Arthur Edward Waite

Biography

Born in Brooklyn, New York (1857), of Anglo-Irish parents who returned to Britain when Arthur was young. He was educated in Catholic environment but as adult moved away to embark on his own personal Hermetic-mystical search. Self-taught, he dedicated his life to study esoteric: Christian Kabbalah, Western Hermeticism, medieval Christian mysticism, tarot, Freemasonry, Rosicrucianism. He became one of the most prolific writers of his era on these subjects.

1891: Waite joined the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn — the most prestigious British esoteric society of the time, where he met W.B. Yeats, A.M. Mathers, Aleister Crowley and Pamela Colman Smith. After internal schism of the Order in 1903, Waite led one of the resulting branches with a distinctive emphasis on Christian mysticism (rather than the more pagan or transgressive emphasis preferred by Crowley and Mathers). His mature occultism is characterised by a "Christianised" approach of Western esoteric tradition.

Major works

Books: Waite wrote dozens of books on esoteric subjects throughout 50 years of writing career. Some most influential: The Hidden Church of the Holy Graal (1909, his Christian-mystical-esoteric study of the Holy Grail), The Pictorial Key to the Tarot (1910, the famous text accompanying the Rider-Waite tarot — manual of basic tarot interpretation, foundational for English-speaking readers worldwide for over a century), The Holy Kabbalah (1929, classic study of Christian Kabbalah), The Brotherhood of the Rosy Cross (1924, history of Rosicrucianism), The Secret Tradition in Freemasonry (1911), and many others.

The Rider-Waite Tarot: in 1909, Waite commissioned Pamela Colman Smith (also member of the Golden Dawn) to illustrate a complete tarot deck of 78 cards based on his own occultist vision. Waite provided the deep symbolic concept and the esoteric correspondences; Smith translated the ideas into striking visual paintings. The truly revolutionary innovation was in the 56 minor arcana: while previous decks (Marseille pattern) showed only objects (X cups, X swords, etc.), the Rider-Waite-Smith deck includes complete figurative scenes on every minor arcanum, narrating archetypal situations. This visually-narrative approach completely democratised the tarot reading and is foundation of practically all subsequent esoteric tarot decks of the 20th century.

Legacy and recognition

Waite's legacy is extraordinarily lasting: 1) The Rider-Waite tarot is the second most printed deck in history (after the standard French deck) — sold tens of millions of copies, translated into hundreds of languages. 2) The Pictorial Key to the Tarot remains the most widely consulted manual of tarot interpretation in English; published in over a hundred editions over a century. 3) Theoretical influence on multiple subsequent generations of occultists, Christian mystics, modern Rosicrucians, esoteric Masons. 4) Recovery of Pamela Colman Smith: from the year 2000, recognition of Smith's artistic contribution as foundational; today most modern editions speak of "Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot", recognising both authors. Waite did not always treat Smith with the recognition she deserved; modern recovery of justice for Smith does not detract from his enormous esoteric-symbolic contribution. Waite died in 1942, leaving extraordinarily rich body of work that still teaches modern students of Western esoteric tradition.