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Rider Waite Tarot – Origin and how it became popular

O Rider Waite Tarot is the world’s best known tarot deck. His cards are vibrant and show full scenes and symbols. Most decks we see use Rider Waite Tarot as a base.

It was designed in 1909 by Pamela Coman Smith, directed by Arthur Edward Waite. That’s why this deck is also known as Rider Waite Smith Tarot.

Arthur Edward Waite (1857-1942) was an occult scholar and had several important works published throughout his life. According to Waite, symbolism is the key to the true Tarot.

Origin of Tarot

The exact origin of Tarot cards is not known, but we do know that their emergence predates Waite’s work by more than five centuries. Still, the Rider Waite Tarot deck is the most popular.

It is generally accepted the hypothesis that playing cards appeared in Europe in the second half of the 14th century, probably in Italy, with 78 cards, which would already be the 56 Minor Arcana with the 22 Major Arcana – or soul cards.

In the 15th century, Tarot cards were hand-drawn or painted for the court.

Already in the 16th century, a modified Tarot gained popularity: the Tarot de Marseilles.

How the Rider Waite Tarot was built

In the past, the 22 Major Arcana cards only had pictures. So Pamela Colman Smith worked on her drawings on top of a short list of Arthur Waite’s ideas about what each card should represent.

But Pamela Smith also had psychic sensitivities in addition to artistic talents. So, she combined Waite’s ideas with her own ideas, giving rise to the Rider Waite Tarot.

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It is believed that the great popularity of Tarot for so many years is due to the wonderful contribution of Pamela Smith.

Biographical Facts about Pamela Colman Smith

The artist, illustrator and writer was born in London in 1878. The daughter of a New York merchant and a Jamaican woman, Pamela was always traveling between these three locations.

At age 15, she enrolled at the Pratt Institute in New York to study art. It was said that from an early age she had a very mature drawing style for her age, which shows that she has always been a visionary when it comes to symbolism.

Due to health problems, she ended up leaving Pratt without completing the course, but continued working as an illustrator.

In 1899, she returned to England and became a theater designer. Her talent was so great that she even had three exhibitions of her own paintings in New York. Her knowledge of theater is said to have greatly influenced the creation of the Tarot arts.

Rider Waite Tarot Publication

The first Rider Waite Tarot deck was published in England and was simply called Tarot Cards.

It was sold in a pamphlet titled Key to the Tarot, written by Arthur Waite. Pamela’s black and white drawings were later added to the book.

There were differences in the United States and the United Kingdom regarding copyright law, which ended up hurting Pamela, who did not have her work recognized. It is only in the present day that the cards have come to be referred to as Rider Waite Smith Tarot.

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Rider Waite Tarot – Versions

Since the first Rider Waite Tarot deck hit the market, many things have changed. Dozens of other publishers published their own versions of the letters and redefined Pamela’s designs.

Many of the cards have been redesigned by other artists, primarily to take advantage of new printing technologies and add color to the deck.

There were limitations on color printing at the time Pamela Smith designed it.

The Rider Waite Smith Tarot deck is the most loved to date, that’s why it has so many versions. It became so popular because the images constructed by Smith and Waite help readers better understand the meaning of Tarot cards.

Waite and Smith’s use of detailed images made it easy for anyone to understand the meaning of the cards.

No magic power is needed to read the Rider Waite Tarot. But it is clear that more developed psychic abilities help to extract more and better information from the cards.

Rider Waite Tarot cards today are not only used for divination, but also as a reflective tool for self-knowledge.

The symbolism so emphasized by Waite in his letters was explained by Carl Jung in his book “Man and His Symbols”.

According to the psychiatrist and psychotherapist, the court cards represent the basic spiritual archetypes built into the human mind.

Consult the Tarot

Are you having doubts about your love life or are you suffering for love? The Love Tarot can calm your heart and lessen your anxiety by giving you the answers you are looking for.

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Focus, ask your question – as we teach you in the article on how to ask Tarot questions -, shuffle the cards and choose one.

Ready! It will have the answer to your question.

You can also access our consultation page and chat with one of our online tarologists.

You can make your service via phone, email or chat.

Do you have your own Tarot and are you learning to read it? Learn more about each of the 22 Major Arcana:

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