The Rider–Waite Deck and Modern Tarot

The most widely referenced deck in modern Western Tarot is the Rider–Waite deck, whose symbolism continues to influence Tarot deck design today. Its popularity in Western culture is largely due to its Christian symbolism, which made the imagery more accessible to a Christian audience.

The deck’s companion guide, The Pictorial Key to the Tarot, written by A. E. Waite, explains the symbolism of the cards along with their divinatory meanings, further solidifying the deck’s influence.

A. E. Waite and His Occult Foundations

Arthur Edward Waite was the driving force behind the creation of the deck. A spiritual scholar who supported himself as a translator, Waite published one of the first Tarot books written in English, A Handbook of Cartomancy, Fortune-Telling, and Occult Divination.

His fascination with the occult led him to join the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, an influential esoteric society. It was there that he met Pamela Colman Smith, an artist known for her intuitive and trance-based creative process. Smith would often enter deep meditative states while listening to music and drawing.

Over time, Waite grew disillusioned with the Golden Dawn and eventually founded his own group, The Fellowship of the Rosy Cross.

Pamela Colman Smith and the Creation of the Deck

In 1909, Waite commissioned Pamela Colman Smith to illustrate what is now known as the Rider–Waite deck. Waite believed strongly in Smith’s clairvoyant abilities and felt they would aid in manifesting the deck’s imagery.

Smith’s inspiration did not come solely from imagination. She conducted research at the British Museum, where she studied the Sola Busca Tarot, an influential deck known for its illustrated Minor Arcana. While the Major Arcana incorporated Christian themes alongside the Golden Dawn’s astrological correspondences, the Minor Arcana illustrations were groundbreaking for their narrative depth.

Occult Influences on Tarot Meanings

The divinatory meanings of the Minor Arcana were influenced by The Golden Dawn’s Book T as well as the teachings of Etteilla. The Major Arcana meanings drew from the works of Paul Christian and Eliphas Levi, whose interpretations were heavily influenced by Egyptian symbolism and esoteric philosophy.

Together, these influences formed a cohesive symbolic system that shaped modern Tarot interpretation.

Loss, Restoration, and Legacy

During World War II, the original printing plates, early decks, and much of Pamela Colman Smith’s original artwork were lost. Aside from a handful of surviving cards, the only remaining version of the deck was a pirated edition produced by a 1916 publisher.

In 1971, U.S. Games Systems acquired the rights to the Rider–Waite deck and reconstructed the missing elements as faithfully as possible. The resulting deck remains one of the closest representations of the original and is the version most commonly used today.Symbolism 

The Ryder Waite deck is rich with symbolism which can be used in order to decipher your own intuition. While this symbolism does not need to be memorized, they are a great tool for working with your spiritual impulses. The definitions you resonate with each pictographic can be unique to you, and these are simply a guiding light for the beginning of your journey.

If no one told me there was symbolism in a triangle, I would have never thought anything of it other than it being a three sided figure. It would have been something completely overlooked in my craft. These are some symbols you can look for in your work