The Thoth Companion: The Key to the True Symbolic Meaning of the Thoth Tarot [Paperback]

Michael Snuffin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 8, 2007

Aleister Crowley's Thoth tarot—one of the most respected yet enigmatic tarot decks of all time—offers rich rewards for those who can penetrate its complex symbolism.

Written by ceremonial magician and tarot expert Michael Osiris Snuffin, The Thoth Companion is the key to understanding the true symbolic meaning of the Thoth deck. This comprehensive reference work examines all seventy-eight cards within the context of Thelema, Qabala, and ceremonial magic—the spiritual foundations upon which the deck was built. These detailed interpretations reveal valuable insights, significant correspondences, and Crowley's encoded secrets.

Once you've mastered the meaning behind this legendary deck, The Thoth Companion shows you how to use the Thoth tarot for divination, meditation, developing intuition, and pathworking. Straightforward and user-friendly, this guide also includes a glossary, bibliography, index, and an extensive appendix featuring correspondence tables.

Editorial Reviews

From the Author

The purpose of The Thoth Companion is to explore the symbolism of the Thoth tarot and provide a comprehensive analysis of the deck. Using material from the Golden Dawn and Thelemic systems as the basis for analysis, this book will show how the symbols in each card define and shape the meaning of the card as a whole. In addition, it will reveal the complex correspondences and elusive secrets that Crowley encoded within the Thoth tarot. Chapter One of this book examines the trumps of the deck, and includes an introduction that discusses Crowley's primary sources for the design and symbolism of the trump cards. Chapter Two decodes the complicated symbolic framework of the court cards presented in the Golden Dawn's "Book T" and adopted by Crowley in the Thoth tarot. Chapter Three analyzes the symbolism of the suit cards of the Thoth tarot. Chapter Four gives instructions for tarot divination and includes exercises to help you learn the meanings of the cards and develop your intuition. Tables of symbol sets and correspondences are included in an appendix.

About the Author

Ceremonial magician and professional tarot reader Michael Osiris Snuffin has studied and used the Thoth Tarot for over a decade. He is an initiate of the Ordo Templi Orientis and the founder of the Temple of Light and Darkness, a group of operative magicians united to work through the Golden Dawn system of initiation in accordance with the Law of Thelema.

Michael Osiris Snuffin received a BA in Liberal Arts with an emphasis in Communications and Media from The Evergreen State College, and went on to earn an Editing Certificate from the University of Washington. He lives in Seattle, Washington, where he works as a freelance editor and writer.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Llewellyn Publications (November 8, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0738711926
• ISBN-13: 978-0738711928
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #322,993 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Michael Osiris Snuffin has studied and practiced various forms of occultism for over fifteen years, with particular interest in the Golden Dawn, Post-OTO Thelema, Chaos Magick, and the Left-Hand Path. With the help of the spirit Glasya-Labolas, Osiris founded the Thelemic Golden Dawn group Temple of Light and Darkness in 2003, and served as its Chief Adept until leaving the Temple in 2010. He has given lectures and written essays on Thelema, evocation, tarot, and other occult subjects, and has published some of his work at www.hermetic.com/osiris.

Michael Osiris Snuffin has a BA in Liberal Arts with an emphasis in Communications and Media from The Evergreen State College, and more recently earned a Certificate in Editing from the University of Washington. He lives in Seattle, Washington, where he works as a freelance non-fiction book editor.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Clear and Helpful, August 17, 2008

By 

John Calendo (North Bergen, NJ United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Thoth Companion: The Key to the True Symbolic Meaning of the Thoth Tarot (Paperback)

Excellent. Clear where Crowley's "Book of Thoth" is confusing. The author adds in the reference points that Crowley left out, and there is no meandering off topic as in Crowley's writing.

As with the Crowley book, there is a scholarly symbol-by-symbol analysis that allows the reader to understand the card for herself, rather than, as in many Tarot books, a menu of adjectives and action verbs, supposedly a distillation of the symbols in the card.

Better to understand the card itself and then distill the meaning on your own. This makes for more dynamic readings, grounded in the present moment and you own intuitions at that moment.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A deep book, July 12, 2008

By 

Star Child "Yvonne" - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Thoth Companion: The Key to the True Symbolic Meaning of the Thoth Tarot (Paperback)

This book as its title suggests, covers the meaning behind the images and symbols of the Thoth tarot deck. If you are looking for an understanding of the images and symbols this book will definitely help you. The author describes everything from the Qabalistic (Tree of Life) perspective. For every card there is an indepth description including the Minor cards.

What it doesn't have however, is a long description about what the card means in a reading. But I don't feel that this is the purpose of the book. There are plenty other books that do that including Angeles Arrien The Tarot Handbook and Tarot the Mirror of the Soul by Ziegler. I am happy I bought it as it adds to my Thoth Tarot book collection and each book I find fills a gap. I thought it was worth the buy.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thoth Companion, March 20, 2008

By 

R. Billings (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Thoth Companion: The Key to the True Symbolic Meaning of the Thoth Tarot (Paperback)

This book is really well written and informative. I've found it to be a great addition to my collection of tarot books, as it has unique content not found in my other books. It explains complex content in a comprehensive way that is not at all condescending or mysterious. This book has something for anyone interested in the tarot, from a beginner to an expert level.