de Laurence "Illustrated Key to the Tarot" oddity

Abrac

I was recently made aware of an online version of de Laurence's Illustrated Key tot he Tarot (1916) and have been making my way through it. There's something in it I've never seen before. Virtually every instance of the word God has in parentheses after it (Nature); and vice versa. This isn't the case in Sacred Texts' online version of Waite's PKT. Anyone know if it was originally in Waite's PKT or was it added by de Laurence? Here's a pic that shows an example:

Example from de Laurence
 

Yelell

I do not know the answer to your question, but I think it may be possible. I finally got a hard copy of the PKT, mid 60's University Books, which has an introduction by Gertrude Moakley. In it, she says "...... God (Nature), as Waite liked to put it, following Spinoza's use of Natura naturans as a name for God." The main text of the book does not have God(Nature) anywhere, but it sounds like Waite may have intended it to?
 

roppo

I have a first edition of PKT (1911) and its second printing (1922). There's no (Nature) in both of them and I believe de Laurence added that.
 

Abrac

Thanks to you Yelell and roppo (sorry I called you rodney :(). It sounds like something Waite might say or write, but it's good to know how he actually did write it. Thanks a lot. :)

ETA: Putting Nature in parentheses in every case doesn't really seem like Waite's style.
 

Yelell

ETA: Putting Nature in parentheses in every case doesn't really seem like Waite's style.

Yeah, it just looks weird. Now I'm curious what this Gertrude Moakley was referring to when she said Waite liked to write it like that. Ha, maybe she had a copy of the de Laurence book!

I am surprised there's not a scan somewhere of the original key to the tarot- even an old copy or microfilm in a library or something. I'm determined to find it if it exists -- or else start saving my pennies for a book to show up on ebay someday (Wonder how much these things cost :joke: ) too much I'm sure!
 

Abrac

I found a reference to Natura naturans in Waite's 1902 book, The Doctrine and Literature of the Kabalah. It's used in connection to a description of the third triad of the Tree of Life (Netzach, Hod and Yesod).

"The third triad is dynamic; its Sephiroth signify the Deity as universal potentiality, energy and productive principle. They answer to the idea of Nature, the natura naturans, however, and not the natura naturata."

According to Wikipedia, natura naturans represents nature as an active dynamic principle while natura naturata is static, or nature already created. I'm assuming natura naturata would describe Malkuth.

Waite applies natura naturans to one aspect or principle of Deity so it seems presumtuous and out of place for deLaurence to use God and Nature virtually as interchangeable. I've never seen "God (Nature)" in any of Waite's books or papers so Moakley's comment seems uninformed. She may well have been going by the deLaurence book.

This was the only reference to natura naturans I could find in the books I have; there may be more. Spinoza is also mentioned once in the Kabalah book I referenced.

If you could find a copy online that would be awesome. I've looked but so far nothing. I found a first edition PKT in pretty rough shape for US $95. I can only imagine what an original Key would go for. :)
 

Teheuti

If you could find a copy online that would be awesome. I've looked but so far nothing. I found a first edition PKT in pretty rough shape for US $95. I can only imagine what an original Key would go for. :)
I have first editions of both PKT and the original Key. I started a comparison of both and don't remember anything like the God (Nature) stuff, which I'm pretty sure is unique to DeLaurence.