Rider-Waite Symbolism

The reversals is my go to source. What I like about it is that there are sufficient explanations for upright and reversals. Most books concentrate on one or the other... Not so with this book. The 21 ways is the one that I had in kindle. I will pull it to the front page. . I read five books at a time so sometimes things fall back.

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SilverWolf said:

Ok, I'm studying the Rider-Waite Tarot, and I'm reading The Pictorial Key to the Tarot by AE Waite. However, something is bothering me, he uses a good deal of Christian terminology. Would it be wrong of me to substitute some of hte terminology that he uses when talking about the symbology of the tarot cards with terminology that I'm more comfortable with, ie the gods, instead of God.

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Err in my opinion it's best to learn the background info before approaching the deck. Trust me, I was in the same position as you.

Unlike another Golden Dawn based deck, the Thoth, Waite, unlike Crowley, was unable to explain what all of the symbolism in the cards meant. He gives hints at what the stuff means, but never really outright says it due to his oath to secrecy. What you're going to have to do is learn the stuff that Waite couldn't reveal so you'll be able to recognize the symbolism.

I would recommend learning a little about Astrology (there are a number of books about this), you also want to get a good book on Qabalah, because that's what the deck is based on. I would recommend Dion Fortune's "Mystical Qabalah" or Israel Regardie's "A Garden of Pomegranetes". You're going to have to familiarize yourself with occult Qabalah. After you learn a little about Astrology and Qabalah, go read Liber T (you can find it online), the Golden Dawn's book on Tarot. It'll explain how all the principals you've learned interact and it gives you a system to learn what the cards really mean. After you do all of this, you'll have no problems engaging the symbolism of the RWS.

When you're able to form a coherent argument and opinion on the RWS Devil card, you're making progress. Learn a little about the Qabalah and you'll see what I'm talking about. Waite's Christianity really shines through in that one.

Have fun

While there are allusions to Golden Dawn materials in the deck, Waite had his own mystical meanings in mind. You'll get further reading his own book on Kabbalah if you really want to understand the symbols and not just learn the Golden Dawn system. Likewise his books on Freemasonry are essential, as are his summaries of the writings of Eliphas Lévi, and more.

Yes, he saw himself as a mystical Christian (but not an orthodox one) and books like The Cloud of Upon the Sanctuary and Evelyn Underhill's Mysticism help in understanding what this meant to him. It becomes clear in reading Waite that mystical Christianity is merely an extension of a "Secret Tradition" that has always been with us. It is found in ancient myths and the practices of Eleusis, the Egyptians and those of the Middle East, and in the Grail myths and Freemasonry. The High Priestess, for instance, is the Shekinah, Sophia, Isis and many more. So, it is perfectly appropriate to read the cards, especially the Major Arcana, with Pagan allusions, or Kabbalistic ones, or mystical Christian ones. For Waite, they all reflect a deeper Truth that lies behind all of these. If you miss this, you miss what he was really trying to convey.