Thelema

The record

Let's tackle the obvious first – this is not a deck based on the teachings of Aleister Crowley, nor does it have anything to do with the Thelemic religion. The unicursal hexagram on the back of the cards, widely associated with Crowley's Thelema is something of a red herring too. Thelema, in the case of this deck refers to the Greek word for 'will or intention', and it seems that the will and intention of this deck is to offer a new interpretation of the classic Rider Waite Smith tarot. The mediaeval and Renaissance inspired images alluded to the courtly values and romantic aspirations of these times. A sense of honour and dignity pervades the Thelema Tarot. This is a 78 card fully illustrated tarot deck, with 22 Major Arcana and 56 Minor Arcana. The titles and ordering of the cards follow the standard established by A E Waite. The suits are Cups, Pentacles, Swords, and Wands, and the Court cards are Page, Knight, Queen, and King. The Major Arcana cards are indicated with both Roman numerals and titles; and the Minor Arcana have Arabic numbers, as well as titles. The cards measure 70 x 120 mm which makes them a little broader than many standard decks, but they still fit comfortably

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