The Rider–Waite Tarot is a widely popular deck for

tarot card reading Tarot card reading is a form of cartomancy whereby practitioners use tarot cards to purportedly gain insight into the past, present or future. The process typically begins with formulation of a question, followed by drawing and interpreting cards ...

, first published by William Rider & Son in 1909, based on the instructions of academic and mystic A. E. Waite and illustrated by

Pamela Colman Smith Pamela Colman Smith (16 February 1878 – 16 September 1951), nicknamed "Pixie", was a British artist, illustrator, writer, publisher, and occultist. She is best-known for illustrating the Rider–Waite Tarot (also known as the Rider–Waite– ...

, both members of the

Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn (), more commonly the Golden Dawn (), was a secret society devoted to the study and practice of occult Hermeticism and metaphysics during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Known as a magical order, ...

. Also known as the Waite–Smith, Rider–Waite–Smith, or Rider Tarot, the deck has been published in numerous editions and inspired a wide array of variants and imitations. Estimates suggest over 100 million copies of the deck circulate across over 20 countries.

Overview

The Rider–Waite tarot deck has 78 cards: 56

Minor Arcana The Minor Arcana, sometimes known as the Lesser Arcana, are the Suit (cards), suit cards in a Cartomancy, cartomantic tarot deck. Ordinary tarot cards first appeared in northern Italy in the 1440s and were designed for tarot card games. They typi ...

, and 22

Major Arcana The Major Arcana are the named cards in a cartomantic tarot pack. There are usually 22 such cards in a standard 78-card pack, typically numbered from 0 to 21 (or 1 to 21, with the Fool being left unnumbered). Although the cards correspond to the ...

. The Minor Arcana generally correspond to the suits of

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

Italian playing cards Playing cards (in Italian: ''carte da gioco'') have been in Italy since the late 14th century. Until the mid 19th century, Italy was composed of many smaller independent states which led to the development of various regional patterns of playing ...

. The Major Arcana, corresponding to the trump cards of gaming tarot, have unique designs numbered from 0 ( The Fool) to 21 (

The World The world is the totality of entities, the whole of reality, or everything that exists. The nature of the world has been conceptualized differently in different fields. Some conceptions see the world as unique, while others talk of a "plu ...

). While the images are simple, the details and backgrounds feature abundant symbolism. Some imagery remains similar to that found in earlier decks, but overall the Waite–Smith card designs are substantially different from their predecessors. Christian imagery was removed from some cards, and added to others. For example, the "Papess" became the "High Priestess" and no longer features a

Papal tiara The papal tiara is a crown that was worn by popes of the Catholic Church from as early as the 8th century to the mid–20th century. It was last used by Pope Paul VI in 1963, and only at the beginning of his reign. The name ''tiara'' refers t ...

. The "Lovers" card, previously depicting a medieval scene of a clothed man and woman receiving a blessing from a noble or cleric was changed to a depiction of the naked

Adam and Eve Adam and Eve, according to the creation myth of the Abrahamic religions, were the first man and woman. They are central to the belief that humanity is in essence a single family, with everyone descended from a single pair of original ancestors. ...

in the

Garden of Eden In Abrahamic religions, the Garden of Eden (; ; ) or Garden of God ( and ), also called the Terrestrial Paradise, is the biblical paradise described in Genesis 2–3 and Ezekiel 28 and 31.. The location of Eden is described in the Book of Ge ...

, and the ace of cups featuring a dove carrying

Sacramental bread Sacramental bread, also called Communion bread, Communion wafer, Sacred host, Eucharistic bread, the Lamb or simply the host (), is the bread used in the Christian ritual of the Eucharist. Along with sacramental wine, it is one of two elements ...

. The

are illustrated with allegorical scenes by Smith, where earlier decks, with a few rare exceptions, had simple designs for the Minor Arcana. The symbols and imagery used in the deck were influenced by the 19th-century magician and occultist

Eliphas Levi Eliphaz is one of Esau's sons in the Bible. Eliphaz or Eliphas may also refer to: * Eliphaz (Job), another person in the Bible * Eliphaz Dow (1705–1755), first male executed in New Hampshire * Eliphaz Fay (1797–1854), fourth president of Wate ...

, as well as by the teachings of the

. In order to accommodate the

astrological Astrology is a range of divinatory practices, recognized as pseudoscientific since the 18th century, that propose that information about human affairs and terrestrial events may be discerned by studying the apparent positions of celesti ...

correspondences taught by the Golden Dawn, Waite introduced several innovations to the deck. He switched the order of the

Strength Strength may refer to: Personal trait *Physical strength, as in people or animals *Character strengths like those listed in the Values in Action Inventory *The exercise of willpower Physics * Mechanical strength, the ability to withstand ...

and

Justice In its broadest sense, justice is the idea that individuals should be treated fairly. According to the ''Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy'', the most plausible candidate for a core definition comes from the ''Institutes (Justinian), Inst ...

cards so that Strength corresponded with

Leo Leo is the Latin word for lion. It most often refers to: * Leo (constellation), a constellation of stars in the night sky * Leo (astrology), an astrological sign of the zodiac * Leo (given name), a given name in several languages, usually mas ...

and Justice corresponded with

Libra Libra generally refers to: * Libra (constellation), a constellation * Libra (astrology), an astrological sign based on the star constellation Libra may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Libra'' (novel), a 1988 novel by Don DeLillo Musi ...

. He based

the Lovers The Lovers (VI) is the sixth trump (card games), trump or Major Arcana card in most traditional Tarot decks. It is used in Tarot card games, game playing as well as in Tarot reading, divination. Interpretation According to A. E. Waite's 191 ...

card on Italian tarot decks, which have two persons and an angel, to reinforce its correspondence with

Gemini Gemini most often refers to: * Gemini (constellation), one of the constellations of the zodiac * Gemini (astrology), an astrological sign Gemini may also refer to: Science and technology Space * Gemini in Chinese astronomy, the Gemini constellat ...

Major Arcana

The

of the Rider–Waite tarot are illustrated below. File:RWS Tarot 00 Fool.jpg, 0 – The Fool File:RWS Tarot 01 Magician.jpg, I – The Magician File:RWS Tarot 02 High Priestess.jpg, II –

The High Priestess The High Priestess (II) is the second Major Arcana card in cartomantic Tarot decks. It is based on the 2nd trump of Tarot card packs. In the first Tarot pack with inscriptions, the 18th-century woodcut Tarot de Marseilles, this figure is cr ...

File:RWS Tarot 03 Empress.jpg, III – The Empress File:RWS Tarot 04 Emperor.jpg, IV –

The Emperor ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The' ...

File:RWS Tarot 05 Hierophant.jpg, V –

The Hierophant The Hierophant (V), alternatively depicted as The Pope or The High Priest (as a counterpart to "The High Priestess") is the fifth card of the Major Arcana in occult Tarot decks used in divination. It was identified as the Pope in early decks ...

File:RWS Tarot 06 Lovers.jpg, VI –

The Lovers The Lovers (VI) is the sixth trump (card games), trump or Major Arcana card in most traditional Tarot decks. It is used in Tarot card games, game playing as well as in Tarot reading, divination. Interpretation According to A. E. Waite's 191 ...

File:RWS Tarot 07 Chariot.jpg, VII – The Chariot File:RWS Tarot 08 Strength.jpg, VIII –

File:RWS Tarot 09 Hermit.jpg, IX – The Hermit File:RWS Tarot 10 Wheel of Fortune.jpg, X – Wheel of Fortune File:RWS Tarot 11 Justice.jpg, XI –

File:RWS Tarot 12 Hanged Man.jpg, XII – The Hanged Man File:RWS Tarot 13 Death.jpg, XIII –

Death Death is the end of life; the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain a living organism. Death eventually and inevitably occurs in all organisms. The remains of a former organism normally begin to decompose sh ...

File:RWS Tarot 14 Temperance.jpg, XIV – Temperance File:RWS Tarot 15 Devil.jpg, XV –

The Devil Satan, also known as the Devil, is a devilish entity in Abrahamic religions who seduces humans into sin (or falsehood). In Judaism, Satan is seen as an agent subservient to God, typically regarded as a metaphor for the '' yetzer hara'', or 'e ...

File:RWS Tarot 16 Tower.jpg, XVI – The Tower File:RWS Tarot 17 Star.jpg, XVII – The Star File:RWS Tarot 18 Moon.jpg, XVIII –

The Moon The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It orbits around Earth at an average distance of (; about 30 times Earth's diameter). The Moon rotates, with a rotation period ( lunar day) that is synchronized to its orbital period ( lunar ...

File:RWS Tarot 19 Sun.jpg, XIX –

The Sun The Sun is the star at the centre of the Solar System. It is a massive, nearly perfect sphere of hot Plasma (physics), plasma, heated to incandescence by nuclear fusion reactions in its core, radiating the energy from its surface mainly as ...

File:RWS Tarot 20 Judgement.jpg, XX –

Judgement Judgement (or judgment) is the evaluation of given circumstances to make a decision. Judgement is also the ability to make considered decisions. In an informal context, a judgement is opinion expressed as fact. In the context of a legal tria ...

File:RWS Tarot 21 World.jpg, XXI –

Minor Arcana

The

of the Rider–Waite tarot are illustrated below.

Wands

The

suit of wands The suit of wands is one of four suits in tarot, collectively known as the Minor Arcana. Like the other tarot suits, the suit of wands contains fourteen cards: ace (one), two through ten, page and knight (sometimes referred to as princess and pr ...

, also known as staves in some decks, corresponding to the

clubs Club may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Club (magazine), ''Club'' (magazine) * Club, a ''Yie Ar Kung-Fu'' character * Clubs (suit), a suit of playing cards * Club music * "Club", by Kelsea Ballerini from the album ''kelsea'' Brands a ...

of modern playing cards: File:Wands01.jpg, Ace of Wands File:Wands02.jpg,

Two of Wands 2 (two) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 1 and preceding 3. It is the smallest and the only even prime number. Because it forms the basis of a duality, it has religious and spiritual significance in many ...

File:Wands03.jpg,

Three of Wands The Three of Wands, or Three of Batons, is a playing card of the suit of wands. In tarot, it is a Minor Arcana card. Divination usage A calm onlooker faces the sea, possibly a merchant or someone anticipating a journey. The three represents ...

File:Wands04.jpg,

Four of Wands The Four of Wands is a card used in Latin-suited playing cards which include tarot decks. It is part of what tarot reading, tarot card readers call the "Minor Arcana". Rider–Waite symbolism * The structure in the front resembles a Jewish we ...

File:Wands05.jpg, Five of Wands File:Wands06.jpg,

Six of Wands 6 (six) is the natural number following 5 and preceding 7. It is a composite number and the smallest perfect number. In mathematics A six-sided polygon is a hexagon, one of the three regular polygons capable of tiling the plane. A hexagon a ...

File:Wands07.jpg,

Seven of Wands The Seven of Wands is a Minor Arcana tarot Tarot (, first known as ''trionfi (cards), trionfi'' and later as ''tarocchi'' or ''tarocks'') is a set of playing cards used in tarot games and in fortune-telling or divination. From at least the ...

File:Wands08.jpg,

Eight of Wands The Eight of Wands is a Minor Arcana tarot card. In the Rider–Waite deck, the card shows eight diagonal staves of staggered length angled across an open landscape with river, as designed by artist Pamela Colman Smith. Divinatory purposes A ...

File:Tarot Nine of Wands.jpg,

Nine of Wands The Nine of Wands is a Minor Arcana tarot Tarot (, first known as ''trionfi (cards), trionfi'' and later as ''tarocchi'' or ''tarocks'') is a set of playing cards used in tarot games and in fortune-telling or divination. From at least the m ...

File:Wands10.jpg,

Ten of Wands The Ten of Wands is a Minor Arcana Tarot card of the suit of wands. Divination usage Most often, the Ten of Wands card carries the meaning of overload and burdening situations where too much responsibility has been taken on by the subject.Tru ...

File:Wands11.jpg,

Page of Wands The Page of Wands (or jack or knave of wands or batons) is a card used in Latin-suited playing cards which include tarot decks. It is part of what tarot card readers call the Minor Arcana. Divination usage "The page lives where the wand, or ...

File:Wands12.jpg,

Knight of Wands Knight of Wands or Knight of Batons is used in Latin-suited playing cards including tarot decks. It is part of what tarot card readers call the Minor Arcana. Tarot cards are used throughout much of Europe to play tarot card games. In Englis ...

File:Wands13.jpg, Queen of Wands File:Wands14.jpg,

King of Wands The King of Wands, or King of Batons, is a card used in Latin-suited playing cards which include Italian, Spanish, and tarot decks. It is part of what tarot card readers call the "Minor Arcana The Minor Arcana, sometimes known as the Lesser ...

Cups

The

suit of goblets The suit of cups is one of four suits of tarot which, collectively, make up the Minor Arcana. They are sometimes referred to as goblets and chalices. Like the other suits of the Minor Arcana, it contains fourteen cards: ace (one), two through te ...

, chalices, or cups, corresponding to the hearts of modern playing cards: File:Cups01.jpg,

Ace of Cups The Ace of Cups is a card used in Latin-suited playing cards (Italian, Spanish and tarot decks). It is the ace from the suit of cups. In Tarot, it is part of what card readers call the "Minor Arcana", and as the first in the suit of cups, si ...

File:Cups02.jpg,

Two of Cups Two of Cups is a Minor Arcana tarot card. Divination usage The card shows a man and a woman staring into each other's eyes, sharing their emotions by way of the cups. Wings and snakes form a Caduceus, and with the lion head present, the eleme ...

File:Cups03.jpg,

Three of Cups The Three of Cups is the third card on the suit of cups. In tarot, it is part of the Minor Arcana. In some decks the suit is named chalices or goblets instead. This card is used in game playing as well as in divination. Divination usage This c ...

File:Cups04.jpg,

Four of Cups The Four of Cups is a Minor Arcana tarot Tarot (, first known as ''trionfi (cards), trionfi'' and later as ''tarocchi'' or ''tarocks'') is a set of playing cards used in tarot games and in fortune-telling or divination. From at least the mi ...

File:Cups05.jpg,

Five of Cups The Five of Cups is a Minor Arcana tarot Tarot (, first known as ''trionfi (cards), trionfi'' and later as ''tarocchi'' or ''tarocks'') is a set of playing cards used in tarot games and in fortune-telling or divination. From at least the mi ...

File:Cups06.jpg,

Six of Cups The Six of Cups is a Minor Arcana tarot Tarot (, first known as ''trionfi (cards), trionfi'' and later as ''tarocchi'' or ''tarocks'') is a set of playing cards used in tarot games and in fortune-telling or divination. From at least the mid ...

File:Cups07.jpg,

Seven of Cups The Seven of Cups is a Minor Arcana tarot card in the suit of cups. This single card is a part of the popularized tarot deck used for the practice of tarot card readings, often seen under the practice of occult and fortune telling. One of the mo ...

File:Cups08.jpg,

Eight of Cups The Eight of Cups is a card used in Latin-suited playing cards, which include tarot decks. It is part of what tarot card readers call the "Minor Arcana The Minor Arcana, sometimes known as the Lesser Arcana, are the Suit (cards), suit cards ...

File:Cups09.jpg, Nine of Cups File:Cups10.jpg, Ten of Cups File:Cups11.jpg,

Page of Cups The Page of Cups (or jack or knave of cups or goblets or vessels) is a card used in Latin-suited playing cards which include tarot decks. It is part of what tarot reading, tarot card readers call the "Minor Arcana". Divination usage This card ...

File:Cups12.jpg, Knight of Cups File:Cups13.jpg,

Queen of Cups The Queen of Cups is a card used in Latin-suited playing cards (Italian, Spanish, and tarot decks). It is the queen from the suit of cups. In Tarot, it is part of what tarot card readers call the "Minor Arcana The Minor Arcana, sometimes known ...

File:Cups14.jpg, King of Cups

Swords

The

suit of swords The suit of swords is one of the four suits of the Minor Arcana in a 78-card cartomantic tarot deck. It is derived from the suit used in Latin-suited playing cards, such as Spanish, Italian and Latin-suited tarot decks. Like the other tarot sui ...

, corresponding to the spades of modern playing cards: File:Swords01.jpg,

Ace of Swords The Ace of Swords is a playing card, card used in Latin-suited playing cards (Italian, Spanish and tarot decks). It is the ace (playing card), ace from the suit of swords. Tarot cards are used throughout much of Europe to play tarot card games. ...

File:Swords02.jpg, Two of Swords File:Swords03.jpg, Three of Swords File:Swords04.jpg,

Four of Swords The Four of Swords is a Minor Arcana tarot Tarot (, first known as ''trionfi (cards), trionfi'' and later as ''tarocchi'' or ''tarocks'') is a set of playing cards used in tarot games and in fortune-telling or divination. From at least the ...

File:Swords05.jpg, Five of Swords File:Swords06.jpg,

Six of Swords The Six of Swords is a card used in Latin-suited playing cards which include tarot decks. It is part of what tarot card readers call the "Minor Arcana". Symbolism The card is sometimes seen as depicting the Slough of Despond from ''The Pilg ...

File:Swords07.jpg, Seven of Swords File:Swords08.jpg, Eight of Swords File:Swords09.jpg,

Nine of Swords The Nine of Swords is a Minor Arcana tarot card, also known as the Lord of Cruelty. In many countries around Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by t ...

File:Swords10.jpg,

Ten of Swords The Ten of Swords is a Minor Arcana tarot card. In popular culture There was a Bob Dylan bootleg compilation called '' Ten of Swords'' released on ten 12-inch vinyl records, which consisted of various unreleased material of the artist. ...

File:Swords11.jpg, Page of Swords File:Swords12.jpg, Knight of Swords File:Swords13.jpg, Queen of Swords File:Swords14.jpg, King of Swords

Pentacles

The

suit of coins The suit of coins is one of the four suits used in tarot decks with Latin-suited cards. It is derived from the suit of coins in Italian and Spanish card playing packs. In occult uses of tarot, Coins is considered part of the "Minor Arcana", a ...

or pentacles, corresponding to the

diamonds Diamond is a solid form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. Diamond is tasteless, odourless, strong, brittle solid, colourless in pure form, a poor conductor of electricity, and insol ...

of modern playing cards: File:Pents01.jpg, Ace of Pentacles File:Pents02.jpg, Two of Pentacles File:Pents03.jpg, Three of Pentacles File:Pents04.jpg, Four of Pentacles File:Pents05.jpg, Five of Pentacles File:Pents06.jpg, Six of Pentacles File:Pents07.jpg, Seven of Pentacles File:Pents08.jpg, Eight of Pentacles File:Pents09.jpg, Nine of Pentacles File:Pents10.jpg, Ten of Pentacles File:Pents11.jpg, Page of Pentacles File:Pents12.jpg, Knight of Pentacles File:Pents13.jpg, Queen of Pentacles File:Pents14.jpg, King of Pentacles

Publication

The cards were first published in December 1909, by the publisher William Rider & Son of London. The first printing was extremely limited and featured card backs with a roses and lilies pattern. In March 1910, a much larger printing featured better quality card stock and a "cracked mud" card back design. This edition, often referred to as the "A" deck, was published from 1910 to 1920. Rider continued publishing the deck in various editions until 1939, then again from 1971 to 1977. All of the Rider editions up to 1939 were available with a small guide written by A. E. Waite providing an overview of the traditions and history of the cards, texts about interpretations, and extensive descriptions of their symbols. The first version of this guide was published during 1909 and was titled ''The Key to the Tarot''. In 1911, a revised version, ''

The Pictorial Key to the Tarot ''The Pictorial Key to the Tarot'' is a divinatory tarot guide, with text by A. E. Waite and illustrations by Pamela Colman Smith. Published in conjunction with the Rider–Waite–Smith tarot deck, the pictorial version (released 1910, date ...

'', was issued, featuring black-and-white plates of all seventy-eight of Smith's illustrations. In 2009, U.S. Games Systems published a commemorative deck titled "The Smith-Waite Centennial Deck" as part of The Pamela Colman Smith Commemorative Set celebrating the hundredth anniversary of the 1909 deck. This deck notably places Smith's name first and omits the publisher's name (Rider). In this vein, some contemporary tarot readers call the original deck and its various iterations the "Smith-Waite deck" in order to give proper credit to Smith's contribution to the deck.

Copyright status

The original version of the Rider–Waite Tarot is in the

public domain The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work to which no Exclusive exclusive intellectual property rights apply. Those rights may have expired, been forfeited, expressly Waiver, waived, or may be inapplicable. Because no one holds ...

in all countries that have a copyright term of 70 years or fewer after the death of the last co-author. This includes the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, where the deck was originally published. In the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, the deck became part of the public domain in 1966 (publication + 28 years + renewed 28 years). U.S. Games Systems has a copyright claim on their updated version of the deck published in 1971, but this only applies to new material added to the pre-existing work (e.g. designs on the card backs and the box).

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rider-Waite Tarot Divination Tarot decks