Charles Darnay
Mr. Parisious holds a copy of a letter from Yeats uncle George Pollexfen to
Golden Dawn chief Wynn Wescott dated October 15,1897. It contains a drawing of the now most famousdivinatory spread in the history of Tarot and includes an account of how
it was located as in use by no less than four native Irish women,presumably living in the vicinity of Sligo.
As George Pollexfen is known to have been both extremely sedentary and
extremely reclusive and as his nephew,William, had just arrived for a visit on
October 12th,we may state with some confidence that it was WBY who brought the
Celtic Cross into the house.
Padraic Colum who visited Sligo in 1909 with Yeats told Roger as far back as
the winter of 1966-1967 that Geoge"s psychic housekeeper,Mary Battle ,regularly
used the Celtic Cross method.
This is one of the many indications that WBY was the one
"who was versed" whom Waite thanked for the aid which he provided Pamela Smith
and himself in creating "their" pack.This thanks must be regarded as ironic aas there is more than ample evidence that Waite had been bitterly feuding with Florence for several years before he published "his" Tarot pack.
A well known Tarot writer criticized Mr. Parisious very severely this past
season on the mistaken assumption that the Celtic Cross was an "occult"
technique used by an English GD member in the early 1890'S.Actually Mr. Parisious has been aware for many years of these Celtic Cross references in the Gerald York collection at the Warburg but, as the technique was unknown to the GD heads before October 15,1897 ,this critic's conclusions are clearly erroneous.
However,if said critic can provide proof that an English GD member was writing
about the Celtic Cross circa 1893,it would prove that Yeats had already picked
up the technique while researching "The Celtic Twilight" in the late eighties and early ninetiesand shared his knowledge with a few English GD members.In this case the Celtic Cross may not,after all,have originated in the vicinity of Sligo.We have not yet had an opportunity to track down the names given in George's letter.
But either way we believe that Yeats had a very definite motive in introducing(or re-introducing) the Celtic Crossmethod in late 1897.An unpublished mss shows the first recorded Florence Farr Tarot designs were made under WBY's
instructions in three months between the end of 1897 and 1898.
Some twenty-five years ago Mr. Parisious issued a statement purportedly made by the second Mrs. Dr. Felkin on her death bed that that Yeats and Florence had made a Tarot pack in three months at the end of 1900 to the beginning of 1901 and her group must make every effort to re-obtain it. It now appears likely that she was referring to three months chronicled at the end of 1897-1898 when Will asked Florence to draw designs for Tarot court cards. Remember the Mrs. Felkin in question did not narry her husband till sometime after the events in question and she was somewhat deaf.
The Pollexfen letter resides in the closed archives of the Soc.Ros. and has
been confided to us under strict injunction that we maintain our informant's identity in perpetual secrecy.It has also been shown to a well-known Yeats editor who who writes us that he likewise does not wish to appear on a Tarot forum.Sorry for the holdup in posting this but that is the way things stand for now.
Golden Dawn chief Wynn Wescott dated October 15,1897. It contains a drawing of the now most famousdivinatory spread in the history of Tarot and includes an account of how
it was located as in use by no less than four native Irish women,presumably living in the vicinity of Sligo.
As George Pollexfen is known to have been both extremely sedentary and
extremely reclusive and as his nephew,William, had just arrived for a visit on
October 12th,we may state with some confidence that it was WBY who brought the
Celtic Cross into the house.
Padraic Colum who visited Sligo in 1909 with Yeats told Roger as far back as
the winter of 1966-1967 that Geoge"s psychic housekeeper,Mary Battle ,regularly
used the Celtic Cross method.
This is one of the many indications that WBY was the one
"who was versed" whom Waite thanked for the aid which he provided Pamela Smith
and himself in creating "their" pack.This thanks must be regarded as ironic aas there is more than ample evidence that Waite had been bitterly feuding with Florence for several years before he published "his" Tarot pack.
A well known Tarot writer criticized Mr. Parisious very severely this past
season on the mistaken assumption that the Celtic Cross was an "occult"
technique used by an English GD member in the early 1890'S.Actually Mr. Parisious has been aware for many years of these Celtic Cross references in the Gerald York collection at the Warburg but, as the technique was unknown to the GD heads before October 15,1897 ,this critic's conclusions are clearly erroneous.
However,if said critic can provide proof that an English GD member was writing
about the Celtic Cross circa 1893,it would prove that Yeats had already picked
up the technique while researching "The Celtic Twilight" in the late eighties and early ninetiesand shared his knowledge with a few English GD members.In this case the Celtic Cross may not,after all,have originated in the vicinity of Sligo.We have not yet had an opportunity to track down the names given in George's letter.
But either way we believe that Yeats had a very definite motive in introducing(or re-introducing) the Celtic Crossmethod in late 1897.An unpublished mss shows the first recorded Florence Farr Tarot designs were made under WBY's
instructions in three months between the end of 1897 and 1898.
Some twenty-five years ago Mr. Parisious issued a statement purportedly made by the second Mrs. Dr. Felkin on her death bed that that Yeats and Florence had made a Tarot pack in three months at the end of 1900 to the beginning of 1901 and her group must make every effort to re-obtain it. It now appears likely that she was referring to three months chronicled at the end of 1897-1898 when Will asked Florence to draw designs for Tarot court cards. Remember the Mrs. Felkin in question did not narry her husband till sometime after the events in question and she was somewhat deaf.
The Pollexfen letter resides in the closed archives of the Soc.Ros. and has
been confided to us under strict injunction that we maintain our informant's identity in perpetual secrecy.It has also been shown to a well-known Yeats editor who who writes us that he likewise does not wish to appear on a Tarot forum.Sorry for the holdup in posting this but that is the way things stand for now.