Arthur Edward White
2 October 1857 - 19 May 1942
Arthur Edward Waite is often seen as the father of modern Tarot. His creation of the Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot deck in 1909, with artist Pamela Colman Smith, really transformed Tarot reading.
Early Life of Arthur Edward Waite
Arthur Edward Waite, known as a scholar, occultist, and poet, was born on October 2, 1875, in Brooklyn, New York. His mother, Emma Lovell, was English, and his father, Charles Waite, was a US Navy captain. Sadly, his father passed away when Arthur was very young, so Emma took her children back to England. Despite her family's disapproval of her marriage, Emma raised her kids in poverty on the outskirts of north London.
Emma found comfort in the Roman Catholic church and raised Arthur with a strict Catholic upbringing. He even served as an altar boy and at one point considered becoming a priest.
Interests and Fascinations
After his sister Frederika passed away in 1874, Waite's connection to the church faded. However, he still loved ceremony and ritual, thanks to his upbringing. He was also really into the solar system and secret societies. Waite enjoyed reading 'Penny Dreadfuls' – those weekly crime and horror story magazines – which inspired him to write his own fiction. In 1878, he got his story 'Tom Trueheart' published in The Idler. Around the same time, he started writing poetry too.
By 1881, Waite got deep into studying magic, a theme that would dominate his writing. He was especially fascinated by the works of Eliphas Levi Zahed, a French occultist and ceremonial magician, whom Waite thought was the best interpreter of Western occult philosophy. Even though Waite admired Levi, he didn't shy away from pointing out Levi's mistakes, like when he wrote an article in 1886 called 'Eliphas Levi and the Antiquity of the Tarot,' critiquing Levi's incorrect dating of the oldest Tarot cards.
Waite also dove into spiritualist literature and participated in seances with London's famous mediums. The spiritualist movement, which claimed to prove life after death through communication with spirits, offered Waite comfort after losing his sister.
The Order of the Golden Dawn
Waite's journey into the world of modern Tarot really kicked off when he joined the secret society, the Order of the Golden Dawn, back in 1886. As part of their initiation, members had to create their own Tarot decks, which is where Waite started getting creative. It's believed that he took some cues from the Sola Busca Tarot, especially its illustrated numbered cards in the Minor Arcana. Plus, Waite's love for Grail legends added a unique flavour to his deck's imagery.
Teaming up with fellow Golden Dawn member Pamela Colman Smith, Waite began designing his own Tarot deck. Smith turned Waite's ideas into reality with her detailed illustrations, sticking closely to his vision. The result? A Tarot deck known for its richly detailed scenes in the Minor Arcana, each one packed with symbolic meaning.
The Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot
In 1909, the Rider Publishing Company launched Waite's Tarot deck, originally called the Rider-Waite deck. A year later, Waite released a detailed guidebook for the deck, The Pictorial Key to the Tarot. This guide offered thorough explanations of each card, including both upright and reversed meanings, all based on Waite's carefully crafted symbolism. These interpretations have since become the foundation for modern Tarot readings.
The Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot deck, known for its ground-breaking approach of illustrating complete scenes on all 78 cards, quickly became the most popular Tarot deck in the world. Its detailed artwork, featuring rich figures and symbols even on the pip cards, has inspired countless decks that followed.
While the Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot remains beloved, some modern readers find its look a bit outdated. This has led to the creation of updated versions with fresh designs and vibrant colour schemes, which have become quite popular.
Beyond his impressive body of work, including over 70 books, lectures, and articles, Waite's most lasting legacy is undoubtedly the Rider-Waite-Smith deck. This iconic set of 78 cards continues to be one of the most famous and widely used Tarot decks in modern practice.
Love and Death
Arthur Edward Waite married Ada Lakeman when she was 30, and they had a daughter named Sybil. Sadly, Sybil passed away in 1924, which led to the end of Waite's marriage to Ada. Afterward, he moved to Kent and married Mary Broadbent Schofield. During this time, Waite stayed active in his literary work, writing, publishing, and managing The Unknown World magazine.
Waite passed away on May 19, 1942, at the age of 84. He was buried in Kent, where he had lived with Mary. Despite his prolific career, including numerous rituals, articles, publications, and lectures, his obituary in The Freemasons' Chronicle was surprisingly brief, just three paragraphs long. It gave a short nod to Waite's contributions to Freemasonry and his poetry, summing up his diverse legacy in just a few lines.