Customer Reviews

Tarot: Mirror of the Soul : Handbook for the Aleister Crowley Tarot

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1 star:		(1)

 

 

Gerd Ziegler is indeed a genius in his ability to distill the dense symbolism of the Crowley Tarot into practical messages about our inner state. He takes a Jungian approach, examining the symbolism of the cards and integrating it with astrology and the Quabbalah (both of which were strong influences in the historical development of the Tarot). His coverage of each card ends with practical information about how to apply the messages of the symbols in our own lives. This is not a scholarly treatise that would satisfy a serious student of the Tarot, and it doesn't try to be. There are many other academically-oriented books on the Crowley Tarot, including works by Crowley himself. These works are profoundly complex, and not for the faint of heart.

Gerd's book is meant to be used in your daily life. I am replacing a copy that has literally fallen apart with use, and I would highly recommend it to anyone who wants to use the Crowley Tarot as a source of wisdom and guidance. I have been amazed at what a wise, accurate and unerring teacher the Crowley deck and Gerd's wonderful guide have been for me in my own life.

This book is an excellent companion to the Thoth Tarot Deck - if you are new to the Tarot or if you want to do divination with the Thoth deck. Crowley's "Book of Thoth" is a rather meaty tome, and can be daunting to the beginner. To add to this, "Book of Thoth" focuses on the information useful for meditation, pathworking and Magickal theory.

"Mirror" is far more practical in its approach. Each card is reproduced (unfortunately in Black & White rather than Color) with a set of keywords, a basic description of the symbology in the artwork as it applies to a comprehension of the card for divination, and a set of rather new-agey affirmations and excercises (this is my only complaint with the book, however, they make it more accessable, they are small, and I will admit to having used them on occasion). The book ends with some fun items, such as how to find your soul card, & the obligatory layouts.

I have not been exposed to any of his other work, but I just noticed that he has written several other books on the Thoth Deck. This reinforces my initial opinion that "Mirrors" was written to share and make accessable the Thoth Deck and not just to make a buck by invoking Crowley's name.

I recommend getting this book and once you are moderately familiar, grab the "Book of Thoth" to fill in the true depths of most likely the greatest Tarot Deck of all time.

I have to admit that I have not read the book of thoth, and I have not read any other book on the crowly deck, though I would have to say that after I read this book that my Crowley deck seemed to increase in value to me tenfold and it also changed and increased much of my view through the Tarot in General. I have been a small collecter and learned to some degree of the Tarot and this book was definately worth its price. This book is written quite plainly to include a few pages of COMPLETE detail on every card and several chapters on the ways intended or recommended for crowley tarot readings. The discription of the card does not just leave you feeling that you know that such and such means trouble is coming and you should exercise caution, (I would hope anyone looking into the crowley tarot understands the nature of crowley) rather this is a book to follow the path of the tarot as mans growth. Reading this book it completely took the harsh pictures that make the deck sometimes disturbing into a very calculated and helpful tool with very earth shattering sound advise for those that want to have control of there life (just as it seemed Crowley was truely teaching us in his sometimes harsh way)
I recommend it without reservation if you are attracted in anyway to the Crowley deck. Now if you are just getting interested in tarot cards and do not know the back end of a tarot card from adam and don't even know what the Crowley cards look like or that there is a significant differance between decks then I would stop and start doing a lot more suching first before buying this... but definitely come back to buying this.

After purchasing the large size Thoth deck, I knew that I needed a solid book to refer to during readings. Trust me, I checked them all out. From the original Book of Thoth to numerous other attempts to explain the deck.

I can tell you this, Gerd Ziegler has come out with the perfect companion to the Thoth deck. In fact, I carry the deck and book around together as a set.

Anyone who has Crowley's deck will probably agree with me when I say you were most likely "drawn" to this deck. It appears to have very straight forward designs but the more you use the deck, the deeper it gets.

That's why I simply love this book. Since the Thoth deck is very psychological it can be a very "personal experience" to do a reading. In fact, I usually save the Thoth deck for my own readings due to it's inherent complexity.

But, Ziegler gives a great introduction on making "friends" with the cards. Understanding the underlying truths is of great importance. He points out the obvious and sublime with ease. From advice on learning the cards' meanings, to activities that help bring the cards to life, Ziegler not only gives you the symbolic insight but he also asks probing questions that if answered honestly, will lead to a deeper understanding and relationship with the cards.

This book is really all you need to get a deeper insight into the amazing cards Crowley designed. I highly recommend it to anyone looking to further "understand" the Thoth tarot.

Most people don't have all of the meanings and symbols of the Tarot memorized (and I am included in this group). The Crowley-Thoth Tarot is so dense with symbols that one could very well spend many years in serious study and still not have all of the meaning entirely extracted.
If you don't know how Tarot cards work, it's a lot like astrology horoscopes. The information is so general that you read into it what the particular (personal) meaning is. A lot of the cards have to do with change and relationships (these are things that people would be commonly concerned about when they throw the cards).
The beautiful thing about this book is, that when you have some particular reason to go to the cards, the book puts things in a very large (cosmic) context. All of the things that we would normally consider negative are shown to be (in this larger context) just part of a process, which is a really good way to cope with the negative things that happen in life.
The book is arranged first with some introductory remarks about the Tarot in general, and then this particular deck and how to use it. Then each card has its own description. At the top is the title of the card and then its picture. Next, key words and the astrological significance are given - this draws your attention to the basic nature of the card (if you don't 'get' the astrological description, you'll get a sense of it over time). Then there is a lengthy description of the card and what the various elements represent. Finally each card ends with four short statements: Indications, Questions, Suggestions, and Affirmations.
Sometimes I just want to feel a little better about things and get more balance, I just read the key words and the Indications. I highly suggest you purchase this book to go with your Crowley-Thoth Tarot cards. I've been using it for years, and it will take many years more before I outgrow it. If you are really into obscure information, you should also check out the book Crowley wrote on the deck. If you are, like myself, just a normal user - this book is all you need and you'll love it.

I am in wholehearted agreement with the other reviewers. I think that Gerd Ziegler is deeply insightful and I have enjoyed his books for many years. One point of clarification should be emphasized and that is in regard to what some say is his optimism. As a reader, I have used many decks (I am under the impression that more than 2,000 decks are available), and naturally have several favorites, but for some reason, keep coming back to the Crowley deck with Ziegler's interpretation of the paintings done for the cards. When a reader lays out a "Gypsy" spread, the cards are all read upright, thereby eliminating the negative readings for the cards. The "Tower" for instance, indicates a major change or transformation in your life. If the Tower is reversed, does that mean it will be more difficult or less difficult? So, for the reader and the client, it is clearer to be straightforward. Second point: the Tarot is designed teach lessons of life. If people are in trouble, and that is why they come to consult, they need to know a path out of it.
Negativity can be self-fulfilling, even in astrology. If you want a lot of bad news, have your horoscope done. As a teacher, I come from the school where I want to help lead and develop my students. I don't want to be told that a criminal is coming and there is nothing I can do. Astrologers get away from the negative readings by quoting Paracelsus, "The stars incline, they do not compel." Perhaps Tarot should say "You are the creator of your own destiny, and this is what is perceived on a spiritual level for you." Use it wisely.

Having been a student of Jungian Psychology, Ziegler stresses the importance of the subconcious and its perfect refelction that we can view by means of introspection, moreso with the use of our THOTH deck (hence, the title). Mirror of the Soul has layouts varying from standard Celtic Cross to chakra-balancing layouts, to layouts for personal relationship readings. Pretty cool. There are interpretations for each card and as kind of a bonus, Ziegler provides suggestions as to what questions you might want to ask yourself in regard to your readings, etc...

Some THOTH readers have the opinion that this book is too 'uppidy' and therefore not realistic enough... In reality's defense, Methinks we sleep in the bed we make.

Karmasoda

This book was exactly what I needed to aid me in my use of the Aleister Crowley Thoth Tarot. I was able to use it successfully, but what I was looking for was deeper meaning of the cards and I wanted to get even better at it. Including in the book are pictures and descriptions of all the cards with a brief explanation of the deeper meaning and symbolism of the card along with helpful hints on what type of answers you were looking for from the cards. An invaluable resource for those seriously interested in the Thoth Tarot.

This book is concise and clear in it description and approach. It gives information on more than one level for the reader. This allows the reader to understand and explore to their level of ability and awareness. It hints at the metaphorical possibilities without overly guiding the reader.

I've been reading cards since 2001 and through my hands have passed many readings and decks; with some decks, I didn't agree in some card's meanings but If you have some practice, you will notice that every card will portray the meaning associated no matter your beliefs about it. Out of this disagreement, I created my own cards in more than one opportunity to fulfill my own interpretaions and meanings; until I went to Danmark :) I got Aleister Crowley's deck from my Danish wife and, after reading the meanings in this handbook by Ziegler, I commited myself to its study. As you may know, each card has a unique meaning and astrological regent, both explained with such a clarity by Ziegler. Most important is that every colour and form in each card has a meaning. I love that! Finally, I love the interpretation of The Devil, which has been quite misunderstood in most decks I've ever seen. I strongly recommend Crowley's tarot deck and Ziegler's handbook for its interpretation.

Kind Regards from Peru