Thoth Tarot 1943

Curator: Oh, look at this arrangement, a curious collection of gilded tokens scattered on a darkly hued plane. I'm struck by how each little disc seems to pulse with an inner light, aren't you? Editor: Indeed! We are looking at a card from the Thoth Tarot deck, realized in 1943 using mixed media and tempera, crafted by Lady Frieda Harris, though guided conceptually by Aleister Crowley. Each card is far more than just decorative; it represents complex philosophical and spiritual concepts. Curator: Ah, Crowley, yes! Always stirring the pot, wasn't he? It feels like wandering through a vibrant dream, all golden possibility tempered by an underlying mystery. The geometric figures on each, they hint at a secret language. It reminds me of sacred geometry. Editor: Exactly. Harris translates Crowley’s elaborate occult symbolism through vibrant colour theory and geometric forms. This deck emerged during a turbulent period in history. Given its hermetic and Qabalistic influences, it functioned almost as a form of resistance—a coded system speaking to broader counter-cultural values during the height of the war. Curator: War you say? I find these shades to be almost celebratory, not dismal in the least! See how these little suns play against the shadowed depths of purple and gray? As though a quiet rebellion is unfolding against the mundane. Like a dance with the darkness itself. Editor: Perhaps…or these can be also interpreted as archetypes embodying varied forces – both benevolent and malevolent that represent our own psyche during dark times. Think of it as a historical mirror of sorts. How it reflected societal anxieties and projected a yearning for alternative forms of knowledge production. Curator: Oh, that resonates. Knowledge indeed is power, even through beauty and abstraction. Tell me, do you find comfort or a call to arms when regarding this piece? For I see resilience through playful expression, in spite of it all. Editor: I think I feel both – its defiance of social norms, in an artful manner, remains incredibly potent to this very day. It presents new means of confronting injustice while reimagining a hopeful world. Curator: Thank you, a fine way of considering how each era finds itself within art’s mirrored depths. A testament of inner visions battling an unyielding world around. Editor: Thank you. This conversation has been very helpful.