10 of swords "Ruin" Thoth Tarot card: Reading.
10 of Swords "Ruin" is one if Aleister Crowley's (d1947) more interesting cards, with its incredibly detailed by Lady Frieda Harris (d1963) cubism/futurism style art, displayed with such a poignant representation of Crowley's occultism, which was his own Thelema region. Yet, as discussed with these studies and readings to date of the Thoth Tarot, was Crowley mishmash of Age of Enlightenment's fascination with Egyptology, Western and Eastern esoterics, including the Western take on Jewish mysticism via the Qabalah or Tree of Life, which if one is to delve deeper to see how all these fusions originated, the name Athanasius Kircher comes to mind. A Jesuit priest of the 1600s, who wrote about 3rd and 4th BCE Hermetic Syncretism, and was a pioneer as an early Egyptologist, able to read and translate Hieroglyphics, while studying how the Greeks of the BCE era began to incorporate Egyptian gods/beliefs to Greek philosophy and their gods, to form medieval Hermetic structures. Which further lead to alchemy, and then Western occultism and secret societies. That had all petered out in the 1950s.
And also discussed in this study, is Crowley's background and development of the Thoth Tarot and his Thelema religion, was his extensive drug use of mostly amphetamines, which shows the ebb and flows of rambling connotations and more placid explanations of the Tarot. And when in analysis of his own explanations is tedious to say the least. 10 of Swords "Ruin" is a card that represents a mental breakdown, at least according to Crowley's The Book of Thoth, is connected to his Qabalah interpretations and astrology, with, although not as pronounced in other Thoth Tarot cards, Chinese Taoism (as an underlying reading for "Ruin" offering that water in Taoism is calming, Crowley maybe inscribing it as a warning of having unstructured thoughts). Hence, the chaotic fiery background, and the swords representing the Tree of Life (Qabalah) splintered (Tenth sword) within disorder and confusion, with the Sixth 'central' sword being the sun, also broken. Appearing as a reflection of Crowley's own psychotic reworking of what the Qabalah actually represents, which is knowledge and stability. Most likely this card would be read with another Thoth Tarot.
Reading:
Overthinking leads to ruin, and internal disturbance. Unruly thoughts, will evoke fire and destruction of the mind. Be calm, be like water.
___
(A.Glass 2024)
Comments
Post a Comment