Reddit reviews The Tarot Handbook: Practical Applications of Ancient Visual Symbols

I like this book for understanding the Thoth: The Tarot Handbook: Practical Applications of Ancient Visual Symbols. Some people find it antithetical because the author ignores Crowley's interpretations and focuses on the symbolism in cards from a cultural anthropology perspective. Personally I really appreciate it because the Thoth artwork is amazing, the correspondences are far better than the traditional ones, and symbolism is intricately layered. But I have little patience for Crowley's shit. And let's face it, the Book of Thoth is terrible, full of his egoism and occult for the sake of being occult.

I recommend Tarot for Yourself by Mary K. Greer. It's a great first book to guide you through the tarot.

The Tarot Handbook by Angeles Arrien has some spreads useful for the Thoth deck, but I do not recommend using her interpretations of the Thoth cards.

I agree, I think without already having some decent knowledge of tarot you won't understand a word of Book Of Thoth.

Also, I got this book recently but I think "The Tarot Handbook" is the best book on Crowley's Thoth deck I've ever read. The interpretations of specific symbols are often different than Crowley's or Duquette's but I find that most of them resonate even better and make much more intuitive sense.

My two go-to decks for the past 15+ years are Thoth deck, for the classic tarot experience, with this book for interpretation: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0874778956

Coupled with the Medicine Cards (comes with its own book) https://www.amazon.com/Medicine-Cards-Discovery-Through-Animals/dp/0312204914 . It is the Native American stories on many different animals and what their lesson is. Highly recommended.

Personally, my favorite deck has always been the Thoth, with this book as a reference. Arrien uses an intuitive approach to the Thoth deck that leaves behind Crowley's ego and mysticism/showmanship (as well as the general "ick" factor). I'm not a fan of Crowley himself, but he helped design what I consider to be the ultimate tarot deck.

I also found the original Mythic Tarot to be especially helpful for understanding the minor arcana. The Rider deck was probably the least favorite deck, in art and understanding... I find some of the drawings counter-intuitive (especially the wands), and the imagery isn't very rich. But is is a useful foundation.

I recommend finding a store where you can handle sample decks, one of them might stand out to you.

The Tarot Handbook by Angeles Arrien is a good introductory companion to the Thoth deck.