A E Waite

<p><strong>Arthur Edward Waite</strong> (2 October 1857 – 19 May 1942), commonly known as <strong>A. E. Waite</strong>, was an American-born British poet and scholarly <a title="Mysticism" href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mysticism">mystic</a> who wrote extensively on <a title="Occult" href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occult">occult</a> and <a class="mw-redirect" title="Esoteric" href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esoteric">esoteric</a> matters, and was the co-creator of the <a title="Rider-Waite tarot deck" href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rider-Waite_tarot_deck">Rider-Waite</a> <a title="Tarot" href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarot">Tarot</a> deck. As his biographer R. A. Gilbert described him, "Waite's name has survived because he was the first to attempt a systematic study of the history of <a class="mw-redirect" title="Western occultism" href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_occultism">western occultism</a>—viewed as a spiritual tradition rather than as aspects of proto-science or as the pathology of religion."<sup id="cite_ref-1" class="reference"><a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/A.E.Waite?wprov=sfla1#cite_note-1">[1]</a></sup></p>

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<th colspan="2"><span class="fn">Arthur Edward Waite</span></th>

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<div>Waite in the early 1880s</div>

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<th scope="row">Born2October</th>

<td>1857
<span class="birthplace"><a title="Brooklyn" href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brooklyn">Brooklyn</a>, New York, United States</span></td>

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<td>1942(aged 84)
<span class="deathplace">London, England</span></td>

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<th scope="row">Resting place</th>

<td class="label"><a title="Bishopsbourne" href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bishopsbourne">Bishopsbourne</a>Village, in the county of <a title="Kent" href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kent">Kent</a>, England</td>

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<th scope="row">NationalityBritishKnown</th>

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<td><a title="Rider-Waite tarot deck" href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rider-Waite_tarot_deck">Rider-Waite</a> <a title="Tarot" href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarot">Tarot</a>deck</td>

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<th scope="row"><span class="nowrap">Spouse(s)</span></th>

<td>Ada Lakeman, Mary Broadbent SchofieldChildrenSybil</td>

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<td>WaiteParent</td>

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<td>Captain Charles F. Waite, Emma LovellRelativesFrederika</td>

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<td>Waite</td>

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<h2 class="collapsible-heading" tabindex="0">Contents</h2>

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<h2 class="in-block section-heading collapsible-heading open-block" tabindex="0"><span id="Early_life" class="mw-headline">Early life</span><a class="mw-ui-icon mw-ui-icon-element mw-ui-icon-minerva-edit-enabled edit-page" title="Edit section: Early life" href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=A.E.Waite&action=edit&section=1" data-section="1">Edit</a></h2>

<p>Waite was born in Brooklyn, New York, United States.<sup id="cite_ref-2" class="reference"><a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/A.E.Waite?wprov=sfla1#cite_note-2">[2]</a></sup> Waite's father, Capt. Charles F. Waite, died when he was very young, and his <a title="Widow" href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Widow">widowed</a>mother, Emma Lovell, returned to her home country of England, where he was then raised.<sup id="cite_ref-3" class="reference"><a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/A.E.Waite?wprov=sfla1#cite_note-3">[3]</a></sup> As they were not well off, Waite was educated at a small private school in <a title="North London" href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_London">North London</a>. When he was 13, he was then educated at St. Charles' College.<sup id="cite_ref-4" class="reference"><a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/A.E.Waite?wprov=sfla1#cite_note-4">[4]</a></sup> When he left school to become a clerk he wrote verse in his spare time. In 1863 Waite's mother converted to Catholicism. The death of his sister Frederika Waite in 1874 soon attracted him into psychical research. At 21, he began to read regularly in the Library of the <a title="British Museum" href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Museum">British Museum</a>, studying many branches of <a class="mw-redirect" title="Esotericism" href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esotericism">esotericism</a>. In 1881 Waite discovered the writings of <a class="mw-redirect" title="Eliphas Levi" href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eliphas_Levi">Eliphas Levi</a>.</p>

<p>When Waite was almost 30 he married Ada Lakeman (also called "Lucasta"), and they had one daughter, Sybil. Some time after Lucasta's death in 1924, Waite married Mary Broadbent Schofield. He spent most of his life in or near London, connected to various publishing houses and editing a magazine, <em>The Unknown World</em>.</p>

<div class="thumbcaption">Waite photographed in London, 13 January 1921.</div>

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<h2 class="in-block section-heading collapsible-heading open-block" tabindex="0"><span id="Career" class="mw-headline">Career</span><a class="mw-ui-icon mw-ui-icon-element mw-ui-icon-minerva-edit-enabled edit-page" title="Edit section: Career" href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=A.E.Waite&action=edit&section=2" data-section="2">Edit</a></h2>

<h3 class="in-block"><span id="Golden_Dawn" class="mw-headline">Golden Dawn</span><a class="mw-ui-icon mw-ui-icon-element mw-ui-icon-minerva-edit-enabled edit-page" title="Edit section: Golden Dawn" href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=A.E.Waite&action=edit&section=3" data-section="3">Edit</a></h3>

<p>Waite joined the Outer Order of the <a title="Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn" href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermetic_Order_of_the_Golden_Dawn">Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn</a> in January 1891 after being introduced by <a title="Edmund William Berridge" href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edmund_William_Berridge">E.W. Berridge</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-5" class="reference"><a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/A.E.Waite?wprov=sfla1#cite_note-5">[5]</a></sup> In 1893 he withdrew from the Golden Dawn. In 1896 he rejoined the Outer Order of the Golden Dawn. In 1899 he entered the Second order of the Golden Dawn. He became a <a class="mw-redirect" title="Freemason" href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freemason">Freemason</a> in 1901,<sup id="cite_ref-6" class="reference"><a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/A.E.Waite?wprov=sfla1#cite_note-6">[6]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-7" class="reference"><a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/A.E.Waite?wprov=sfla1#cite_note-7">[7]</a></sup>and entered the <em><a title="Societas Rosicruciana in Anglia" href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Societas_Rosicruciana_in_Anglia">Societas Rosicruciana in Anglia</a></em> in 1902. In 1903 Waite founded the Independent and Rectified Order R. R. et A. C. This Order was disbanded in 1914. The Golden Dawn was torn by internal feuding until Waite's departure in 1914; in July 1915 he formed the <a class="mw-redirect" title="Fellowship of the Rosy Cross" href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fellowship_of_the_Rosy_Cross">Fellowship of the Rosy Cross</a>,<sup id="cite_ref-8" class="reference"><a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/A.E.Waite?wprov=sfla1#cite_note-8">[8]</a></sup> not to be confused with the <em>Societas Rosicruciana.</em> By that time there existed some half-dozen offshoots from the original Golden Dawn, and as a whole it never recovered.<sup id="cite_ref-9" class="reference"><a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/A.E.Waite?wprov=sfla1#cite_note-9">[9]</a></sup></p>

<p><a title="Aleister Crowley" href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aleister_Crowley">Aleister Crowley</a>, Waite's foe, referred to him as the villainous "Arthwate" in his novel <em><a title="Moonchild (novel)" href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moonchild(novel)">Moonchild</a></em> and referred to him as "Dead Waite" in his magazine <em><a title="The Equinox" href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Equinox">Equinox</a></em>. <a title="H. P. Lovecraft" href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/H.P.Lovecraft">Lovecraft</a> has a villainous wizard in his short story "<a title="The Thing on the Doorstep" href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Thing_on_the_Doorstep">The Thing on the Doorstep</a>" called Ephraim Waite; according to <a title="Robert M. Price" href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_M.Price">Robert M. Price</a>, this character was based on Waite.<sup id="cite_ref-10" class="reference"><a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/A.E.Waite?wprov=sfla1#cite_note-10">[10]</a></sup></p>

<h3 class="in-block"><span id="Author_and_scholar" class="mw-headline">Author and scholar</span><a class="mw-ui-icon mw-ui-icon-element mw-ui-icon-minerva-edit-enabled edit-page" title="Edit section: Author and scholar" href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=A.E.Waite&action=edit&section=4" data-section="4">Edit</a></h3>

<p>Waite was a prolific author and many of his works were well received in academic circles. He wrote occult texts on subjects including <a title="Divination" href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Divination">divination</a>, <a class="mw-redirect" title="Esotericism" href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esotericism">esotericism</a>, <a title="Rosicrucianism" href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosicrucianism">Rosicrucianism</a>, <a title="Freemasonry" href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freemasonry">Freemasonry</a>, and <a title="Ceremonial magic" href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceremonial_magic">ceremonial magic</a>, <a class="mw-redirect" title="Kabbalism" href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kabbalism">Kabbalism</a>and <a title="Alchemy" href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alchemy">alchemy</a>; he also translated and reissued several important mystical and alchemical works. His works on the <a title="Holy Grail" href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_Grail">Holy Grail</a>, influenced by his friendship with <a title="Arthur Machen" href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Machen">Arthur Machen</a>, were particularly notable.<sup id="cite_ref-11" class="reference"><a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/A.E.Waite?wprov=sfla1#cite_note-11">[11]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-12" class="reference"><a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/A.E.Waite?wprov=sfla1#cite_note-12">[12]</a></sup> A number of his volumes remain in print, including <em><a title="The Book of Ceremonial Magic" href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Book_of_Ceremonial_Magic">The Book of Ceremonial Magic</a></em> (1911), <em>The Holy Kabbalah</em> (1929), <em>A New Encyclopedia of Freemasonry</em> (1921), and his edited translation of <a class="mw-redirect" title="Eliphas Levi" href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eliphas_Levi">Eliphas Levi</a>'s 1896 <em><a title="Dogme et Rituel de la Haute Magie" href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dogme_et_Rituel_de_la_Haute_Magie">Transcendental Magic, its Doctrine and Ritual</a></em> (1910), having seen reprints in recent years. Waite also wrote two allegorical fantasy novels, <em>Prince Starbeam</em> (1889) and <em>The Quest of the Golden Stairs</em> (1893), and edited <em>Elfin Music</em>, an anthology of poetry based on English <a title="Fairy" href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairy">fairy</a> folklore.<sup id="cite_ref-13" class="reference"><a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/A.E.Waite?wprov=sfla1#cite_note-13">[13]</a></sup></p>

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<h2 class="in-block section-heading collapsible-heading open-block" tabindex="0"><span id="Tarot_deck" class="mw-headline">Tarot deck</span><a class="mw-ui-icon mw-ui-icon-element mw-ui-icon-minerva-edit-enabled edit-page" title="Edit section: Tarot deck" href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=A.E.Waite&action=edit&section=5" data-section="5">Edit</a></h2>

<p>Waite is best known as the co-creator of the popular and widely used <a class="mw-redirect" title="Rider-Waite-Smith deck" href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rider-Waite-Smith_deck">Rider-Waite</a> <a title="Tarot" href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarot">Tarot</a> deck and author of its companion volume, the <em>Key to the Tarot</em>, republished in expanded form the following year, 1911, as the <em><a class="mw-redirect" title="Pictorial Key to the Tarot" href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pictorial_Key_to_the_Tarot">Pictorial Key to the Tarot</a></em>, a guide to <a class="mw-redirect" title="Tarot reading" href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarot_reading">Tarot reading</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-14" class="reference"><a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/A.E.Waite?wprov=sfla1#cite_note-14">[14]</a></sup> The Rider-Waite-Smith tarot was notable for being one of the first tarot decks to illustrate all 78 cards fully, not only the 22 <a class="mw-redirect" title="Major arcana" href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Major_arcana">major arcana</a> cards. <a title="Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn" href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermetic_Order_of_the_Golden_Dawn">Golden Dawn</a> member <a title="Pamela Colman Smith" href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pamela_Colman_Smith">Pamela Colman Smith</a> illustrated the cards for Waite, and the deck was first published in 1909. It remains in publication today.</p>

<p>It is known that the inspiration for this deck was partly provided by <a class="external text" href="http://solabuscatarot1998mayer.wordpress.com/sola-busca-waite-smith-tarot/" rel="nofollow">Sola-Busca Tarot</a> (Northern Italy, 1491), the first and only fully illustrated Tarot deck up to the time of publication of the Rider-Waite Tarot.</p>

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A E Waite

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