross, was the Tarot.

THE THEORY OF THE CORRESPONDENCES OF THE TAROT

Tradition and authority are not as important in the context of the purpose of this present work, especially regarding the theory of the Tarot correspondences. Just as Einstein's Theory of Relativity is not based on the fact that it was confirmed when put to the test, the theory of ultimate interest about the Tarot is that it is an excellent symbolic representation of the Universe, based on the data of the Holy Qabalah.

(A note on the spelling of “Qabalah”: While there are, at least, 24 different ways to spell Qabalah [QBLH, derived from QBL, “to receive”, Kabbalah/Kabbala is generally the spelling used to distinguish Kosher, Jewish Kabbalah, with the ending “h” distinguishing an accented pronunciation: (Kabbala, Kabala, Kaballa, etc.) reflects the Ashkenazic Jewish manner of pronunciation, while the former (Kabalah, Kabbalah, Kaballah, etc.) indicates the Sephardic way.(1) Cabala spelled with a C is often used for esoteric Christian versions of QBLA, while Qabalah with a Q often suggests Hermetic or Western Occult versions. Since this article is a redux of a staple book of western esotericism, I’ll continue to use its original spelling of Qabalah.-I.B)

The Holy Qabalah consists of different sciences, including Gematria, a science that links the numerical value of a Hebrew word, with other words of the same value or a multiple thereof. For example, the numerical value of AChD (Achad), unity, is 13, which is also the value of AHBH (Ahavah), love. This indicates that "the nature of Unity is Love." By applying Gematria to the name Jehovah, we get 26, which is twice 13, thus signifying that "Jehovah is Unity manifested in Duality."

An important interpretation of the Tarot is that it is a Notariqon of the Hebrew Torah, the Law, as well as ThROA, the Gate. By the Yetziratic attributions, ThROA can be read as:

"The Universe- the new-born Sun- Zero," which embodies the true Magical Doctrine of Thelema: Zero equals Two.
Moreover, the numerical value of ThROA is 671, which is equal to 61 x 11. Here, 61 represents AIN, Nothing or Zero, and 11 represents the number of Magical Expansion.

Thus, ThROA proclaims the dogma, the only satisfactory philosophical explanation of the Cosmos, its origin, mode, and object.

The origin of this system is shrouded in complete mystery, and any theory that explains it satisfactorily demands assumptions that are absurd. To explain it at all, one has to assume that in the obscure past, a group of learned rabbins calculated all sorts of combinations of letters and numbers, and created the Hebrew language based on this series of manipulations. However, this theory is contrary not only to common sense but also to the facts of history and language formation.

It is an undeniable fact that any given number is not merely one more than the previous number and one less than the subsequent number, but is an independent individual idea, a thing in itself; a spiritual, moral, and intellectual substance, not only as much as but also a great deal more than any human being. Its mathematical relations are indeed the laws of its being, but they do not constitute the number, any more than the chemical and physical laws of reaction in the human anatomy give a complete picture of a person.

THE EVIDENCE FOR THE INITIATED TRADITION OF THE TAROT

1. Eliphaz Levi and the Tarot

The origins of the Tarot remain shrouded in obscurity; however, there exists a significant piece of modern history that bears great relevance to the topic at hand. In the 19th century, there emerged a prominent Qabalist and scholar named Alphonse Louis Constant, who was also an Abbé of the Roman Church. Adopting the Hebrew name Eliphas Levi Zahed as his "nom-de-guerre,"(2) he became more commonly known as Eliphas Levi. Besides being a philosopher and artist, Levi was renowned for his literary skills and practical jokes of the "Pince sans rire" (3) variety. As an artist and symbolist, Levi was immensely drawn to the Tarot, and during his time in England, he proposed to Kenneth Mackenzie, a renowned occult scholar and high-grade Freemason, to reconstruct and publish a scientifically-designed Tarot deck.

Levi's works feature his new presentations of the trumps known as The Chariot and The Devil. He believed that the Tarot was a pictorial representation of the Qabalistic Tree of Life, which formed the foundation of the entire Qabalah, and he developed his writings based on this concept. He aimed to produce a comprehensive treatise on magick, dividing his subject matter into two parts: Theory and Practice, which he called Dogma and Ritual, respectively. Each section contained twenty-two chapters, one for each of the twenty-two trumps, with each chapter dealing with the subject represented by the corresponding card. The significance of the accuracy of these correspondences will become clear in due course.

However, a slight complication arises here. Although the chapters correspond, they correspond incorrectly. This discrepancy can only be explained by Levi's belief that he was bound by his original oath of secrecy to the Order of Initiates that had imparted to him the Tarot's secrets.

2. During the 1850s French Renaissance, a similar movement emerged in England, focused on ancient religions and their traditions of initiation and thaumaturgy. Learned societies, some secret or semi-secret, were founded or revived. Three members of one such group, the Quatuor Coronati Lodge of Freemasonry, were Dr. Wynn Westcott, a London coroner, Dr. Woodford, and Dr. Woodman. One of them acquired an old book, either from an obscure bookseller, a barrow, or a library, around 1884 or 1885. Inside were some loose papers written in cipher, containing the material for the foundation of a secret society purporting to confer initiation through ritual. Among these manuscripts was an attribution of the trumps of the Tarot to the letters of the Hebrew alphabet. Upon examination, it becomes clear that Eliphas Levi's incorrect attribution of the letters was deliberate; he knew the correct attribution and felt bound to conceal it to avoid revealing any secrets he was sworn not to disclose. It seems probable that Levi had access to this manuscript on his visit to Bulwer Lytton, in England. Once the correct attributions of the trumps are known, the Tarot comes to life, and all the difficulties created by the traditional attributions as understood by the ordinary scholar disappear. For this reason, one can credit the claim for the promulgators of the cipher manuscript that they were guardians of a tradition of Truth.

3. The Tarot and the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn

To further demonstrate the authenticity of the cipher manuscript's claim regarding the attribution of the Tarot, we must delve into the history of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. Dr. Westcott and his colleagues reconstituted this society and discovered skeleton rituals purporting to contain the secrets of initiation, along with the name and address of Fraülein Sprengel in Germany as the issuing authority. Dr. Westcott contacted her and, with her permission, the Order of the Golden Dawn was founded in 1886.

It should be noted that the G∴ D∴ is simply the name for the Outer or Preliminary Order of the R.R. et A.C.(4), which is an external manifestation of the A∴ A(5), the true Order of Masters.

The man responsible for the success of the Order was Samuel Liddell Mathers. After Fraülein Sprengel's death, a letter asking for more advanced knowledge elicited a reply from one of her colleagues. This letter informed Dr. Westcott of her death and stated that the writer and his associates had never approved of Fraülein Sprengel's action in authorizing any form of group working. The writer advised that the correspondence should cease but also suggested that more advanced knowledge could be obtained by utilizing the knowledge they already possessed and making contact with the Secret Chiefs of the Order. Mathers later announced that he had made this link and that the Secret Chiefs had authorized him to continue the work of the Order as its sole head. However, there is no evidence to support this claim.

In 1900, due to a great deal of petty intrigue and dissatisfaction among the members of the Order, it was destroyed in its existing form. The main preoccupation of all serious members at that time was to get in touch with the Secret Chiefs themselves.

In 1904, one of the youngest members, Frater Perdurabo [The magickal motto Aleister Crowley took upon his entrance to the neophyte grade of the G.D. -I.B.], succeeded in getting in touch with the Secret Chiefs. The Equinox of the Gods provides full details of this occurrence. The message of the Secret Chiefs can be found in the Book of the Law, which has been published privately for initiates and publicly in The Equinox, Vol. I, No.7 and No.10, and with full details in The Equinox of the Gods. A photolithographic reproduction of the manuscript can be found in a pocket at the end of that volume.

It is important to note that the evidence supporting the truth of this claim is internal and exists within the manuscript itself. Whether or not any of the persons involved were truthful in their statements is irrelevant.

4. The Nature of the Evidence

The historical digressions provided essential context for understanding the conditions of the investigation. Now, let us consider the peculiar numbering of the Trumps. While it may seem natural for a mathematician to begin the series of natural numbers with zero, it can be confusing for the non-mathematically trained mind. In traditional Tarot essays and books, the card marked "0" was supposed to be between cards XX and XXI. The secret to understanding the initiated interpretation, which illuminates the entire meaning of the Trumps, is simply to place this card marked "0" in its natural place in front of the number one, where any mathematician would have put it. However, there is still one peculiarity: the cards VIII and XI must be counterchanged to preserve their attribution. The card XI, called "Strength," depicts a lion and refers to the zodiacal sign Leo, while the card VIII, called "Justice," represents a symbolic figure with sword and balances, referring to the zodiacal sign Libra.

Since his initiation to the Order on November 18, 1898, Frater Perdurabo had deeply studied the Tarot. Three months later, he attained the grade of Practicus and became entitled to know the Secret Attribution, constantly studying it with accompanying explanatory manuscripts. He checked all the attributes of the numbers against the forms of nature and found nothing incongruous. However, while writing down the Book of the Law from the dictation of the messenger of the Secret Chiefs on April 8, 1904, he seemed to have questioned his attributions due to the words in Chapter I, verse 57: "the law of the Fortress, and the great mystery of the House of God" ("The House of God" is another name for the Tarot Trump numbered XVI). The messenger provided an answer, "All these old letters of my book are aright; but צ is not the Star. This also is secret; my prophet shall reveal it to the wise." This was frustrating, as it meant Tzaddi was not "The Star." He spent years attempting to counter-change this card, "The Star," numbered XVII, with another but was unsuccessful. The solution eventually came to him years later: Tzaddi is "The Emperor," and thus the positions of XVII and IV must be counterchanged. This attribution is very satisfactory and provides the most convincing evidence that the Book of the Law is a genuine message from the Secret Chiefs.

This correction gives perfect symmetry in the zodiacal attribution, with "The Star" referred to Aquarius and "The Emperor" to Aries. Aries and Aquarius are on each side of Pisces, just as Leo and Libra are on each side of Virgo, forming a loop at one end of the ellipse to correspond exactly with the existing loop at the other end. While technical, these matters highlight the admirable symmetry and perfection of the Tarot's symbolism. Even for the layman, it should be evident that balance and fitness are essential to any perfection, and the resolution of these two tangles in the last 150 years is undoubtedly a remarkable phenomenon.









5. A Summary of the Questions Hitherto Discussed

-The origin of the Tarot is quite irrelevant, even if it were certain, It must stand or fall as a system on its own merits.


-It is beyond doubt a deliberate attempt to represent, in pictorial form, the doctrines of the Qabalah.


-The evidence for this is very much like the evidence brought forward by a person doing a crossword puzzle. He knows from the “Across” clues that his word is “SCRUN blank H”; so it is certain, beyond error, that the blank must be a “C”



-These attributions are in one sense a conventional, symbolic map; such could be invented by someone of great artistic imagination and ingenuity combined with almost unthinkably great scholarship and philosophical clarity.



-Such persons, however eminent we may suppose them to have been, are not quite capable of making a system so abstruse in its entirety without the assistance of superiors whose mental processes were (or are) pertaining to a higher Dimension.

One might take, by way of an analogy, the game of chess. Chess has developed from very simple beginnings. It was a mimic battle for tired warriors; but the subtleties of the modern game, which have now gone quite beyond calculation into the world of aesthetic creation, were latent in the original design. The originators of the game were "building better than they knew." It is possible to argue that these subtleties have arisen in the course of the development of the game. Indeed, historically, the early players whose games are on record had no conscious conception of anything beyond a variety of rather crude and elementary stratagems. However, it is also possible to argue that the game of chess is merely one of a number of games which has developed while other games died out because of some accident. One can argue that it is merely by chance that modern chess was latent in the original game.

In contrast to this view, the theory of inspiration is much simpler and accounts for the facts without violating the law of parsimony. The theory holds that the discovery of the latent possibilities of a given design, whether in art or in any other department of human activity, is due to a genuine inspiration or revelation. The conception of this theory is that of an external influence, whether we choose to call it divine or not, suddenly illuminating the mind of the artist, and revealing to him capacities in his material which he had never realized before. It is important to note that this theory does not necessarily imply a break in the continuity of natural causation; it merely involves a different interpretation of the facts from that of the purely mechanical theory. The theory of inspiration recognizes that the development of any form of art is not a matter of chance, but a result of a guiding intelligence behind the apparent chaos of events.

Footnotes (I.B.):

1) https://www.chabad.org/kabbalah/article_cdo/aid/380679/jewish/KABBALAH-CABALA-QABALAH.htm by Yerachmiel Tilles

2) The term "nom-de-guerre" comes from French and translates to "war name". It refers to a pseudonym, alias or code name used by an individual, especially in military or espionage contexts, in order to conceal their true identity. The use of a nom-de-guerre may be motivated by various reasons, such as personal safety, political activism or artistic expression.

3)"Pince sans rire" is a French expression that literally translates to "pinch without laughing." It refers to someone who is able to keep a straight face or maintain a serious demeanor while making a joke or sarcastic comment. In English, a similar expression is "deadpan."

4) Roseae Rubeae et Aureae Crucis. The Second or Inner Order of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. The R.R. et A.C. practiced Ritual and Ceremonial Magick while the Golden Dawn Outer Order, the one with which most people are familiar, did not. In English it means “Red Rose and Gold Cross.” Modern Magick, by Donald Michael Kraig

5) A∴ A∴: Argentium Astrum/Άστρον Αργόν(Astron Argon)/אריך אנפין (Arikh Anpin) - The A∴A∴ is a sempiternal Order whose heads have attained through personal experience. It is the true and invisible Order which has operated under various names and guises throughout history, with the sole purpose of guiding the spiritual evolution of humanity forward. [see a future article for much greater elaboration into the nature of the A∴ A∴ and what it might truly suggest - I.B.]