Cult of Tarot Forum

First, I would like to say "Hi!" This is my first post!

My only experience is using a RWS Tarot in the 90's. I am looking to get back into tarot and have the Thoth tarot.

I have looked at previous posts of a similar nature and know the following have been recommended:

Understanding Aleister Crowley's Thoth Tarot by Lon Milo DuQuette
The Thoth Companion: The Key to the True Symbolic Meaning of the Thoth Tarot by Michael Osiris Snuffin

I was also looking at these:
Book of Thoth by A.C.
Tarot: Mirror of the Soul: Handbook for the Aleister Crowley Tarot by Gerd Ziegler
The Ultimate Guide to the Thoth Tarot by Johannes Fiebig, Evelin Burger
Keywords for the Crowley Tarot by Hajo Banzhaf, Brigitte Theler

It seems the Thoth deck is intimately connected to Astrological and Qabalistic symbology. Should I also study books on those subjects?

If so, I am currently considering the following:

Tarot and Astrology: Enhance Your Readings With the Wisdom of the Zodiac by Corrine Kenner
The Qabalistic Tarot Book by Robert Wang

Any input you would give me would be deeply appreciated!

The Kenner Astrology book isn't really going to be helpful in the context of the other stuff you're talking about. If you want to look at astrology, I'd suggest looking at a purely astrological book. The Duquette and others will get you started on how to apply that knowledge to tarot within the Thoth paradigm.

Crowley's The Book of Thoth is the best reference, but can be a bit heavy. DuQuette's Understanding Aleister Crowley's Thoth Tarot Is a good starting point; it's a great help in making sense of Crowley's rather esoteric exposition. It will also fill you in on the basics of the qabalistic and astrological references in the Thoth. for further study, I highly recommend Wang's Qabalistic Tarot, both for its explanation of the qabalistic basis of the Thoth and Golden Dawn tarots, and because it compares the Thoth, RWS, Golden Dawn, and Marseilles tarots. DuQuette's Chicken Qabalah of Rabbi Lamed Ben Clifford (http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/books/chicken-qabalah/) is a humorous, informative, and easy-to-read introduction to Qabalah.

The Ziegler and Snuffin books on your list are user-friendly, but both deviate somewhat from Crowley's interpretations.

Ziegler is really horrible and wishy-washy and not helpful at all. Snuffin is okay but DuQuette is by far the best. I'd leave Crowley's own writings for later.

Anthony Louis' "Tarot beyond the basics" is not specifically written for the Thoth but it gives a good basic introduction into astrology as far as it concerns the tarot. You should aim for knowledge about the zodiac, planets, planetary and other associtions. Understanding the decan system is not difficult and it helps enormously in understanding the structure and inner character of each card.

I second the recommendation of Wang's book, and recommend this thread here on the boards.

It's important to remember that you can start to read just fine with the Thoth without diving into all the esoteric depths. Don't read only books - read with the deck, too. In my experience, the Thoth is a great teacher. Write down all your readings - after you know more, you may find additional layers and things will become clearer.

I also recommend studying the cards thorougly according to their associations. I have done that here, you may wish to have a look. As soon as you see all the cards associated with the Sun or Jupiter together, you appreciate the artistic miracle of the Thoth even more. You can see the different aspects of a planet unfold before your eyes, it really makes astrology come alive.

Take your time with the Thoth. I fell in love with it in the early Eighties, started studying it and reading with it in the middle Nineties, and I still feel there's so much more to know and to understand.

Thank you so much for the helpful (and quick!) responses!

Your advice will help me focus on the important stuff and help me avoid wasting time (and money).