Chapter 3: Crowley & Haich on Tarot Cards


Aleister Crowley (1875-1947)
Wickest Man in the World
The Book of Thoth
published 1944
Wisdom of the Tarot
published in German (1969)
Elisabet Haich (1897-1994)
Hungarian Spiritual Teacher



Beatles Sgt Pepper's Lonely
Heart Club Band album
Crowley in back row
second from left


Thoth Tarot Deck
(1938-1943)
by Lady Frieda Harris


Thoth Tarot #1: The Magus
Mercury as symbol
of communication


France 353: Mercury
(issued May 10, 1939)


Australia C6:
Mercury & Globe
(issued Sept. 1, 1949)

    Aleister Crowley was polled in 2002 by the BBC TV
as the 73rd greatest Briton, the #1 person went to
Winston Churchill. The Beatles thought highly of him
that he was included on their album cover of Sgt Pepper's Lonely Heart Club Band (1967). He is shown in the back row, second from the left, between guru Sri Yukestawar
Giri and actress Mae West.
    Crowley dabbled in black magic, and is regarded as the greatest occultist of the 20th century. He wrote 43 books
on the subject according to wikipedia, and there are 586 books about him on Amazon.com. An occultist that is greater than Crowley is John Dee (1527-1609), who was
not included in the "100 Greatest Britons Poll". He was the
court astronomer for, and advisor to, Elizabeth I, and spent
much of his time on alchemy, divination, and Hermetic
philosophy. As an antiquarian, he had one of the largest
libraries in England at the time. As a political advisor,
he advocated the foundation of English colonies in the
New World to form a "British Empire", a term he is
credited with coining. He was instrumental in defeating
the Spanish Armada (1588), and was the original 007.
    The Thoth Tarot's #1 The Magus shows Mercury as a symbol for communication. Postage stamps from France 353 and Australia C6 show the messenger god Mercury
holding the caduceus. Mercury carried wingèd caduceus,
a herald's staff with two entwined snakes that Apollo
exchanged for his lyre. His name is related to the Latin
word merx (merchandise, merchant and commerce).
    Elisabeth Haich (1897-1994) was a Hungarian spiritual teacher. Her spiritual autobiography Initiation (1965),
tells about her past life as an Egyptian Priestess. Her book Wisdom of the Tarot was published in German (1969). However her notes were available to her students, and
Aleister Crowley who came for consultation. Haich used
Oswald Wirth Tarot (1889), considering it to be descended
from a young initiate, Stanislas de Guaita. The #1 Card:
Magician (Le Bateleur) shows a young man with a wand
or rod, in his left hand. With it he can effect true miracles
and turns into a white magician. The #9 Card: The Hermit
shows an old man with a walking stick in his left hand, that
may be a magic rod. The #1 Card: Magician in the Rider-
Waite Tarot (1909) shows the Magician holding a rod high
up in his right hand as he begins his magic ritual.
Initiation (1965)
spiritual autobiography


#1: The Magician
Oswald Wirth Tarot (1889)


#9: The Hermit (with rod)
Oswald Wirth Tarot (1889)


#1: The Magician (with rod)
Rider-Waite Tarot (1909)