• Author:            Paul Hughes-Barlow https://tarorota.co.uk/Welcome
• Publisher:        Aeon Books
• Date of Publication: September 2025
• ISBN:               978-1-80152-189-5
• RRP:               £19.99
• Reviewed by:  Gwen Enstam @goldenpomt (IG)

When you visit Paul Hughes-Barlow’s website, you see that he describes himself as an independent researcher and practitioner of the Western Esoteric tradition. This independence is important because it provides the unique perspective we find in his latest contribution to the study of Aleister Crowley’s works. In The Secret of the Thoth Tarot, Hughes-Barlow positions himself firmly outside the boundaries of esoteric societies and their agreed interpretations, a daring approach that gives him – and us – a fresh and genuine understanding of the Book of Thoth, and from this, new access to all of Crowley’s work.

The Secret of the Thoth Tarot is daring in another way, too: in its very structure. It combines discussions of history and background with substantial sections of gloss – shorthand notes on sections of the Book of Thoth and the Book of the Law (Liber al vel Legis) – and Hughes-Barlow also intermixes glossed chapters on topics like Gematria with prose sections terms and phrases that have particular meaning for students of Crowley (e.g. Babalon).

The gloss sections are invaluable not just because of the information Hughes-Barlow gives us, but because we can see how he works, how he thinks. Even when he provides information, it still requires interpretation. This is the way of teaching in the best of esoteric traditions – to show, not tell. To point and then let the student walk the path.

So who is the Book of Thoth for? I don’t think I’m the only one who first discovered it when I first started studying the Thoth Tarot and was looking for information on each of the cards. We’re used to having guidebooks written by the creators of Tarot decks, and it makes sense that the Book of Thoth would go with the deck.

I also think I’m not the only one who started looking at the Book of Thoth and thought, this is not what I expected. And there’s a good reason for that:

The Book of Thoth is a manual for Master Masons who adhere to the ethos and propagation of the Society of Eight (p.9)

And it is

[…] understood through initiation, daily invocation, and study of Crowley’s writings and historical facts’ (p.15).

To understand what is happening in the Book of Thoth we need to consider the Thoth Tarot itself very differently – not as a tool for divination (or at least, not only) but as a tool for initiation.

Now you might be wondering, who is the Society of Eight? I will tell you that it is a theme throughout the book, and a fascinating one at that. In fact, if you are interested in the inner workings of secret societies like the Society of Eight and the Golden Dawn, there is plenty for you to get your teeth into in The Secret of the Thoth Tarot.

Hughes-Barlow also dives deeply into the nature of Tarot itself. What is it, really? A system of divination, a key to the Qabalistic Tree of Life, or a map of the Universe? Where do we get the word ‘Tarot’, anyway? These are questions that I have only ever seen answered vaguely, but I have come away from The Secret of the Thoth Tarot with a new understanding of how all these terms and concepts work together.

The Secret of the Thoth Tarot does not strike me as a book for a beginner. There are references that won’t make much sense to someone very new to esoteric study … but on the other hand, we have the internet. And Hughes-Barlow gives us clues throughout to other texts we should study to help us with the Book of Thoth.

I remember being told that when you are learning something, you should aim above where you think you are. Sign up for the class that will challenge you, not the one that’s easy; apply for the job slightly above what you think is your pay grade. This is the kind of book we have in The Secret of the Thoth Tarot – one that will well reward patient attention and repeated study, just like the Book of Thoth itself.

Paul Hughes-Barlow has been a professional Tarot reader since 1990. His previous books are The Tarot and the Magus, and Beyond the Celtic Cross. He is also the author of the TARO Currents column on Substack.The Secret of the Thoth Tarot is available from Aeon Books: https://spirit.aeonbooks.co.uk/product/secret-of-the-thoth-tarot/95369