"Price of Wands", "2 of disks. Change" and "Queen of Wands " THOTH TAROT CARD READING/s. These cards were pulled as a triple reading. The Order of the reading is from left to right.

This has been an interesting study of Aleister Crowley through his Thoth Tarot cards.  More so is the understanding of Crowley's influences, and what drove him to devise an offshoot from the Occult societies of the 1800s and 1900s.  And as mentioned numerous times prior in my analysis of the late occultist, was his use of amphetamines, opiates and psychedelics which one could argue were the precursors to 1960s and 1970s experimentation with drugs as a way of opening the mind, and creating new experiences.  But, this comes as a double edged sword, that a many have fallen prey to.  Be it from addiction, psychosis and death.  Only the most masterful mind can delve into the unconscious through intoxication.  So in that sense, I have found his writings tedious to say the least, but understand the driving force behind the Thoth Tarot concepts, as they flow from depressive lows to manic highs, with an in-between of clarity to which through my own readings of the Thoth Tarot I have made them my own. 

The "Price of Wands", is considered a 'court' card of the Tarot, so it is not numbered and after reading Crowley's definition of the card, it is one of the most concise to date.  In fact, there is very little psychosis derived ramblings in his explanation or reading of the card, as it is written almost like a literarily study of what is known as the personality of psychopathy.  And since so-called psychopathy is not a recognized diagnosis, but a so-called overlapping disorder.  The card itself may have been Crowley analysing himself at some point before passing away in 1947.  Of course, I am speculating, but to give an example of the personality background of the card, please refer to this passage (in its entirety) from the "Price of Wands"  Thoth explanation:

 

"...The moral qualities appropriate to this figure are swiftness and strength. But he is sometimes inclined to act on impulse; sometimes easily led by external influences; sometimes, especially in trifles, a prey to indecision. He is often violent, especially in the expression of an opinion, but he does not necessarily hold the opinion about which he is so emphatic. He states a vigorous proposition for the sake of stating it. He is in fact very slow to make up his mind thoroughly on any subject, but always sees both sides of every question. He is essentially just, but always feels that justice is not to be attained in the intellectual world. His character is intensely noble and generous. He may be an extravagant boaster, while slyly laughing both at the object of his boast and at himself for making it. He is romantic, especially in matters of history and tradition, to the point of folly, and may engineer “stunts” or play elaborate practical jokes. He might select some inoffensive nobody, and pursue him for years with every weapon of ridicule) as Swift tormented the unhappy Partridge, all without the least animus, ready to give the shirt off his back, should his victim be in need. His sense of humour is omnivorous, and may make him a mysterious figure, dreaded without reason by people who actually know nothing about him but his name-as a symbol of Terror. This is due to the influence of the last decan of Cancer upon this card. One of his greatest faults is pride; meanness and pettiness of any kind he holds in infinite scorn. His courage is fanatically strong, and his endurance indefatigable. He is always fighting against odds, and always wins in the long-the very long-run. This is principally due to his enormous capacity for work, which he exercises for its own sake, “without lust of result”; perhaps his haughty contempt for the world at large-which however coexists with profound and ecstatic respect for “every man and every woman” as “a star” — is responsible for this..." 

Sound like anybody you know?  So, there are less Occultist aspects to the card, except for the astrological characteristics, as this card represents Cancer and Leo and these star signs are only mentioned briefly at the beginning of the explanation.

Reading:

Open up your mind, and be honest.  Have you not looked for a short cut, told a lie and boostered your grandeur?  Reveling in your own self completion, your own superiority.  While facing the mirror and not caring about the consequence.  To be free from guilt, and to remove the shackles of empathy and compassion.  Is to be the most free one can be.   It is, the ultimate meditation.  To be completely empty, yet at the end of the day, you'll still strive to be the pinnacle of your own power.  To be fulfilled again.  Surrounding by the flames, sitting on the chariot controlling the untamed lion.  The challenge beacons,  and despite all this, there is a seeking of justice, even though you may not feel it.  In solidarity you side with the underdog, the oppressed, the beaten, the pathetic.  To which you cannot understand why so many have given up.  When life holds a lust, and for the flames that surround, is to conquer that desire, taste it, enjoy it and then discard it.  Aware, but not caring that the instinctive may indeed see the flames, a danger, and stay away.   Seeing that there is, beneath the gaze, a contempt for all of humanity, yet if one does look carefully beyond the stare, they will see also in you an antithesis, be it that abstraction and contradiction of love and care.  

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"2 of Disks.  Change."

One of Aleister Crowley's (d1947) more serene and simplistic cards, which has a straightforward and purposeful message.  Although, structured around Crowley's, at times, Far Right leaning conservative beliefs that "Change" supports "Stability", when instability actually creates change. One must be reminded, Crowley passed away a decade before the extremely important counterculture movements of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s began: Beatniks, Hippies, human/animal rights, environmental movements, sexual liberation and the freedom to choose your lifestyle, mixed with hedonism, which could be argued was akin (without being overly conscious of it) to the spiritual practises of sexual meditation and antinomianism.  However, Crowley was part of the 1900s 'New Age' movements, which had affiliations with Proto-Fascism of the 1920s, and forumulated aspects of early conspiracy theories that an unstructured society is a threat to human progression.   So, it is interesting to view the "2 of Disks.  Change." as a hippie-esque type card, however it would be more attuned to 1960s styled occultism, of fusing the Eastern and Western esoteric, into a sibyl inspired reading.  From the Book of Thoth, Crowley offers clues to the card, that it represents Earthy wisdom, reflecting the 2 of the Chokmah (Tree of Life) from the Qabalah.  Which in turn tries to hold its balance between the stability of Jupiter, the upper part of the card, and the lower Capricornus, Pan the unruly horned goat.  Also note, Crowley's interest in Chinese Taoism, with the Yin and Yang symbols, intertwined with a crowned snake in its number 8 configuration, consuming its own tail, indicating the infinity of the Universe.

Reading:

Let chaos bring in change, finding order through meditation.  Above is the stability of the planet Jupiter, the behemoth and its gravity, protecting the wisdom of the Earthly realm, from cosmic destruction; the remnants of dead planets.  Pan and the Capricornus maybe the god of the wild, but its mistrief offers a reprieve from the mundane, be it that stability is the opposite of change.  And change is what we require.  Balance is the harmony of the infinite, the number 8.  Yet, we are of the finite, so change will originate from the self, and will end with the self.  

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Despite the strong feminine imagery of a crowned Queen sitting upon a throne of geometric flames, with a chain mail vest, holding a wand with a Bacchus pine cone at its tip, which represents Bacchus, the Roman God of wine.  With her left hand perched upon a leopard, which is protecting her.  Her face radiating ecstacy.  Aleister Crowley's (d1947) renown chauvinist and at times misogynistic leanings are revealed, paradoxically, in his own interpretation of "The Queen of Wands" from the Book of the Thoth, as follows: "There is as much pride in this card as in the Knight, but it lacks the spontaneous nobility which excuses that error. It is not true pride, but self-complacent vanity and even snobbery. The other side of her character is that she may have a tendency to brood, come to a wrong decision thereon, and react with great savagery. She may be easily deceived; then she is likely to shew herself stupid, obstinate, tyrannical. She may be quick to take offense, and harbour revenge without good cause. She might turn and snap at her best friends without intelligible excuse. Also, when she misses her bite, she breaks her jaw!"  I rest my case.  So, I will redefine the reading of Queen of Wands, in its correlation of the card's imagery, with very slight aspects of Crowley praising the card from a more revering angle.  And I'll create a more suitable reading.

Reading:

There are Two powers that can be possessed, albeit in its transience, however they are not from the material world.  They are the Feminine and Masculine of completeness.  That can only be conjured from meditation and techniques of transcendental practise.  From ceremonial bliss, one maybe able to attain this, but must be carefully trained, otherwise the knife edge of intoxication, and sexual gratification can lead into an abyss of repetition and ego gratification.  The human mind is infinity capable of taking experience for granted, until it is taken away from it.  And, thus it becomes tormented.  The Queen of Wands represents desire at its most intense, study her features, note that her eyes are closed, yet she is conscious of her ecstasy, the internal sexual energy of the feminine is unrivaled, to which the masculine also possess, yet holds an external posturing, which must be controlled.   The flames have not engulfed her, instead they have become, manifested through the deepest of meditations.  The leopard protects the privacy of the feminine energy, and ensures that the partner does not see this as an ego driven desire, and the experience should not be recorded or verbalized thereafter.   The Wand, in her right hand points North, to the infinite cosmos, the Left, sitting upon her protector, is of the Earth.  Bound by material limitations, the blissful energy of the carnal, one leaves one's own body as neither a male or female.  To view the self, in this act of the amatory, even if one is surrounded by turmoil.  The meditation will be complete. 

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(A.Glass 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026)

All Thoth Tarot readings to date:  chiasmusmagazine.blogspot.com/search/label/Thoth%20Tarot%20reading