The ancient wisdom of the cards
Its Occult Significance, Use in Fortune-Telling, and Method of Play, Etc.
by S. L. MacGregor Mathers
[1888]
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the hermetic tradition, england, s l macgregor mathers, fortune telling, tarot card games
Tags: england, occultists, rider waite smith tarot deck
Pamela Colman Smith was the skilled artist and seer who was commissioned by fellow member of the Order of the Golden Dawn, Arthur Edward Waite, to illustrate the entire 78 card Tarot deck to his exact specifications, so that any variation introduced would not be her fault.
Tags: england, occultists, rider waite tarot deck
Before the Rider-Waite deck was published in 1911, there was no modern deck that featured pictures for each of the 78 cards in the deck. Most decks had illustrations only for the Major Arcana, while the rest of the cards featured simply a pattern of easily recognizable pips. Arthur Edward Waite (1857-1942) wanted to publish a complete, modern version of the tarot that featured pictures for each card in the deck, including the minor arcana.
