Customer Reviews

Swiss Crowley Large Troth Tarot Deck

5 star:		(39)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I got into Tarot in about 10th grade in high school almost a full decade ago. I got my first Crowley deck, the large version, as a freshman in college. As a junior in college I got the small version of the Thoth deck, and I liked it a lot better. With the large cards you need the size of a dinner table to lay out the cards for readings. Then I was looking for the Rider Waite tarot deck because it was the first modern deck and the standard all other decks are judged by. It was the miniature version I got because I liked it better for the small size you could do readings anywhere and it could fit in your pocket. I had heard of this pocket Swiss version of the Thoth deck, and I got yesterday; I ordered it from a local bookstore. The thing I like about this is you get the beautiful artwork and everything else about the popular and highly rated Thoth deck, and the size allows the images of the amazing artwork to show up on the cards even better. In particular, I thought the face on the Magus card looked bad after some use as I began noticing flaws in it. In this version the Magus card doesn't have a bad face on it, it seems to be corrected with the smaller size. Unless you want to do all your readings on a dinner table or living room floor I would stick with the smaller sized decks rather than the large ones.

The Crowley Thoth deck published by AGMuller (the blue box version as shown above) is a very good quality deck, however, I feel I should clear up some confusion about the printing of this deck. AGMuller are a Swiss company but their Thoth decks are printed in Belgium. They should NOT be confused with the US Games version (different box - shows the 2 of Discs on the cover) which is also printed in Belgium. Other reviewers who have complained about the quality of Belgian printed decks are talking about the US Games version (which I believe is now much improved in quality anyway). If you're buying the blue box AGMuller version then you're buying a good quality deck. If in doubt (if you're buying from a Marketplace seller) check the ISBN. AGMuller ISBNs are 3-905021-60-9 (large), 3-905021-25-0 (normal size), 3-905219-06-9 (small). When people talk about the Swiss edition, that's what they're talking about.

This is the Thoth deck printed in Switzerland. This is the one you want to own. The colors of the cards printed in Switzerland are the most true to the original art of Lady Frieda Harris.

I fell in love with the Thoth Tarot after receiving a reading from a friend. The colors in her cards were beautiful and vibrant, and I was mesmerized by the quality of the art work. I immediately ordered a Thoth deck from Amazon.

When it arrived, I was stunned to discover that the cards were not as beautiful as I remembered. The cards had a murky green tinge to them. When I compared them to my friend's deck, I discovered that they were *not* the same. Although the art was exactly the same, the simple difference of the green tint gave my cards a totally different appearance and feeling - ominous and foreboding. Upon further examination, we discovered that her deck was printed in Switzerland and mine was printed in Belgium.

I had to search the Internet for months before I found someone who had a copy of the large deck printed in Switzerland. At that time Amazon did not have the Swiss version, however, they now have it and here it is. It is about $4.00 higher than the deck printed in Belgium, but more than worth it.

The Thoth deck printed in Switzerland is stunningly beautiful and powerful. I have always given extraodinary readings with the Thoth deck, even as a novice. It continues to be my favorite deck to read with.

I highly recommend "The Crowley Tarot: The Handbook to the Cards" by Hajo Banzhaf as a companion book for the Thoth deck, no matter what your level of experience, and "Tarot As Your Companion: A Practical Guide to the Rider-Waite and Crowley Thoth Tarot" Decks" by Hajo Banzhaf as an introduction for beginners.

I have worked with this deck on-and-off, for almost four years, and I must say that it gives very accurate results. I do not think it is a great Beginner's Deck (try Rider-Waite for that)--however, the woman who created this deck infused a wealth of information into the Artwork. Many people are leary of this Tarot deck, due to the fact that Crowley had a less than reputable persona. Yet, from all the research my Wiccan Wife has done, it seems Frieda Harris had a tremendous amount of influence in the project. I believe each person should judge for themselves. Some of the cards do, in fact, have a dark, brooding feeling to them, yet for some of these cards it is deservingly so. The Major Arcana are quite Beautiful and the Esoteric Symbolism worked into the Deck, throughout, is a Wealth of Knowledge. The placement of two Major Arcana cards are different than most standard decks, but comparable with a set of Egyptian Tarot Cards, from another Mystery school.

Previously, I was not willing to review Crowley's works, due to his reputation. However, I discovered that the reputations of the founders of an org. I learned-from were just as impugnable. I must give Crowely respect for at-least being Honest about his nature and not deceiving his students.

As with all things in life, it is best to investigate many different branches of this field of study, but I know that Most of the Tarot Readers I have met use The Thoth Deck more than any other deck in their collection. The Wonderful Artwork and Fascinating Symbolism give the Reader a vast-array of information to draw-from. My Wife is a locally renowned Tarot Reader and she swears by this deck, for accuracy....and, ALL of her friends swear by her Accuracy! <She Never Charges for Readings...it is strictly from the Heart. I strongly advise against accepting readings from people who charge more than $15 for a reading & I would never even Consider calling a Psychic Hotline....they just make Real Readers look bad. Buy a Deck, for yourself and teach yourself.>

The Thoth Deck has some Great Companion Books, such as: "The Tarot Handbook : Practical Applications of Ancient Visual Symbols" -- by Angeles Arrien <&, of course, "The Book of Thoth" by Aleister Crowley, Frieda Harris (Illustrator)>

I suggest buying the hand-sized Deck, because Large Decks are usually very cumbersome and it is hard to get a good psychokenetic feel for the cards. It is always best to have a deck that can be easily manipulated in the hands, for better accuracy in readings.

In my opinion, this deck is one of Crowley's greatest Contributions to those involved with The Mysteries.

I also strongly suggest studying Jungian Psychology, in conjunction with Tarot studies.

Thousands of people believe this is the best deck on the market.

I find the Crowley deck consistently accurate for tarot readings. These cards are not like the Rider Waite (another fine deck) but they offer very valuable information that the Rider Waite deck does not seem equipped to handle. For example, the Crowley deck is fabulous for Pagans, since its themes combine many Spiritual disciplines such as Alchemy, the Cabala, Magic, Astrology, Celt traditions and Mediterranean influences. The Crowley deck can therefore be interpretated across a broad spectrum of religions. Additionally, Crowley was not shy about sexual matters and his deck reflects his deep understanding of sexual nuances, which is something that the Rider Waite seems to avoid. The suit of Wands is depicted in connection with passion in a very emphasized manner and it expresses the fire and exuberance of the sex drive as a represenation of essential passion. Crowley emphasizes the dialectical nature between passion/temperance, masculine/feminine, inner/outer expression, subjective/universal themes. Crowley also represents the gender divide in very comprehensive manner. Crowley offers a princess, a prince, a queen and a knight, which corresponds to the Rider's page, knight, queen and king respectively. An absolutely excellent companion book/manual for these cards is written by German author Hajo Banzhaf (available in English) who is an internationally acclaimed astrologist and tarot reader/interpreter. I find him indespensible,and far more lucid than Crowley, since his intereptations for the Crowley deck (and one of his books offers a Crowley/Waite comparison interpretation for each card) are straight foreward and right on the mark. The Crowley deck is an artistic masterpiece and its designs are very lovely. This is one deck that I highly recommend!

The deck pictured above may not be the one you receive. US Games Inc is resorting to having their Pocket Thoths printed in China instead of Switzerland. The result? The deck looks like a distored bootleg photocopy of the original version: the cards have a yellowish tinge, and are printed on inferior cardstock. The box looks like a small dark blue version of the US Games box for the standard and large size Thoth decks. (with the 2 of disks in the front)

The box cover picture shown above is misleading, if not deceptive. I bought this deck from a Marketplace seller because I thought it is the one printed in Switzerland (which has the above box cover) with the much higher quality pictures. But instead, I received the cheap version of this tarot deck printed in Belgium, which has a completely different box cover picture. I wish these sellers were more honest and straight forward about the products they are selling.

I purchased this deck expecting to receive the one pictured that is printed in Switzerland. All of the other reviews exclaim happily that it is as well. Instead of getting the red and white packaged deck in the mail I got a purple and coloured package from Game Systems U.S.A. that is printed in Belgium. Very dissapointing. The colours are greenish in hue and not true to the originals. I wish that the picture of the item and the reviews hadn't been so misleading, as I never would have purchased them if I had known.

There Is plenty of reviews on here so I am just going to clear up any confusion about which deck this is. There is 3 thoth decks. There is 1 small with white borders one large with green borders and this one (large with white boarders). The green bordered one has very ugly colors and the small one doesn't leave room for appreciation of the beautiful artwork. If your going to get a deck spend the extra (money) and get this Swiss one because It is large and has the most vibrant colors. (If you end up getting the small deck instead of this one, it has 3 different types of the magician..which is neat). Aleister crowley is a bit nutty, but his terot deck is just beautiful and I highly recommend it.

Out of dozens of Tarot decks I've owned and used over the years, I keep finding myself coming back to the Thoth deck. The images and colors are intense, the symbology encompasses many traditions and beliefs - and Crowley/Harris included the Light and Shadow sides in a completely balanced way, assisting the reader in his/her Quest. Takes some getting used to, for some. For beginners, I would recommend learning with a book written specifically to aid in interpreting the Thoth deck. This deck - I won't leave home without it! (An exaggeration, but I do take it with me when travelling).