Abstract
Abstract Frieda, Lady Harris, wife of Sir Percy Harris, Liberal M.P. and party Chief Whip, created the magnificent Tarot paintings that underpin Aleister Crowley’s The Book of Thoth. Harris conformed to the conventional appearance of a respectable middle-class lady until she was in her sixties. However, her unwavering commitment to Aleister Crowley and the Tarot project eventually threatened not only her social standing, but also her marriage. Despite her dedication to the Thoth Tarot, she never fully engaged with Thelema, which she anthropomorphised as the bossy and interfering ‘Miss Thelema’. Nevertheless, she progressed through the grades of Crowley’s magical orders and remained loyal to Crowley and the Great Work to the end of her days, endeavouring to secure a publishing deal for a general release of The Book of Thoth and the Thoth Tarot deck. Using extracts from Harris and Crowley’s correspondence and Crowley’s diaries, this paper will explore Harris’s personal involvement with Thelema, both in her collaborative activities with Crowley, and her endeavours to preserve his legacy after his death.
Highlights
Historian Marco Pasi considers The Book of Thoth1 to be Aleister Crowley’s (1875–1947) final major endeavour, wherein he used the conventional composition of the esoteric tarot to present his magical interpretation of the correspondences and imagery of the individual cards.2 Crowley described the work as ‘an Encyclopaedia of all serious “occult” philosophy
Harris conformed to the conventional appearance of a respectable middleclass lady until she was in her sixties. Her unwavering commitment to Aleister Crowley and the Tarot project eventually threatened her social standing, and her marriage. Despite her dedication to the Thoth Tarot, she never fully engaged with Thelema, which she anthropomorphised as the bossy and interfering ‘Miss Thelema’
Using extracts from Harris and Crowley’s correspondence and Crowley’s diaries, this paper will explore Harris’s personal involvement with Thelema, both in her collaborative activities with Crowley, and her endeavours to preserve his legacy after his death
Summary
Historian Marco Pasi considers The Book of Thoth to be Aleister Crowley’s (1875–1947) final major endeavour, wherein he used the conventional composition of the esoteric tarot to present his magical interpretation of the correspondences and imagery of the individual cards. Crowley described the work as ‘an Encyclopaedia of all serious “occult” philosophy. Crowley described the work as ‘an Encyclopaedia of all serious “occult” philosophy. It is a standard Book of Reference, which will determine the entire course of mystical and magical thought for the 2000 years.’. An accomplished artist in his own right, Crowley chose to commission Frieda, Lady Harris (1877–1962), a well-connected society lady, wife of Sir Percy Harris M.P., to execute his designs. Pasi attributes this seemingly strange decision to Crowley’s intention to ‘give the tarot images a more “neutral” form, which would not get in the way of their use in meditation’.4. My contention is that Harris’s commitment was to Crowley and “the Work”, rather than as a dedicated Thelemite
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
