Thoth Tarot and Dark Matter

The Thoth Tarot embodies the Powers of Dark Matter through the brilliance of Aleister Crowley and Frieda Harris. The Powers of Dark Matter can be accessed using Shamanic Techniques.

Shamans use techniques to access other worlds via a door, crack in the wall, or a cave etc. Similar methods can be employed to enter the world of the 22 Major Tarot cards. One method is to view the back of the card and project oneself through it.

In his book, Echoes from the Void (unfortunately OOP), by Neville Drury, he lists some possible methods of entrance. Drury uses the Thoth Deck as his platform, but it is noticeable that the more common iconography of the Rider-Waite deck is followed. For balance I have included appropriate comments about the Thoth Deck.

Warning! These techniques are not for the dilettante. A thorough grounding in ritual and magical techniques is most advisable, not to mention a period of study of the Qabalah and the Tarot in relationship to the Tree of Life.

The Universe

Technique of passage: The wreath of wheat defines the outer limits of a tunnel or vortex through which the shaman will enter. Regard the dance of the maiden as symbolic of the interplay of the creative energies of creation.

Crowley's description of the Universe card hints at a greater complexity, as this card contains the sum-total of his doctrines. The image is framed by a Vesica Piscis, the fundamental construction of the Tree of Life, and symbol of the birth canal. Within is an ellipse that contains the Shemhamphorash, the 72-lettered name, and below it, the Periodic Table. This card is precisely aligned with the Daughter, the final letter of the Tetragrammaton, and thus with the Princess of Disks, and with the Fool card. The dancing maiden 'manipulates the radiant spiral force, the active and passive, each possessing its dual polarity'. Crowley identifies her dancing partner as 'Heru-Ra-Ha of Atu XIX' (the Sun). Interestingly, there is nothing in the Sun card to identify Heru-Ra-Ha, but in the Universe card we see her embracing a snake connected to a beam of light from an eye (this is a reference to the Ayin and the Devil card). "The Sun, Strength & Sight, Light; these are for the servants of the Star & the Snake." (Liber AL). In the Enochian system, Crowley equates his vision within the 9th Aethyr ZIP to be of the Daughter of Babalon. This card is a symbolic representation of the fertilization of the egg in preparation for the coming of the New Aeon.

Judgment

Rise up on the waves of sound, identifying with the vigour of rebirth which the trumpet proclaims.

Crowley, of course, completely redesigned this card to conform with his vision of the New Aeon. He says: 'The new card is thus of necessity an adaption of the Stele of Revealing.' So far, only the Tarot of Ceremonial Magick by DuQuette actually does this. The Dancing Maiden and the Snake of the Universe card have become the double god Horus under his special name Heru-Ra-Ha, as Ra-hoor-khuit and Hoor-pa-kraat. 'He is solar in nature' removes any doubt that we are talking about the same God. The parents are revealed as being Nuit and Hadith, so we have the Egyptian titles of the Mother, Father, Son and Daughter of the formula of the Tetragrammaton.

The Sun

Enjoy the recovered sense of innocence with your young partner of the opposite sex. Feel the waves of sunlight reaching down, playing on the skin, yet drawing you into the energy vortex which is the Sun itself. Respect the sanctity of the domain beyond the wall for it is a sacred place.

Drury does not say why the domain beyond the wall is a sacred place! In the Universe card, we see the union of opposites (Sperm and egg) in the womb of potentialities. The Aeon card tells us not only the parents, but details of the Divine Twins. In the Sun card Heru-Ra-Ha is Lord of the New Aeon, the time of 'complete emancipation of the human race'. Beyond the wall, Crowley writes, are the twin children, 'eternally young, shameless and innocent'.

The Moon

Reflect on the evolutionary processes that you see before you - the struggle of the lobster to evolve into a land-form shape, the metamorphosis of the wild, brutish dog into a more refined domestic creature, the place of man in the natural domain. Regard the silvery moon-pellets as a dew, a subtle life essence which fertilizes and makes more complex the dominating energy of the sun.

In a sense, this card is the polar opposite of the Sun, and there is compelling evidence within the text and imagery: The Sun has one hill, while the Moon has many. The Sun is 'the Lord of Light, Life, Liberty and Love' while the Moon card has 'horror and fear... All prejudice, all superstition, dead tradition and ancestral loathing...'. While these cards are opposites, nevertheless the Moon card is equated with Pisces.

The Star

Enjoy the sensation of entering into the process of the transmission of spirit and life-force from one vessel to the other. Re-live the process of subtle essence manifesting in an earthen context.

Crowley famously transposed this card with the attributes of The Emperor to conform to the injunction 'Tzaddi is not the Star'. One can understand this card as uniting the polarities of the Sun and the Moon.

The Tower

Feel the electric discharge in the air and endeavour to identify with the ruined tower while imagining that at the same time it enlarges itself into a more strongly fortified dwelling, capable of withstanding the wrath of the lightning bolt. Regard your body as a tower which has to be built on sound foundations with no inner conflicts of intent. The tower itself is now raised anew with humility and respect for the energy sources which sustain the universe.

The Devil

Encounter the Devil but reflect on his incongruous nature; he is an absurd idol of worship which makes all the more tragic the plight on other human beings chained to his command. Dwell upon the imagery of the Devil's face and, realizing that it is a mask which conceals a greater inner reality beyond its outward pretences, feel yourself passing through the hollow cavities of the eyes.

Death

Allow your body to be hewn to pieces, identifying at the same time with the greater, spiritual personality which is released from bondage, and which will now flow with the tides of the spirit. Regard 'death', at this stage, as a process of refinement.

Art

Regard the angel as a spiritual being who provides a profound sense of inner balance. He represents the fusion of the elements into a state of harmony and the stability he offers is a requirement of entry into Tiphareth, the sphere of the Sun which lies just beyond the mountain peaks.

The Hanged Man

Imagine yourself drawing near to the beacon which is the hanged man's head, and then merge with it so that you begin to reflect the light which he is transmitting from above. Reflect on the sacrifice which the subtle inner light has to make in penetrating, dense matter and inwardly thank the figure of the hanged man for acting as an intermediary between matter and spirit.

The Wheel of Fortune

The Wheel of Fortune is itself a mandala, a symbol of infinity. Concentrate on the centre-point, the focus of the eternal process of unfoldenment: and pass through it regarding it once again as a symbol of transformation.

Lust

Identify with the forces of intuition and patience inherent in controlling the animal instincts which are at the core of all human activity.

The Hermit

This card teaches us to trust the guiding inspiration of the inner self, the Holy Guardian Angel. Reflect on the anonymous quality of the sage's appearance, the absence of outwardly expressed individuality. Identify the lantern as an image of the self and become more firmly resolute in the upward climb to the peak of creation, where individuality will become increasingly less important.

Justice/Adjustment

Following the process of refinement and self-transformation that we found in Death, allow yourself to be judged impartially by Justice and submit to her trials. Realize that it is in fact the loving side of the higher side of the higher self that sits in judgment and that only illusions and inconsistencies will be ruthlessly disbanded.

The Chariot

Assume the role of the warrior and imagine the mirror reflecting inwardly on yourself, in an act of rigid self-scrutiny. Enter into the sense of flux which is the process of life and death itself, and regard the warrior not so much as a wanton destroyer but as a scourge of unconstructive and conflicting elements which stand in the way of inner unity.

The Lovers

This card represents the fusion of sexual polarities in the self, a further transformation towards union beyond duality. Consequently the basic impact of this symbolism is recognizing and fusing lovingly with the complementary sexual polarity, embracing the other aspect of one's masculine or feminine nature.

The Hierophant

The Hierophant embodies spiritual authority but simultaneously bestows grace on those who have ears to hear. Again he represents the gradual fusion of solar and lunar principles.

The Emperor

The Emperor, although a merciful aspect of the Great Father archetype, is approached with respect. He should nevertheless be regarded as in some ways unfulfilled - his kingdom is barren without the Empress, and he owes as much to her as the Hanged Man, who similarly had his legs crossed in the sign of four, and also reflected the Great Ocean. The shaman passes from the rocky, mountainous kingdom of the Emperor to the more welcome and abundant pastures of the Empress.

The Empress

The Empress is the supreme representation of Mother Nature, the great womb of all manifested forms, and to encounter her is to return to the very source of created being. It is a reaffirmation of the process of life and fulfilment itself, the home of the River of Life. The shaman surrenders himself to the source of his form.

The High Priestess

The shaman here enters sublime, virginal ground: the very essence of the Universe before its fall into form. This region is the first symbolic domain which will take him undifferentiated into the Void of Space.

The Magus

The magus is the male virgin who has not had contact with the female polarity in order to reproduce and bring about form. He is pure energy and like the High Priestess remains transcendental and essentially unknowable.

The Fool

Within the shaman's journey, this is the supreme path, in which the magician dissolves his very being in the void of the final mystery.