A Prediction Method Featuring Thoth Tarot
Old loves never truly fade, especially for someone as sentimental as I am. My journey into cartomancy began at fifteen, starting with playing cards and the Gypsy Fortunetelling Oracle. It wasn’t long before I ventured into Tarot, sparked by a gift from my cousin Katarina. She gave me her Ancien Tarot de Marseille by Grimaud, as she was more focused on another deck. The moment she introduced me to it, I was utterly captivated. The Thoth Tarot, with its stunning imagery, was easily the most beautiful deck I had ever laid eyes on.
I immediately embarked on a quest to find my own Thoth Tarot deck, but as you can imagine, it wasn’t easy. Back in 2005, Tarot cards and occult literature weren’t nearly as accessible as they are today. ADSL internet was just emerging, and Amazon hadn’t yet expanded globally. It wasn’t until the 2006 Belgrade Book Fair that I finally found what I was looking for—a local publisher, Esotheria, was selling German editions of the deck. I was hooked instantly! However, finding a proper instruction manual proved more difficult. Crowley’s Book of Thoth was nowhere to be found, and other foreign publications weren’t available either. At the time, the go-to guide was Ključevi Arkana (“Keys to the Arcanas”) by Maja Mandić. Unfortunately, it was out of print, but I managed to track down someone who owned a copy and made a duplicate. For years, that manual became my most trusted guide—not only for the Thoth Tarot but for Tarot reading in general.
Keys to The Arcanas
Practical Manual for Crowley’s Tarot - by Maja Mandić.
1994 edition by Esotheria, Belgrade.
Over the years, my preferences and practice evolved, leading me to favor Marseille decks and classic cartomancy. As a result, both the Thoth deck and the book became almost obsolete in my daily readings. Yet, I’ve never stopped appreciating the stunning artwork of the Thoth deck or the enjoyment I found in exploring the book’s many techniques and instructions.
The book offers a wealth of both divinatory and magical applications for the Thoth Tarot. On this occasion, I’d like to share one prediction method that has stood the test of time for me—a fascinating technique involving card counting and enhancing the significance of the aces. To illustrate, I’ll use a real reading I performed for a client who wanted to know if he would receive a promotion at the start of the coming year.
Shuffle the deck and cut it. Then, begin counting the cards up to 13. If no aces appear, place the 13th card as your first card. However, if an ace appears, take the card just before the ace and place the ace beneath it—the ace will now act as an augmenting card, enhancing the meaning of the card it follows. If two aces appear in succession, the first ace augments the preceding card, while the second ace becomes the main card in the next position. Repeat this process, counting up to 13 for the second and third positions. In total, you should end up with three main cards. Any aces that appear serve as augmenting cards. In my example, I ended up with two aces acting as augmentations.
Thoth Tarot by Aleister Crowley and Frieda Harris, US Games and AGM, 2023.
The book recommends interpreting the cards as representing past, present, and future, but I prefer not to impose such strict divisions. Instead, I like the cards to tell a more fluid, cohesive story. In this reading, The Hierophant followed by the 3 of Cups (Abundance) suggests that the querent’s disciplined and dedicated approach is about to yield well-deserved rewards. This is further amplified by the Ace of Disks, traditionally linked to letters and contracts, indicating a successful deal or agreement. The reading concludes with the 2 of Disks (Change), augmented by the Ace of Wands, signifying a shift that brings new opportunities and growth.
Therefore, it’s safe to conclude that the client will indeed receive the promotion, and likely within the time frame they mentioned. This is reinforced by Crowley’s association of the 2 of Disks with Capricorn (as the card features Jupiter in Capricorn), aligning with the client’s expectations.
I hope this method serves you well. And always remember, as the book wisely points out—and as I’ve often said—predictions are never 100% certain. They’re about 50-60%. Sometimes you grasp the outcome clearly, other times it remains uncertain. While the future is influenced by many factors, some of which we can control, our role is to interpret what’s presented to us on the table with clarity and discernment.
If you’re interested in receiving a predictive reading, feel free to book a session through my Readings page. My readings are designed to offer clear, insightful guidance on a wide range of predictive questions.
