Raphael in The Lovers

foolMoon

1) lack of competition in the marketplace for much of its life
2) first commonly available deck with illustrated minor arcana instead of just pips
3) the depth of symbolism allows everybody to work with it regardless of whether or not they understand Waite's secret intentions. Just look at this thread. If the great winged figure is just an angel there are things to be found in the card. If it's Raphael, there are things to be found in the card, Sekineh or Uriel? things to be found.

Regardless of Waite's ultimate intentions (which may or may not have been the same as Smith's) this is an extremely approachable deck that, for much of the world, is synonymous with the word tarot.

Quite true. Many thanks for your coherent reply.
 

Barleywine

1) lack of competition in the marketplace for much of its life
2) first commonly available deck with illustrated minor arcana instead of just pips
3) the depth of symbolism allows everybody to work with it regardless of whether or not they understand Waite's secret intentions. Just look at this thread. If the great winged figure is just an angel there are things to be found in the card. If it's Raphael, there are things to be found in the card, Sekineh or Uriel? things to be found.

Regardless of Waite's ultimate intentions (which may or may not have been the same as Smith's) this is an extremely approachable deck that, for much of the world, is synonymous with the word tarot.

This hits all of the high points. Where it departs from its main competitor, the Thoth, is that Waite chose to shroud much of his deeper symbolism in obscurantism of the "you are not worthy to know" type. But, for practical purposes, most readers aren't too concerned with that anyway.
 

Abrac

Now I'm curious. Where does Waite say some aren't worthy?
 

Barleywine

Now I'm curious. Where does Waite say some aren't worthy?

In the PKT, where he declines to go into further detail he states that certain elements of the symbolism are "held within the Sanctuary," and he also excuses those who lack the "qualifications of special research" from exposure to his more profound ideas. I know there are more specific examples of a rather dismissive exclusionary attitude, but I can't find them by a cursory browse through the book. The implication that he found the uninitiated unworthy to bear the greater knowledge is my own take on what I read in the past, but the simple acknowledgement of an "inner" and "outer" circle does seem to support that understanding. Maybe "incapable" is a more accurate term than "unworthy."
 

Abrac

How is Waite's "exclusionary attitude" any different from Crowley? I really don't know and would like your insight.
 

Barleywine

How is Waite's "exclusionary attitude" any different from Crowley? I really don't know and would like your insight.

I think Crowley's attitude was more a result of his assuming that his readers were already well-versed in many of his concepts, so he didn't deign to elaborate. (In short, it was exclusion by presumption). Waite, on the other hand, made a point of invoking his vows of secrecy and silence on at least one occasion and I'm pretty sure more. (Exclusion by intention.) I wish I could have found those instances, since they stuck with me since the last time I re-read the PKT.
 

parsival

Waite took his oaths seriously . Wasn't that the honorable thing to do ? Don't see why we should fault him for that ?

As has been said , his tarot deck can be used without the user having a knowledge of the spiritual doctrine that underlies it .
 

Abrac

I don't see anything that unreasonable in withholding certain ideas from those who may not be prepared to receive it. It's like trying to explain calculus to someone who doesn't have the prerequisite background material, it can't be done; especially in a book like the PKT which was intended as a basic primer. I don't think he means anything derogatory by it, just a plain statement of fact.
 

smw

The W-S Lovers appears to me to reflect ideas from the Zohar, including the mystery of sex and earthly matrimony. These are discussed in The Secret Doctrine in Israel and The Holy Kabbalah. Actually there's still a lot about this particular image I'm curious about. The Trinick image reflects Waite's own mysticism more clearly, especially the union of soul and spirit as illustrated by the holding of hands.

I have just been looking at the chapter of the myth of the earthly paradise in the Secret Doctrine of Israel and it interestingly references two gardens of Eden. One located in Binah, part of the supernals of the tree. I think Shekinah at this level is described as being in unification, also, within the world of Atziluth. The lower garden resides in Assiah, the earthly world Malkuth, where there is separation Shekinah is described amongst many other things as being both gardens as well as representing the feminine, womanhood.

I'll need to read it again, at the moment I am wondering if the Trinick Lovers could represent the potential of humanity -the earthly kingdom (garden) to be raised to Binah the higher garden. This would involve getting back the union from the fall where separation occurred. This might be seen in the W.S lovers as depicted through the sex serpent myth and the tree of knowledge on one side and the tree of Life on the other. Possibly the feminine heart Shekinah /soul and spirit/ mind split.

On the Trinick Lovers both trees are entwined at the branches in unity like the figures, whereas on the W.S they are seperated like those figures. I think that the masculine winged figure on the W.S might represent Shekinah in a male aspect because she can be both or either when not united. I think the secret doctrine talked about the possibility that the masculine can not exist without the feminine ( Shekinah) as God is both.

Eta...Maybe the mystic side of Waite is represented by the union with God in it's ideal aspect. The two cards might represent the actual here and now fall and the higher potential to be realised. I might be speculating wildly and getting muddled though it is an interesting read. There seemed to be overlaps with Crowley's views too.
 

Abrac

smw, I just woke up and read this. I'll read it more thoroughly later on, but my first thought is Shekinah in transcendence makes sense. There's the higher Eden and the lower Eden with Shikinah manifesting from above in the form of Metatron (at least I think it could be).