Thelema Trust Tarot Forum

We're Back and Kickin'!

2009-04-20T09:00:00.000-07:00

We're back to our Tarot work after a great break, of which you'll hear more later. Our artist, Hettie, just completed this oil painting that depicts the Thelemic concepts of the Suit of Disks. There's a write-up and larger image on our newly expanded Occult Art pages, where prints are available for purchase as well as the original artwork.

We'll be back to work on the site and if possible our ongoing Tarot analysis this weekend. We've also submitted an illustrated essay to Rending The Veil, an excellent on-line Occult Journal. The essay should appear in their June issue.

We'll continue to post changes as they occur.

93's 93/93
Keith Rowley
Thelema trust

On Vacation

2009-04-02T21:42:00.001-07:00

We are finally off to Botswana for our annual vacation. Under the night stars of Africa we will be celebrating the apex of the Thelemic Holy season under the stars. We will be back on 20th August and wish you all well.

Keith and Hettie Rowley

Tzaddi is not The Star

2009-03-15T09:37:00.000-07:00

I have just completed the first part of a lengthy analysis of The Star. Given the interchange of this card with The Emperor as a consequence of Aiwass' statement in Liber Al, this is a complicated business involving double loops in the zodiac and traditional tarot attributions. I have explained the zodiacal, Qabalistic and alchemical attributions, but work remains to be done on the traditional sequences that The Book of the Law corrected. Your observations will be appreciated. You may read the latest analysis on our Atu IV to VII page.

93's 93/93
Keith

Two to Six of Disks Completed

2009-03-14T05:43:00.001-07:00

I may well revisit my work on the Ace of Disks. Although the element of Earth does equate to the world of Malkhut and to the physical universe, it is better considered as an element in general rather than as the outcome of the process with which it is so strongly associated. This will mean, in essence, moving the analysis to the Atu 'The Universe' - or will it? A little more meditation is required.
In the meantime, the Two of Disks to the Six of Disks have been completed and are available on the main website Tarot pages.

Enjoy,

Keith

The Suit of Swords - New Thelemic Artwork.

2009-03-13T11:26:00.000-07:00

I just had to post this immediately. The work shows the alchemical element of Air as the issue of Fire and Water, thus forming a glyph of the mother letters of the Hebrew alphabet, Aleph, Meim and Shin. A soon as we are able we will add it to our Occult Art and prints sections on the Thelema Trust web site. We hope you enjoy it...

Keith and Hettie

The Suit of Disks

2009-03-08T08:19:00.000-07:00

At long last, we have made a beginning on the Suit of Disks. This was somewhat more complex than we had supposed, and required a brief treatise on latter day developments in physics and cosmology. Since so much has been revealed since Crowley's day, when it seemed that the major part of nature was opening its glories to the scientific scrutiny of our minds, there was quite simply a great deal to be added to the meaning of the suit. After all, the Disks represent the outcome of nature's creative process, of the descent from the simplicity of the deity to the multi-faceted world of Malkhut. Visit our Suit of Disks Tarot Page for this latest essay. And please don't forget to get right back here and leave us your comments, questions and observations.

Keith Rowley

Swords Completed to Five

2009-03-01T05:06:00.001-08:00

I think my friend's trying to work me to death! He requested the Five of Swords, so I have now completed the Ace through to the Five. I guess the card says it all! Enjoy, and tell us what you think. You'll find the Suit of Swords on the link provided. There's a link back here from that page.

93's
Keith

The Ace of Swords

2009-02-28T09:08:00.000-08:00

I'm pleased to say that the first analysis of the Ace of Swords has now been completed. We will be proceeding with the subsequent small cards in the Suit of Swords immediately, so please do check back, or even better, subscribe to this blog so that you can receive notifications of our latest analysis.
As always, your feedback would be tremendously appreciated. So once you've had a look, how about popping back here and letting us know what you think? All constructive criticism gratefully received.

Keith

Four More Cards Completed

2009-02-22T05:28:00.000-08:00

Just a note to say that our Tarot Analysis has just been updated with the following cards:

The Two of Cups
The Three of Cups
The Two of Wands (at long last)
The Empress

You can find the Suit of Cups here, the Wands here and the Atu here.

Please enjoy and give us feedback when you can. And please come back soon.

Keith Rowley

In sequence or not?

2009-02-15T21:04:00.000-08:00

A most interesting question was posed to me on the Aleister Crowley Society Web Site on the forums. The essence of the question was whether the cards should be placed in sequence before a reading is done. My own feeling is that the universe that the tarot mirrors does as it pleases and that the cards need not be re-ordered. But I am definitely not the world's most experienced reader. Any opinions on this? Has anyone got some verified experimental results?

The Ten of Cups

2009-02-11T19:21:00.000-08:00

On request, I have just written an analysis of the Ten of Cups. Now this was not easy, as it threw me completely out of sequence in my thought processes. It required that I introduce a brief introduction to number systems, which I had intended to place in our Introduction to the Kabbalah. Ah well! Such is life. The problem with the Tens is that they sit right at the heart of the return journey to the deity, and as such, they are points of both realization and change. And so, they are even more difficult than the other small cards (excepting the Aces) to explain without a solid metaphysical understanding of the Kabbalah. To see the Ten of Cups Analysis, just click here.
I love this work!

Keith Rowley

The Suit of Cups

2009-02-08T01:40:00.000-08:00

What a major undertaking the analysis of Aleister Crowley's Tarot is! I guess I knew this even when I summoned the audacity to start. Anyway, I've made a start on the Suit of Cups, whose root power is Alchemical Water. It's turning out to be much more complex that I anticipated, and my understanding of Crowley's constant dilemma becomes ever clearer - how to convey in terms comprehensible to the average student the meanings of symbols and structures whose nature morphs under every act of scrutiny and interaction?
It's actually quite like the lessons we learn in engineering and physics concerning non-linear systems. What we find in that domain is that we can NEVER get an answer for all possible situations that is consistent and predictable. We thus call these systems non-deterministic - that is to say that we haven't a clue what they'll do next! Furthermore, it's all but impossible to make these systems repeat their behaviour at any time because they are so sensitive to starting conditions that they diverge wildly from what we would expect them to do even if we are one part in a trillion out in the information we feed them under analysis. That's why we can't predict the weather, or repeat a snooker shot by the way. Anyway, if you're new here, have a look at our site and you'll easily find our Tarot Pages. Join us! Contribute! We'd love to hear from you.

Fraternally in Thelema,
Keith Rowley

On Request - The Nine of Wands

2009-01-30T02:29:00.000-08:00

I was most pleased to receive an enquiry from Kevin/93 who also goes by the epithet Hierophant. Kevin has studied Aleister Crowley's deck for some fifteen years, and so may be regarded as an authority, making our discourse one of fellow students, albeit (hopefully), graduate students.
Kevin's query concerned the Nine of Wands , which is a card far removed from the current stage of our discourse. However, the questions Kevin posed concerning interpretation of the Tarot cards within specific contextual circumstances have compelled me to begin analysis of the numbered cards and their suits as soon as possible. The analysis will run in parallel with our an analysis of the 22 Atu.

So this weekend of 31 January, I will post a brief introduction to the Suite of Wands and an analysis of the Ninth card therein. I will endeavor to answer Kevin's questions concerning specific interpretation. Please join us - and join our forum. I foresee Kevin's participation with me forming the nucleus of an ongoing discussion group - which is in part the objective of this forum. we begin our analysis on The Suit of Wands.

Fraternally in Thelema
Keith Rowley

The Thelema Tarot Forum

2009-01-21T06:19:00.000-08:00

Our new set of essays within which we analyze Aleister Crowley's Tarot deck began in January. Against our better and more reserved judgment, we decided that a new analysis of Crowley's Thoth Tarot Deck is long overdue. Crowley was a truly brilliant man; his mind was encyclopedic, and his knowledge was vast. This has made the comprehension of his own analysis of the deck in 'The Book of Thoth' inaccessible without a solid background in Kabbalah, mythology general science and history. So, (and God alone can save me from my own ambition sometimes), I decided to write an analysis that contains the essential elements of knowledge for understanding of the deck.

The sources upon which I have called over many years in my own occult education, and which I rely on for this exposition span a huge range of literature. I will in time post a bibliography. Please bear in mind that these items are being written extempore, and that much revision and re-writing will occur over the months. Almost without exception, what you see in these early drafts are my spontaneous outpourings as I view each card.

Doubtless, some errors and distortions will creep in from time to time. Also doubtless, there will be disagreement over some of my interpretations which will result in lively and fruitful discourse. So please join us and contribute your opinions, observations, fair criticisms and anything else that adds value to our community. Just click this link to go to our Tarot Pages.

Keith Rowley