- The Secret of the Thoth Tarot: The Origins of Aleister Crowley’s Book of Thoth
- Written by: Paul Hughes-Barlow
- Published by: Aeon Books, September 2025
- RRP: GB £19.99
- ISBN: 978-1801521895
- Reviewed by: Emma Boon-Hartshorne
I sat patiently waiting for the release date of this text since I first learned of the pre-order online. This text I have been waiting for.
Let me introduce you to Paul first, though. Paul Hughes-Barlow is a leading author and expert in the study of Aleister Crowley’s Book of Thoth. Paul is also an expert in the complex and magical tarot spread, the Opening of the Key.
Paul has also published two books about this fascinating spread – Tarot and the Magus and Beyond the Celtic Cross. Paul’s Substack, YouTube channel, and website, TARO Currents, are highly recommended and a treasure trove of delight. If you are a reader of tarot and feel that the tarot has more to offer than divination, then this platform is for you. I highly recommend checking this out!
The Secret of the Thoth tarot has been my constant companion since the hardcopy fell into my hands at the end of September 2025. I have studied the Thoth tarot for around 4 or 5 years now. I’m no expert or scholar in this field. All I know is there is something about the Thoth Tarot that takes us beyond divination. That formidable Book of Thoth isn’t a book of card meanings either, it is something else entirely, a grimoire of Aleister Crowley, weaving many snippets of his huge writing libri that calls to the reader to piece together this jigsaw that is maddening, puzzling, intimidating, and to some, bonkers all at the same time. Here’s where Paul’s “The Secret of the Thoth Tarot” comes in, this is not a card meaning book or lessons on how to read the cards.
This book weaves magic in itself, piecing together Crowley’s writing into something that grabs you as a reader by the hand on a guided tour of self-discovery and initiation. You are encouraged to look at all those texts and uncover the riddles, figure out how and why Crowley writes in such ways. Those capital letters, page numbers, and number of paragraphs aren’t there for nothing and have a reason. If Crowley did something that makes you think that he has made an error, or there is a typo. There will be a reason for it. I’ve had plenty of “No way”; “Hell yeah” and “Ohhh I see” moments with this text. I’m very much a beginner with this kind of book and tarot study, and this book is certainly one I’ll be using for a long time.
Granted, some parts are complicated and hard to understand, but isn’t that part of the fun? I’m no Kabbalist, and I’m not a numbers person (Gematria anyone?!), but I’m having a great time. I highly recommend getting this text if you are interested in reading the Book of Thoth and then studying the text. If you have read it more than once, it reads differently every time, too. Well, it does for me anyway!
The Secret of the Thoth Tarot will take you through the text from the beginning to the end. It is a fascinating journey. If you’re interested, use this text as a guide. Consider yourself more seasoned, this text will likely bring new insights to you to think about. I think what most will be shocked at or with is that Crowley really did have a Christian faith and did not hate the religion at all.
I can’t really pick out a favourite part of the text because I just love it. What I did appreciate is that the text feels logical in order, and I really appreciated the Book of Thoth timeline and selected bibliography at the end. I am most excited, though, at the discovery of a new-to-me tarot spread in the text. I am going to try this out when I have some time to sit with it.
The first time I did a reading with my Thoth deck, I knew there was something more to the Thoth Tarot than just reading the cards. I’m so glad that I let the beast grab my hand and whisper, “Come with me!” If you are hearing that whisper or tug, let it roll; you will not regret it, not for one single second. If you want to take your Thoth tarot studies beyond divination, you must definitely start here, and don’t forget your Book of Thoth!
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