Is there any Waite book actually explaining the RWS attributions?

I raised this question in another non-related thread but I thought I would ask here.

I must admit I've concentrated more on the Thoth when studying occult, astrological and Kabbalistic attributions, since there is simply more material on it. These things are explained both in the Book of Thoth and in the cards themselves, hence we have the DuQuette and other books.

Is there something similar by Waite explaining how and why the cards portray the scenes that they do, from these points of view? The PKT is sketchy, and I'm not well versed in other Waite literature.

Nope, cause its a secret

In the thread I mentioned, I got my answer, things got a little off-topic there, but I was pointed to Book T, which I have downloaded. Like I said in that thread, it can be annoying that the best way to study Waite is to read what he didn't write, and come at the deck from the other way 'round. But that was what the deck was meant to be in the first place, I guess, a first initiatory door to what Waite was driving at, not the "secrets" themselves.

However, Book T may explain the Golden Dawn, but not strictly the RWS, which is, like you said, a secret

Waite felt bound by certain oaths of secrecy, so his writings about Tarot were not very explicit. Teheuti (Mary Greer) probably knows as much about his writings as anyone. You might try PM-ing her. His deck is a blend of Golden Dawn and Judeo-Christian symbolism. It is not so different from Crowley's Thoth deck as it might first appear to be. Like Thoth, It definitely is in the Golden Dawn family. (Of course, both Waite and Crowley were once Golden Dawn members, as was Pamela Colman-Smith, who was largely responsible for the design of the Waite Minors.)

I remember asking Teheuti (Mary Greer) about this quite a while ago, and she suggested Paul Foster Case's book 'The Tarot: A Key to the Wisdom of the Ages' might be helpful for the Majors. As he was a member of the Golden Dawn too, Case's book might shed some insight into the images.

It's amazing that so much has be written about the RWS and yet there isn't a 'proper' guide as to what it's really all about.

teomat said:

It's amazing that so much has be written about the RWS and yet there isn't a 'proper' guide as to what it's really all about.

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It is kind of weird, isn't it? I've wondered why no one writes a book that flat out explains every little symbol and stylised marking on PCS's original art work. But it seems no one has. Someone should--if anyone even knows!

teomat said:

I remember asking Teheuti (Mary Greer) about this quite a while ago, and she suggested Paul Foster Case's book 'The Tarot: A Key to the Wisdom of the Ages' might be helpful for the Majors. As he was a member of the Golden Dawn too, Case's book might shed some insight into the images.

It's amazing that so much has be written about the RWS and yet there isn't a 'proper' guide as to what it's really all about.

Click to expand...

I would second that vote. It was a much more useful book that I'd anticipated, and very valuable for RWS in particular.

Thanks for the responses

I guess I'll read Book T which I downloaded and then get to Case's book

For the Major cards get Case's, The Tarot: A Key to the Wisdom of the Ages.

The RWS minor cards are, more or less, based on the same Golden Dawn qabalistic/astrological framework as the Thoth minors. It is just presented in a different way in the RWS.

Here's a couple of examples to get you started.

In the Thoth deck the 2 of Wands is attributed to Mars in Aries. Mars is Atu XVI The Tower, and Aries is Atu IV The Emperor. Looking the RWS image we've got an Emperor standing on top of a Tower. Get it?

3 of Wands - Sol in Aries. There's our Aries-Emperor again. But Sol moving into Aries is traditionally the beginning of Spring time, so here we see him at the very beginning of establishing his kingdom. This is reafirmed by the sprouting leaves on the three wands. The golden glow of the dawn (Sol) is refelcted in the lake (Binah) in front of him.

That's fascinating, Aeon418, and exactly the kind of thing i was looking for. I will read Case's book, after i finish the relevant Golden Dawn literature, I thought best to start from scratch, so to speak I suppose the GD will be this years IDS for me