The Cardinal Importance of Names: Aleister Crowley and the Creation of a Tarot for the New Aeon

Abstract Aleister Crowley’s The Book of Thoth makes four substantive changes to the traditional titles of the tarot trumps. Three of these relate to the cardinal virtues which had remained in the deck despite the almost complete esoteric revisioning of the tarot that had taken place over the precedi...

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Dettagli Bibliografici
Pubblicato in:Aries
Autore principale: Fletcher, Matthew (Autore)
Tipo di documento: Elettronico Articolo
Lingua:Inglese
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Pubblicazione: Brill 2021
In: Aries
(sequenze di) soggetti normati:B Crowley, Aleister 1875-1947 / Cardinal virtues / Crowley-Thoth tarot / Crowley, Aleister 1875-1947, The book of Thoth / Crowley, Aleister 1875-1947, The book of the law
Notazioni IxTheo:AA Scienze religiose
AZ Nuove religioni
Altre parole chiave:B New Aeon
B The Book of Thoth
B Tarot
B Cardinal virtues
B Thelema
B Aleister Crowley
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Riepilogo:Abstract Aleister Crowley’s The Book of Thoth makes four substantive changes to the traditional titles of the tarot trumps. Three of these relate to the cardinal virtues which had remained in the deck despite the almost complete esoteric revisioning of the tarot that had taken place over the preceding two centuries; the fourth is an integral part of the same topic. This article focuses on why Crowley felt impelled to make these changes as well as the significance of the new names (and associated iconography). The discussion centres around Crowley’s rejection of the cardinal virtues that underly Christian ethics in favour of the new system of morality laid out in The Book of the Law and subsequently encapsulated in Thelema. Consequently, the article first examines the development of the cardinal virtues in patristic and medieval theology and then shows how Crowley sought to overturn these values in his agenda of cultural reprogramming of which The Book of Thoth arguably constitutes the high-water mark.
ISSN:1570-0593
Comprende:Enthalten in: Aries
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1163/15700593-02101001