1969 · The esoteric system
Thoth Tarot
Designed by Aleister Crowley and painted by Lady Frieda Harris over roughly five years, the Thoth deck (published in 1969, after both creators had died) deliberately layers astrology and Kabbalistic correspondences into the cards — several cards even carry different names from the Rider-Waite-Smith set (Strength becomes "Lust," Judgement becomes "The Aeon"), reflecting Crowley's own esoteric framework rather than a simple reskin of the earlier deck.
Because Thoth encodes a genuinely different symbolic system rather than just different artwork, it isn't something you can learn by swapping the pictures under Rider-Waite-Smith meanings — it needs its own study. TarotCards24 doesn't cover Thoth meanings directly (yet); this page exists so you know what you're looking at if you encounter a Thoth deck.
Frequently asked
Can I use TarotCards24 to learn Thoth tarot?
Not directly — this site's meanings follow Rider-Waite-Smith, and Thoth uses different card names, imagery, and correspondences. Thoth is a separate system that needs its own dedicated study.
Who was Aleister Crowley, and why does his name come up in tarot?
Crowley was a British occultist, writer, and former member of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn who designed the Thoth deck's structure and philosophy, working with artist Lady Frieda Harris to bring it to life.
Why did it take 25 years to publish the Thoth deck after it was painted?
The artwork was completed between 1938 and 1943 and the accompanying book was published in 1944, but the cards themselves weren't printed until 1969 — after both Crowley and Harris had died. The gap reflects publishing history, not a design change.
What does "Thelemic" mean, and how does it relate to this deck?
Thelema was Crowley's own spiritual and philosophical system. The Thoth deck deliberately layers Thelemic ideas on top of traditional tarot structure and Golden Dawn correspondences, making it a genuinely authored philosophical work, not just a redesign of an existing deck.
Which Major Arcana cards have different names in Thoth?
Several: Strength becomes Lust, Judgement becomes The Aeon, the Magician becomes the Magus, the High Priestess becomes the Priestess, the Wheel of Fortune becomes Fortune, and Temperance becomes Art. The World becomes The Universe.
Does Thoth use the same suits as Rider-Waite-Smith?
The suit themes match (Wands, Cups, Swords) but Pentacles becomes Disks. The court cards also differ — Thoth uses Knight, Queen, Prince, and Princess instead of RWS's Page, Knight, Queen, King.
Is Thoth the same thing as Etteilla's "Book of Thoth"?
No, despite the shared name. Etteilla titled his own 18th-century divination deck "Livre de Thot" over a century before Crowley's Thoth deck existed. The two share a name and an Egyptian-themed inspiration, but no design connection.
Is Thoth considered a Golden Dawn deck?
It shares intellectual roots with the Golden Dawn through Crowley's own training in the order, but it's a distinct, separately authored system — not an official Golden Dawn deck in the way some other decks explicitly are.
Do Thoth reversed-card meanings work the same way as Rider-Waite-Smith?
Not automatically — Crowley's own writing discusses card dignity and interaction between cards rather than a simple reversed-meaning table, so RWS-style reversal rules shouldn't be assumed to transfer directly.