[.ca] The Crowley Tarot: The Handbook to the Cards (ISBN 0880797150)

too many cobblestones:
At first glance, this book seems to be very thorough and well-informed. However, the more I attempted to use it, the more it seemed to use too many words to say too little. This may be because it is translated from German, perhaps lacking the flow and comprehensibility of the original text. Either way, the card "interpretations" are far from concise and tend to meander, resulting in a rather unfocused treatise, sometimes verging on pedantic... The "biographical" section on Crowley seems a bit questionable... "The Crowley Tarot" does have some redeeming qualities, however; the numerous card spread systems are well illustrated and explained, and the "music" and "art" correspondences for the trumps are interesting. A difficulty arises in recommending a clear and informative work on Crowley's tarot. ... There's plenty of information in "The Crowley Tarot", but it is questionable as to how much of it is necessary or useful...

subtle interplay of the alchemist with his mystical .......:
.......companion Most of what the author writes went right over my head . If you understand this stuff , you are truely infinitely wise and bound to the ankh that appears out of the white light . You have come straight out of Ain Soph Or and are melding with the inconceivable that has become visible .You are the transformational power of creation uniting with the vital force . To really understand this book you need to encounter psychical upheaval as if on a tightrope without a net , and with calm trust in your inner growth . The thunderstorm with its thunder and lightning overcomes the disturbing tention in nature . You smash it to bits . Only then are you catapulted out of circumstances too narrow for our simple minds to digest . After that you can declare with a sigh of relief that you have escaped a prison , even if it was familiar . Then you are no longer a skeptic on the threshold of the new age . The embryo of the future already floats in the polluted air under heavens supplied with ozone holes . After all this dancing with the flaming staff , you will be able to clearly see the ambiguity concealed in every card . Ahmen .

Very useful if you have the deck:
The book is very helpful if you're starting with the Crowley deck. Easy to use and suggests some excellent spreads.

My favorite deck!:
This by far is the best deck. And with the handbook, things got more easy and I found more interesting spreads and things to do and more detailed meanings. I don't reccommend this to beginners, but to intermediate and advanced, the sky is the limit. The illustrations on this deck is not only great, but holds true meaning. The handbook goes into detail that is easily understood about the meanings of every single detail on the card. What more can I say? Well, lots, but basically, this is a great deck and the handbook makes it even better! Can't have one without the other!

Fairly thorough material, but *not* a quick reference:
A great book for those interested in reading a bit further into the background behind the Crowlet-Thoth deck, I think the thing that kills most readers on this title is the expectation for it to be an instant interpretation tool....something it's poorly suited toward, since it was written as a bit of an intermediary study tool. The meat and potatoes of this book focuses on giving you the impressions that the two co-authors have of each card in the Thoth deck. While definitely nothing to be taken as gospel, both authors give the impression of having spent some time studying the deck and correspondences, you'll find that there's also the admission of some indecision in a few areas. After the cards codex there's a historical perspective on the developers of the deck, an index of astro/cabbalistic terms with Trump orientation, and a few spread ideas for personal development. Within you'll find a breakdown on the developmental history of the deck...an entry for each card with astro correspondences, significance, and a handful of different contextual divinatory meanings, imagery and applicable imagery history....and a brief history of Crowley and Harris. What you will not find within this book is a quick interp chart for 'reading the tarot in two easy lessons'. If you're looking for that sort of reading tool, pick another book. Designed for the intermediate to serious student of this particular deck, those reading to get a little further into the Thoth deck than the surface will be pleased with this book.