Order of Templars of Orient (O.T.O) : Aleister Crowley and Thoth Tarot

Case : 250. 

Aleister Crowley (1875-1947), an English occultist who founded the religion of Thelema with the The Book of Law. He, as the member of Golden Dawn, was trained in ceremonial magic by MacGregor Mathers. Later, he was initiated into Ordo Templi Orientis (O.T.O.), rising to become the leader of its British branch, and after, of all O.T.O. Crowley has remained an influential figure, both amongst occultists and in popular culture, particularly that of Britain, but also of all the world. A prolific writer, he published widely over the course of his life, but the most important contributions for tarot is the book Book of Thoth and his  Thoth Tarot, Illustrated by Lady Frieda Harris. He originally intended the deck to be a six-month project, however, it eventually spanned five years, until 1943 and both artists died before publication in 1969. The illustrations of the deck based upon Crowley's incorporation of imagery from many disparate disciplines, including science and philosophy and various occult systems, must more complex than others Golden Dawn’s deck.