The Book of Thoth

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In Egyptian mythology, Thoth is the god of wisdom, time, writing, magic and the moon.

The Book of Thoth is a legendary book containing powerful spells and knowledge, said to have been buried with the Prince Neferkaptah (meaning youthful ka of Ptah in Egyptian) in the City of the Dead. The reader of the rolls would know the language of the animals, be able to cast great spells, be able to enchant the sky and the earth itself. Anyone who read the book was punished by the gods (usually by having loved ones die unless the book was returned).

In recent years books such as 'The Orion Mystery' by Robert Bauval have created a popular belief that The Sphinx and other Giza monuments are thousands of years older than currently suspected by orthodox Egyptologists. Members of this movement often suggest that the Book of Thoth has been posited beneath the paws of the Sphinx for some 12,000 years.

Based on this legend, Aleister Crowley wrote a book also called The Book of Thoth describing the philosophy and the use of the Thoth Tarot, a deck of Tarot cards designed by Crowley and painted by Lady Frieda Harris. The Thoth Tarot has become one of best-selling and popular Tarot Decks in the world. The Book of Thoth, while being the definitive commentary on the cards, was written for the reader already well-versed in a broad range of esoteric studies. An easier to digest commentary on the deck and book is offered by Crowley expert Lon Milo Duquette in his 2003 Understanding Aleister Crowley’s Thoth Tarot.

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