The Rider-Waite-Smith deck was published in 1910 and it remains until this day the essence of Tarot, yet unsurpassed. Perhaps because of its authors, and their reunion at the right time, leading to the birth of a worldwide movement:
A man, Arthur Edward Waite, an emblematic scholar of esotericism, among the first and the best.
A man, Arthur Edward Waite, an emblematic scholar of esotericism, among the first and the best.
The true Tarot is symbolism; it speaks no other language and offers no other signs.
A. E. Waite
A. E. Waite
…and a woman, Pamela Colman Smith, a true bohemian, avant-garde spirit and apparently a synaesthesist , whose syncretic images are now guiding and inspiring millions of people all over the world
Pamela Colma Smith, Chromatic Fantasy - Bach
The Rider-Waite is the first Tarot I came in touch with, a long time ago, and in a more than magical manner. Throughout my life I have increasingly experienced what I call supra-conscious dreams and astral visions and the most important period in my life, when a profound transformation began to occur, one that led me to an incredible vision quest, a journey of discovery full of amazing inner and outer adventures, actually started with, among other things, a series of very powerful supra-conscious (astral travel) dreams and spontaneous visions in meditation or hypnagogic/hypnopompic states and in some of them I was seeing unidentified (for me at the time) symbolic images and when starting to look for their meaning, to identify them, I discovered many of these images in the Rider-Waite Tarot. This was an incredible discovery on many levels, including a confirmation of Jung’s archetypes and collective unconscious theory which I feel privileged to have experienced in such a direct way.
Jung’s Collective Unconscious/Archetypes Theory
During that time, one of the phenomena I experienced for a while was the fact that these images/symbols/dreams I was seeing were actually happening, as symbolic meaning, usually within a short time frame, almost always during the next 48 hours, in most cases, at least during the most intense period, when the phenomenon was triggered. Their premonitory value was being shown to me every day, as if I was getting a fast course in premonition by symbolic images. The subsequent journey got me in touch with the meaning and the purpose of my life, the stages of my life path, ultimately to answering the question: Who am I?
But most importantly, this journey makes it possible for me now to bring this message to you, the fact that our lives have a magical destination and purpose, that goes beyond the mundane. Of course, for me, the symbolism I was seeing translated into real life in a way that was beyond doubt, and the extraordinariness of the real life events helped, but I think what matters the most is the moment when that eye opens, and allows you to see that the magical has always been and is here now, you just have to look at it. This is how I discovered Tarot and this journey and this message is what I bring to you through the use of Tarot symbolism.
Jung’s Collective Unconscious/Archetypes Theory
During that time, one of the phenomena I experienced for a while was the fact that these images/symbols/dreams I was seeing were actually happening, as symbolic meaning, usually within a short time frame, almost always during the next 48 hours, in most cases, at least during the most intense period, when the phenomenon was triggered. Their premonitory value was being shown to me every day, as if I was getting a fast course in premonition by symbolic images. The subsequent journey got me in touch with the meaning and the purpose of my life, the stages of my life path, ultimately to answering the question: Who am I?
But most importantly, this journey makes it possible for me now to bring this message to you, the fact that our lives have a magical destination and purpose, that goes beyond the mundane. Of course, for me, the symbolism I was seeing translated into real life in a way that was beyond doubt, and the extraordinariness of the real life events helped, but I think what matters the most is the moment when that eye opens, and allows you to see that the magical has always been and is here now, you just have to look at it. This is how I discovered Tarot and this journey and this message is what I bring to you through the use of Tarot symbolism.
