Aleister Crowley
Aleister Crowley (1875–1947) was a British writer and occultist associated with the Thoth tarot. His contribution belongs alongside that of Frieda Harris, who painted its images. Together they developed a distinctive esoteric language; Crowley’s reputation is no substitute for studying the cards and their sources.
Background and development
The project with Harris developed from the late 1930s into the early 1940s. The Book of Thoth appeared in 1944. Creating the paintings, publishing the book and issuing later editions of the deck were separate stages, which should remain distinct when telling its history.
Contribution and distinctions
Crowley connects tarot with Hermetic Qabalah, astrology and his religious thought. These correspondences belong to his interpretive system. They are neither universal rules for every deck nor evidence that tarot originated in ancient Egypt.
An example to explore
One example is trump XIV, titled Art in Thoth. Comparing it with Temperance in other decks lets you explore mixture, proportion and transformation. The changed title invites attention to the author’s particular approach; transferring a list of meanings without looking at Harris’s image misses part of the work.
Further reading
You can begin with the images and learn their correspondences gradually. Separate Crowley’s ideas, Harris’s artistic choices and your interpretation of a reading. When comparing the available spreads, check which deck each application uses: reading this biography does not turn a Rider reading into a Thoth reading.