Tarot Tuesdays: #2 Smith-Waite
Originally published on October 10, 2023 -Archived as part of my Sacred Tools and Tarot & Compass content
Welcome, my enchanted magic seekers!
In today's discussion, I dive into the widely popular Rider-Waite (RW) tarot deck. Rider was the publisher of the deck, while mystic A.E. Waite, credited as a half-designer, authored the companion volume. In recent years, more spotlight has been given to the tarot’s illustrator, Pamela Colman Smith (nicknamed Pixie). Like many others, I refer to the RW tarot as the Smith-Waite (SW) deck to honor Smith's contribution, although it is likely that Waite provided instructions that influenced Smith’s drawings.
The concept of Tarot existed long before the SW deck of 1909. Tarot cards are thought to have originated in Italy in the 14th and 15th centuries AD. However, they were initially used as playing cards with the addition of the 22 major arcana (trumps) to the conventional four suits. Except for the Sola Busca tarot (circa 1490 Italy), the significant difference between the SW deck and its predecessors was the complete illustration of every card, including the minor arcana. If you're interested in learning more about the background and imagery of the SW deck, I've included some links at the end of this post for your convenience.
The SW deck incorporates astrological principles from the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn and is heavily symbolic, influenced by a magician and occultist. This secret organization, known as the Golden Dawn, was devoted to studying and applying principles that were unrelated to established religion and scientific norms. These teachings cover astrology, mysticism, magic, the paranormal, spells, and spiritual growth.
Many of these practices by the Golden Dawn are reflected in present-day concepts in ritual magic, such as Wicca and Thelema, which encompass a range of physical, mental, and spiritual exercises, including yoga, meditation, and spiritual philosophy, to explore consciousness and self-mastery.
Numerous contemporary decks draw inspiration from the SW deck, which is believed to have been distributed in more than 100 million copies across 20 different countries. Many experienced psychics and internet sites advise new readers to start with this deck. Contrary to popular opinion, I disagree with this suggestion.
The SW was almost exclusively mentioned in the literature when I first became interested in reading tarot. Despite the plethora of reference (and sometimes conflicting) material, I did not find the symbolism visually appealing. Additionally, I dismissed the deck (more on this in a subsequent blog post) due to an aversion. In short, I need to be drawn to the card visuals on the deck to understand the meanings.
I feel strongly connected to the decks I choose, albeit to date, only around 30. Trying to employ a SW deck variant with softer colors gave me the same sense of disconnection. Even when searching online sources for interpretations, I discovered that my intuition did not match Waite's and many others' information. Perhaps this is due to the archaic imagery with a religious undertone or unclear messaging.
Waite modified how tarot cards were used and expanded the inclusion of numerous occult and esoteric themes to make the tarot more of a divination tool. Smith laid the magnificent foundation for tarot art. I am thankful for both of these things because they served as the basis for creating countless tarot variations, including mine.
I will forgo using SW with my clients and continue using my other decks until the Wicked FairyTale® tarot is complete. I aim for the Wicked FairyTale® deck to be just as revolutionary and influential as SW was.
Until next time, let your inner compass guide you. 🧭
💫 Tara
#tarotreader #tarotdeckreview #tarotcards #TruePathCo #kentuckytarotreader #tarotartist
https://www.metmuseum.org/blogs/in-season/2016/tarot
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rider%E2%80%93Waite_Tarot
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sola_Busca_tarot
© 2023–2025 Tara Palazzolo, True Path Co. All rights reserved. Originally published on Wicked FairyTale® and lovingly updated on True Path Co for accessibility & reflection. This piece is part of the Traveler’s Codex—designed to support your journey of inner growth and sovereignty. Sharing is welcome with proper credit. No reproduction or redistribution is permitted without written permission.