The
Original Rider-Waite Tarot Pack
By A. E. Waite and Pamela
Coleman-Smith
Published by
U. S.
Games
Images in this deck
were used by Arthur Edward Waite in his book, The
Pictorial Key to the
Tarot, published in 1910. The
illustrations were drawn by Pamela Colman Smith, at Waite’s direction.
The deck was first published by William Rider and Son, Ltd., hence the
deck’s name.
A. E. Waite was a member of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn,
an English group established in 1886, and headed by S. L. MacGregor
Mathers. This group studied
many ancient writings in order to determine and restore the original
symbolic meanings of the cards.
Positive Attributes
The
deck is the basis for most modern decks.
If one learns the symbolic language of this deck, the vast
majority of Tarot decks will also be readable.
Most Tarot books will be consistent with the imagery of this
deck, even if the
decks illustrating such books are different.
The images are consistent with those used by the B.O.T.A.
(Brothers of the Adytum,) an organization that offers the most
authoritative correspondence course on the Tarot.
Apart from the Thoth deck, Rider-Waite images are the most
symbolically accurate. There
is enough detail in the images to spark different levels of meaning, and
still leave some opportunity for intuitive interpretation and individual
response. The symbols lead
you to the correct meanings without being overwhelming.
The images for the
“little cards,” the minor arcana, are pictorial rather than
abstract, and so they are easier to comprehend. The images are
relatively non-threatening. The humans depicted are pleasant and not
stiff, although facial features are vague.
Drawbacks and
Limitations
Medieval
imagery, although traditional, is hard to relate to for some people. The
artwork is simple rather than striking or beautiful.
Some images are startlingly negative, obscuring hidden positive
meanings of the card. The
court cards are not as dynamic as the forces they actually represent.
Many people prefer a unique deck, one not used by so many other
readers/students.
Waite
Decks with alternate coloring
-
The Original
Waite (more contrast)
-
The Universal
Waite (more pastel)
-
Albano-Waite
(darker backgrounds)
-
Golden Waite
(warmer, earth tones, thick border)
-
Aquatic Tarot
(watercolors)
-
Radiant
Rider-Waite (three-dimensional, luminous)
-
The Waite deck
also comes in giant and miniature sizes.
Summary: I
recommend a Rider-Waite deck as the soundest beginner’s deck and for
study, even if other decks are preferred for use.
