Any ideas for a study group?

The study group in Thoth seems to be going nicely, and I thought it would be interesting to have something of the sort here.

Like other study groups, my goal is to post something short and then have people talk about it. I won't be able to write long posts, but some long term study group is fun and educational.

So, any suggestions? If there are many we can make a poll to see which one wins. I just ask that any ideas be RWS specific, and not general Tarot, as there can sometimes be a bit of overlap between here and UTC.

How about a discussion of the esoteric significance of the Trumps, taking into account PKT Part II § 2: The Trumps Major and Their Inner Symbolism.

I'd be up for going through that part of the book.

Maybe it would be good to start with Part II § 1: Tarot and Secret Tradition. This is where, among other things, Waite apparently indicates that he is well aware of Golden Dawn material having been revealed by "traffickers of stolen goods." Also he makes it clear that Levi's placement of the Fool between Judgment and the World is not only "superficially ridiculous" but also "wrong on the symbolism." This is interesting in view of his putting the Fool in that order in Part II § 2 (which puzzles a lot of people). I have some ideas about this (as well as the apparent ordering of the court cards in Part III § 2).

Good idea, I like it. It would really give us a chance to go deep into the deck.

No hurry, though. Just gathering ideas for now, others may contribute over the next few days. It needn't even necessarily be Waite-oriented, come to think of it, or at least not necessarily his book(s). We can explore PCS's life, or Waite as the man and not the mystic. Sky's the limit, really.

I think a study of Waite's life would be enlightening and interesting. I'm not sure how much interest there would be, but if enough people want to I'm down with it.

LRichard said:

How about a discussion of the esoteric significance of the Trumps, taking into account PKT Part II § 2: The Trumps Major and Their Inner Symbolism.

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LRichard said:

Maybe it would be good to start with Part II § 1: Tarot and Secret Tradition. This is where, among other things, Waite apparently indicates that he is well aware of Golden Dawn material having been revealed by "traffickers of stolen goods." Also he makes it clear that Levi's placement of the Fool between Judgment and the World is not only "superficially ridiculous" but also "wrong on the symbolism." This is interesting in view of his putting the Fool in that order in Part II § 2 (which puzzles a lot of people). I have some ideas about this (as well as the apparent ordering of the court cards in Part III § 2).

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I too would be interested most in a systematic study of the RWS, starting with the Major Arcana, but including the Minor Arcana (they are just as esoteric too, imo). The PKT seems to be a suitable base for that, hoping however that the discussion would take off freely from there. As the Thoth study group shows, for a project like that to move forward, there has to be a regular presentation of manageable text sections that people can comment on.

Michael Sternbach said:

I too would be interested most in a systematic study of the RWS, starting with the Major Arcana, but including the Minor Arcana (they are just as esoteric too, imo).

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True, the minors are often shortchanged.

Discussing the RWS Minors is fine, but such things as interpreting the Six of Cups as a pedophiliac dwarf attempting to seduce a little girl drive me up the wall. Unfounded speculation which totally ignores Occam's razor belongs in UTC, not here (IMO of course).

While I'm inclined to agree in principle, perhaps the reality is that the RWS naturally invites free association, since there isn't much accessible literature to go on anyway. That is an issue that should be dealt with in advance, since we can already foresee it arising. I could very well supply a Kabbalistic interpretation to a scene but it would still be no better than any speculation.

Assuming we go in the direction of the PKT (which hasn't been decided, still taking ideas!), how would we structure the group so that it is differentiated from a general interpretive study, is Waite-specific and is still relatively accessible to new students who wish to learn about the esoteric structure of the deck but who haven't read things like Waite's Holy Grail book? Honestly, I don't see many people going there, and too-specific requirements would mark off an overwhelming majority of potential participants. Even people who know the basics, astrology and kabbalah, still can't approach Waite's other books. Come to think of it, I myself would find such a group impossible to participate in, because Waite just isn't accessible.

Not shooting down any ideas, of course, just trying to look into the future.