Pursuit of Destiny : Muriel Hasbrouk

kwaw

Muriel Hasbrouk published 'The Book of Destiny' in 1941. She was a student of Case & Crowley (she, like Crowley, worked as a ghost writer for Evangeline Adams, and they met while Crowley was in America). Her book combines the tarot and astrology through the decanate attributions of Book T.

There are some letters between herself and Regardie, with mentions of Crowley, Waite and Smith, online here:

http://www.sacredscience.com/Hasbrouck/IsraelRegardie.pdf

The book is dedicated to Pulch (Charles Lazenby), Perdurabo and Paul [Case], a few letters between herself and Case (Case mentions his use of 'blinds' in his 'Oracle of the Tarot') :

http://www.sacredscience.com/Hasbrouck/PaulFosterCase.pdf
 

kwaw

Muriel used the Waite/Smith deck to illustrate her book (published in 1941), being convinced that the minors illustrated well the decanate attributions of Book T.

Interesting is Regardie's opinion, of the important role of Smith in the design of the cards, and his dismissive opinion of Waite:

"I'm glad you did the job you did about the personality link
with the Tarot cards; but let me take the liberty of differing
from you in this respect: Waite, from where I sit, had about
as much insight into that and other matters as my beautiful
Siamese cats. If anything, I have a sneaking suspicion that
his artist, Pamela Coleman Smith, also a member of The Golden
Dawn, was a strange clairvoyant creature whose inner vision
must have had a greater effect on Waite than Waite did on her."

In her book she wrote, in regards to choosing the RWS as best illustrating the 10-day cycles (i.e., the decanate attributions) :

"The Tarot cards are included to complete the picture of the original structure as found in the source document, Book T.... In this document each ten-day cycle is described in terms of one of the spot cards of the Tarot pack. The specific symbols of the card – the suit and number – correlate with the basic quality and the potential of each cycle. The mythological, or planetary symbols of the frequencies are given in the descriptions of the cards, but are not found on the cards themselves in the pack from which these designs were sketched. This is known as the Waite pack, and it was selected from the various packs that are available today because of its use of symbolic human figures. These figures seem to suggest, more directly than is done in other designs, the evident psychological quality of the spot card description. The attitudes, actions, and expressions of the symbolic figures, in most cases, fit the general personality of the cycle rather closely, and thus the cards are of value, as well as of interest, in the interpretation of the symbols and descriptions."
 

Babalon Jones

Absolutely fascinating!

Oddly enough, I just picked up a copy of that book last month, but haven't gotten around to reading it yet. Guess I'll dig it out this weekend!
 

rwcarter

This book was also reprinted in 1996 as Tarot and Astrology by Destiny Books, ISBN 0-89281-121-8.
 

Abrac

I believe Regardie's opinion of Waite depends on what day you ask him. For example, he included three of Waite's Fellowship of the Rosy Cross rituals in his book, The Complete Golden Dawn System of Magic. In his preface to the rituals, Regardie wrote:

"I am no great advocate or admirer of Waite’s literary output. He had so much to say in reality, but his literary style got in the way to obscure his message.

Yet, in these rituals of the Neophyte, Adeptus Minor and Major grades, given me through the courtesy of Robert W. Gilbert of Bristol who is writing a biography of Waite, I have found myself strangely moved."
 

kwaw

Personally- I think Waite was, in his own way, brilliant. And I don't forget that, whatever role Pam played, if it wasn't for Waite, it wouldn't have happened at all.