"6 of Cups. Pleasure", "Knight of Cups" and "3 of Disks. Works" (Analysis/reading soon) THOTH TAROT CARD READING/s. These cards were pulled as a triple reading. The Order of the reading is from left to right.

 "6 of Cups.  Pleasure" represents Aleister Crowley's fascination with the 10th Century Tantric or more specifically Kāmakalā sexual practises to evoke a meditation towards attaining "Godhead", by ingesting the transmission of the "Bindu" (sacred fluid) from the male and female Hindu deities, also seen in Tibetan Buddhism between Yogini female 'Buddhist' cults and their sexual rituals in understanding and freeing oneself from the restriction of transcendence, that being of the material body and its realm of suffering.  Sexual interactions in unorthodox Buddhism were also seen as a way of attainment.  Crowley during the 1900s traveled extensively throughout the Middle East and Asia, as from era that was the 'Age of Enlightenment', the West began to draw in ideas from the East.  However, antinomianism had already been prominent throughout the Christian domination of Europe and America even as its theology began to split.  So, it wasn't a new practice in challenging the taboo within Christian/Judaic and Muslim theocratic belief structures.  Yet, it was the Hindu/Buddhist/Taoists that took it further as a ritual of sexual alchemy, to which Crowley was heavily influenced by, reverting the ritualized ingesting of sexual fluids into his "Sex Magik" requirements from his own Thelema religion.  And interestingly, as discussed with numerous studies of Crowley's Thoth tarot, is his contradiction of aligning himself with Proto-Fascist metaphor of strength and control under a masculine guise.   As Tantric and Kāmakalā  were very much in revering the power of the feminine deities, combining the masculine seminal fluid, with her sacred elixirs (Bindu) into an alchemical potion.   

As also mentioned in this analysis of the Thoth Tarot, is Crowley's influence by Occultist and Western/Russian mystic Helena Blavatsky (d1891), who devised the Theosophical society in 1875, which later petered out in the 1920s, was very influenced by Eastern religions.  But, criticized the Tantric, by deeming it as a transgressive "Left Hand Path", possibly showing up as Western Colonisation and its moral standards over the East.  This can also be seen with Crowley's Thelema beliefs, which may have been a way of selling these Occultist practices/societies to a conservative 1800s and early to mid 1900s, pre the countercultures of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s.

Reading:

View the Six Lotus flowers tilted South, as they point towards the divine transgression, that is the Earthly realm.  Allowing the flow of the feminine elixir to fill the equal amount of ceremonial glasses, but also see, that they are never overflowing.  As Six is the perfect number, equal to itself.  Balanced between the infinity of Three, that is both of the masculine and the feminine, combined it is of the most powerful fluid.  Created by the mortal, like a primordial Earth, it gives life.  So, do not waste it, and do not take it for granted.   The ritual of joining two, to create the flow of one from the eros, is metaphoric in its action.  A practice of mediation, may pleasure be attained, but not for its own sake.  This is of the highest calling, and it is from the self, a release from the material realm and its burden of the material body.  Enjoy the sexual transcendence, the pleasures of meditation, albeit fleeting in its climax, it is however sustained by flowing back into body.  Taste its desire, be released and nourished.  

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Although a more passive card, as opposed to the abundance of militant and Fascist court cards from the Thoth Tarot, the Knight of Cups does however reflect Aleister Crowley's (d1947) judgey qualities when offering his saintly mythological characters, who are usually always male.  Which would be attune to Crowley's own gnostic and Christian beliefs that have been interfused with his version of Occult practises.  Which prior to the countercultures of the late 1950s, 1960s and 1970s had moral standards that were more aligned with Judeo-Christian beliefs than not.  Occultists after and during the Age of Enlightenment saw themselves as proponents of elevated spirituality over the more traditional theocratic belief structures, while sharing the same moral principles.  So, with that being said, Crowley's irritating contradictions of his own moral standards maybe derived from his psychosis driven amphetamine use, who also advocated sexual rituals with his Thelma religion, which was mostly taken from Left Hand path Hindu and Buddhist Tantric practices of using sex as a way to enlightenment, when Crowley visited Tibet in 1905.

The Knight of Cups very much has a self resenting and self judging element to it, which is interesting when compared against the more aggressive Thoth Tarot cards advocating strength and aggression, as though Crowley is judging his passive or feminine side and interests in various intoxication and sexual rituals, he offers a clue with this explanation (Knight of Cups) from the The Book of Thoth :

"When the card is ill dignified, he is sensual, idle and untruthful. Yet with all this he possesses an innocence and purity which are the essence of his nature. But he is, on the whole, so superficial that it is hard to reach this depth. “His name is writ in water...Swiftness and violence ill suit a character naturally placid; it is rare indeed to meet with a person who has succeeded in harmonizing these conflicting elements. He tends to mismanage all his affairs; and unless sheer good fortune attend him, his whole career will be an unbroken record of failure and disaster. Often his mental “civil war” ends in schizophrenia or melancholy madness. The abuse of stimulants and narcotics may precipitate the catastrophe."

A little harsh, don't you think?  Considering the artwork for the card.  Let me see if I can redeem the "Knight of Cups".

Reading:

Who are the worst at judging others?  The ones drowning in sin.  Be honest, be free.  The Knight Holds the Cup towards the heavens, the crab representing Cancer, the sign of water.  Water being the great purifier.  If you indulge in the forbidden, then why do you hide it?  The Knight is honest, he is lead North by his desires, to taste the indulgence, let it be temporary.  Yet he may toy with you, ask what new sensations are to be had, and you may hide your wine and desire and say in feigned judgment, 'do not try and escape this reality'.  But, the Knight is astute, that his high is only for solitude, and to the layman it is for social confusion.   The Knight has already ascended from the material realm, and if he does face South and the card is reversed, he is indeed the fallen, and does so with wryly wit.  It's illuminating spirit is unmistakable, as it is of the great antagonizer and unsettler to the arrogance of man.  If you see the Knight of Cups sitting alone, enjoying sin.  Be wary of inviting the Knight to sit with you, he will play with your contradictions, make you judge his actions and question your own.  Unless you indulge as well.  The Knight of Cups represents freedom of choice.

"3 of Disks.  Works" is one of Aleister Crowley's, more structured and 'Freemason' - esque card's, representing the 18th Century fascination with occultism and Egyptology, when Occult societies in Europe, began fusing Hermeticism via their version of Jewish mysticism of the Qabalah to Egyptology.   And one must keep in mind, Western occultism of the 19th and early 20th Century had very little to do with Left hand Path or unorthodox spiritually, including witchcraft.  By its definition, Western occultism was very much a chauvinistic imprint, and in some cases a prelude to proto-fascist beliefs.  The Book of Thoth reading of "3 of Disks.  Works" is simple and condensed, focusing on the pyramid as a meditative tool, a beacon, as the apex is see as the pinnacle of the pyramidal shape.  Being the middle of the image, equally showing three points, merging into a single locus.   With three circles from each external point of the pyramid, representing Binah from the Tree of Life, which means "Understanding".

Reading:

Focus, on the pinnacle.  Remain still, no thoughts, empty the mind.  You will not forget things, rather your mind will sharpen   Nothing will effect, nothing will be absorbed.  Let go, but remain focused on this point, where the three pyramidal shapes merge into a single perspective.  There is no form.  There is no purpose.  To clearly understand, is to be free from burden.  To maintain a question, will cause distress.  One must let go, before one can advance.  The understanding of life is to maintain the mystique, the mystery.  There is no journey.  Only stillness.  

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

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