Secrets of the Waite-Smith Tarot

by Marcus Katz

  Colman Smith: To Pamela, this card seems to represent the father figure, the “Ancient of Days,” and the man of power.

  Secret significance: It is always already too late.

  Reading tip: The Emperor is the spark of the spring equinox energy but has no power without executors; look to other court cards in particular in a reading to see how the Emperor’s power can be harnessed and used in the world.

  The Hierophant: 5

  The Design

  The Hierophant, the wearer of the triregnum crown, carries the classic papal pose and costume and is an echo too of Waite in ceremonial garb within his own mystical order. However, the Catholic symbolism is foremost here: the crossed keys, the three nails, and the triple crown.

  Key Symbols

  Papal tiara, triple tiara, or triregnum (crown): Traditionally the crown was placed on the pontiff’s head during a papal coronation. It is symbolic of three different levels of rulership: that of supreme pastor, supreme teacher, and supreme priest.

  Papal cross or ferula (pastoral staff): This represents the office of the Pope in ecclesiastical heraldry. According to Cirlot, the basic symbolism of a cross “affirms the primary relationship between the two worlds of the celestial and the earthly.” However, the three cross bars that compose its design can represent the three levels of rulership mentioned above.

  The two crossed keys of St. Peter, known as the “Keys of Heaven”: Used in ecclesiastical heraldry. From a Roman Catholic tradition, these were the keys Christ gave to Peter so that he would have power on earth and in heaven. From a reader’s point of view, they show the mastery of all levels of a situation. Waite says of the crossed keys (in his guise of the Grand Orient) “truly that the Hierophant is the power of the Keys.” This is therefore Waite stressing the importance of this symbol—when reading the card itself, the key is in the Key!

  Gestatorial chair (sedia gestoria, “carrying chair” in Italian): The ceremonial throne that used to carry popes to their papal ceremonies.

  Two pillars: Waite says that these pillars “are not those of the Temple guarded by the High Priestess.” This would suggest that Waite is saying that not too much emphasis should be put on the symbolism of the pillars; perhaps they are merely functional/supportive and at the same time decorative. Read into this as you will.

  Two papal chamberlains: Waite calls them “two priestly ministers in albs” (the traditional name for the long tunic). The priestly ministers are beneath the Pope in hierarchy. Their role is to attend to the Pope’s and others’ needs, to administer and dispense. It shows that service must be given to those in authority.

  Holding his right hand in benediction blessing gesture: Waite says of this gesture that it is “a well-known ecclesiastical sign that is called that of esotericism, distinguishing between the manifest and the concealed part of doctrine.” He is implying that sometimes it may take somebody outside the situation to bring attention to that which is hidden in plain sight. In a reading, this could be something the querent is in denial over, something they have consulted you to bring to the surface.

  In a reading: The word “hierophant” means to “reveal the sacred,” so this card shows that we must look for someone to tell us something currently hidden. As the Hierophant is the revealer, so the High Priestess is the concealer.

  Key words and concepts: Revelation, tradition (external), teaching, hierarchy, structure.

  Waite: The Hierophant in a Golden Dawn ritual, and to some extent within Waite’s own mystical order, is sat in Tiphareth (or Da’ath) on the Tree of Life. This indicates the card as a placeholder for the connection between one world and another, between our inner life and our outer life, the divine and the mundane. The Hierophant is there to teach us that everything has a purpose connected to everything else—he is the cosmic interface.

  Colman Smith: To Pamela, who converted quickly and enthusiastically to Catholicism, this card perhaps embodies the “fun” of ritual.

  Secret significance: Everything is teaching you the truth, until you learn.

  Reading tip: The Hierophant is an experienced expert in something you need to know. It is not a card that suggests self-reliance.

  The Lovers: 6

  The Design

  That Pamela has drawn the woman looking up to the angel meets Waite’s rectification of this card. He says of the woman, “She is rather the working of a Secret Law of Providence than a willing and conscious temptress” (PKT, 95). The design shows the Garden of Eden before the Fall and to Waite it symbolises not marriage but “a mystery of the Covenant and Sabbath.” The design is of divine love and love raised to the highest level.

  Key Symbols

  A man and a woman naked, an angel above with wings outstretched: Waite says of these two figures that they are “unveiled before each other, as if Adam and Eve when they first occupied the paradise of the earthly body.” Waite implies that they are not self-conscious in their naked state and they care not but for the moment, beholden to none. He goes on to say “the figures suggest youth, virginity, and innocence, love before it was contaminated by gross material desire.” He says of the angelic entity “a great winged figure with arms extended pouring down influences.” In a reading, this speaks of the power of being open to external influences; help may come from an unexpected source. Do not give too much care to superficial considerations—be authentic and natural.

  The hands of the two figures: Held in a position that suggest an open state of being, the hands’ positions indicate the figures are receptive to influence from above. However, it is worth noting that the female figure holds her right hand with palm virtually touching the serpent coiled around the tree, as if in a state of distraction. There is the potential of temptation from one’s true state in this card.

  Two trees: Waite says behind the female figure is the “Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil; the serpent is twining around it” and behind the male figure is the “Tree of Life, bearing twelve fruits.” As mentioned above with regards to the body language of the two figures, the female figure is distracted by the serpent twining around the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. In a reading, this speaks of not being too easily distracted by another. If the question is about relationships, it could indicate a third person within a situation. If this comes with regards to work, it could mean that you may be tempted to take another job, or somebody may be after your job. As a word of caution, do not give into flattery.

  Clouds: Symbolically clouds can indicate celestial messages or a messenger, and they are also symbols of production, that something is growing and taking form. Consider the saying “a storm is brewing.” In a reading, this symbol can speak of growth in a situation or relationship, or generally about upcoming changes. Expect news to arrive with regards to a current issue.

  Mountain peak: Cirlot quotes Eliade, who said that the “peak of the cosmic mountain is not only the highest point on earth, it is also the earth’s navel, where creation first had its beginning.” As Cirlot says, it is seen as the “cosmic connection between heaven and earth.” In a reading, this can signify getting down to the root of a problem; find out where it went wrong and if possible make amends; put that which is broken back together again.

  In a reading: The card is about pure love rather than any particular relationship or expression of that love. It shows unity and the innocence of loving for the sake of love.

  Key words and concepts: Love, unity, choice.

  Waite: The religious connotations of this card are given by Waite as “part of the way, the truth and the life.” We cannot help but see in our appreciation of Waite’s mysticism why so many tarot readers have struggled with The Pictorial Key. It is—particularly for the majors—a Catholic tract skewed by Waite’s personal interpretation of the religion and veiled in mysticism through the language of occultism.

  Colman Smith: This is the Garden.


  Secret significance: It will end, as it began, in a garden.95

  Reading tip: The Lovers indicates passion, harmony, and finding equilibrium, so it is highlighted by other relationship cards such as Strength, the 2 of Cups, etc. If there are court cards in the reading, these indicate energies (manifesting as people or parts of oneself, or both) that require unification.

  The Chariot: 7

  The Design

  The design is from Éliphas Lévi, again showing Waite’s intention in carrying on some aspects of prior tradition. Waite says, “I have accepted the variation of Éliphas Lévi” (PKT, 96). Pamela has decorated him with various esoteric symbolism yet it is not clear whether this has any consistency or is mere decoration. Waite’s text is at variance here with the actual execution of the art; he describes that the figure is “carrying a drawn sword” yet he appears to be holding in one hand a wand or sceptre, and the other hand is drawn grasped as if holding reins or an object that is not apparent. Other symbols upon the image such as the winged globe and the device within the shield—definite symbolic items—are not mentioned by Waite.

  Another strange element of design is that the figure appears to be embedded in the structure of the boxlike chariot, rather than merely stood within it, separated by the edge of the box. It somehow looks incomplete, particularly with the empty hand gesture.

  Key Symbols

  Canopy: Pamela depicted the canopy ornately with swags and stars adorning the fabric, as if he carries the heavens above. Cirlot says of stars as a symbol that they are “as a light shining in the darkness, a star is the symbol of the spirit.” He quotes Bayley who said that “the star very rarely carries a single meaning—it nearly always alludes to multiplicity … the forces of the spirit struggling against the forces of darkness.”96

  Charioteer: Waite describes the charioteer as “an erect and princely figure.” We see from Waite’s description of the charioteer that he has status. He is a prince and master of his sport. He is very much the “traditional Prince” in Waite’s opinion, as he says that he corresponds “broadly speaking” with the trappings of princehood. Waite speaks of the charioteer’s “trials of initiation.” In Plato’s allegory of Phaedrus, we read of the charioteer and his black and white winged horses; it is the task of the charioteer—representing the soul—to rein in the horses of immortality and mortality in their journey to the ridge of heaven. Waite says that the charioteer is “above all things … conquest in the mind.”

  Laurel wreath crown: topped with metal and star.

  Chest plate, square symbol: We also see a marked square on the crown of Justice, although there is no indication these are connected. It is likely design shorthand for a jewel of any description being placed on the crown or breastplate, a typical biblical configuration. It is variously called the “priestly breastplate” or “the breastplate of judgment,” particularly when associated with Urim and Thummim, used for divination.

  Shoulder epaulettes shaped like crescent moons: that Waite says adorn the shoulders of the “victorious hero.” Describing them, Waite says that these images are supposed to be “Urim and Thummim.” He probably makes this point vague because nobody actually knows what their true image is supposed to look like. Urim and Thummim are mentioned in a passage of the Books of Samuel, where they are included as one of three types of divine communication, the other two being dreams and prophets. Urim and Thummim were worn by priests to arbitrate with God on behalf of humankind.

  What appears to be a yoni-like symbol: However, Waite makes no mention of it all in his PKT. This is symbolic of the feminine principle, the passivity and receptivity of the female. The word yoni is sanskrit for vagina or womb. It is the complement or mate (the lock for the key) of the lingam (see below).

  What appears to be a lingam symbol: Symbolic of the masculine principle, activity, and corresponding to “divine generative energy” from the Sanskrit linga (“mark”). The lingam-yoni symbol here underneath the winged globe compares to the union we see in the 2 of Cups, which is also marked by a winged mercurial figure and the coming together of male and female principles. The Chariot can be seen as a higher version of the 2 of Cups, and when both are present in a reading, a strong attraction between two opposites is indicated.

  Winged solar disc: Pamela and Waite took this straight from Éliphas Lévi.

  Dark masculine sphinx: Waite says that he accepts what Éliphas Lévi has to say regarding the sphinxes: “two sphinxes thus draw his chariot. He is above all things triumph in his mind.” (See also the allegory of Phaedrus by Plato on earlier page.) Waite says that the charioteer is influenced by external factors, not those within himself. Note that Waite does not actually mention the sexuality of the sphinx. He makes it clear that even though “he has passed in triumph trials of initiation,” they are only to be “understood physically or rationally.” This means the charioteer will only ever have knowledge of the rational and profane, not the profound knowledge of the High Priestess. His dominion is of the earthly world, not the heavenly. He says on this in PKT “that if he came to the pillars of the Temple between which the High Priestess is seated, he could not open the scroll called the Tora, nor if she questioned him could he answer. He is not hereditary royalty or Priesthood.”

  Behind the chariot and charioteer lies a city and turreted buildings: We see the civilisation and a world grounded in the material realm; this is very much the world the charioteer has claimed. Waite described the princely figure of the charioteer as a “Victorious hero.” Waite also says that the charioteer can only have mastery of the earthly plane and not of the spiritual: “His conquests are manifest or external and not within himself.”

  Trees alongside the river bank: The sustainable nature of a tree; how it withstands the onslaught of time and the elements, but changes to reflect the seasons. Symbolically they are “rooted in the earth but with their branches pointing to the heavens.”

  Apron with glyphs/symbols: These symbols adorn the charioteer’s belt and apron and are geomantic characters. This is a form of divination, taken into the Golden Dawn through Agrippa, although the symbols here appear to be neither complete nor follow any particular pattern. It is as if Pamela had an idea of them but no specific knowledge. If pushed, we would associate the symbols with the geomantic aspect of conjunctio (conjunction), which would reflect the nature of the card as being associated with both divination and the conjunction of opposites. As this symbol corresponds to Mercury, we see a further link to the 2 of Cups in which the mercurial caduceus is presented.

  In a reading: The card indicates progress, triumph, forward motion, and energy. It is a card that takes us ahead in whatever we are doing, whether we like it or not.

  Key words and concepts: Conquest of the mysteries of life.

  Waite: There is a curious section on this card in PKT, where Waite very definitely has an opinion that even “if he [the charioteer] came to the pillars of the Temple between which the High Priestess is seated, he could not open the scroll called Tora, nor if she questioned him could he answer.” He concludes, vehemently, “he is not hereditary royalty and he is not priesthood” (PKT, 99). This type of text in Waite confuses most readers as it has little to do with cartomancy or fortune-telling, because Waite himself had little interest in this application of the majors. The passage alludes to the Elect being chosen by mystical grace, or by virtue of their lineage, rather than gaining divine knowledge through their mind.

  Waite emphasises that this card is about Nature, not Grace; is external, not internal; and is mind without soul—“the liberation which he effects may leave himself in the bondage of the logical understanding” (PKT, 99).

  In a reading, this can indicate that someone has “run with an idea” even if that idea is leading them astray. They have invested in “sticking to their course” above the course being correct.

  Colman Smith: Pamela has here placed Lévi’s desi
gn in her own landscape, perfectly fusing the occult doctrine of the image with her own dreamscape.

  Secret significance: The surface is empty, and the emptiness full.

  Reading tip: The Chariot never stops. It is the energy of full throttle, of the roller-coaster and the freefall. We must be still enough to ride the chariot as it hurtles ahead. If this card is accompanied by many other majors, particularly the Tower, then the querent is advised to let go, close their eyes, and wait for it all to be over.

  Strength: 8

  The Design

  The image of the archetypal dancing maiden, Drusilla, and Ellen Terry as Ellaline in The Amber Heart, are brought to mind by the woman in this image. The lion is an embodiment of the lion at the feet of the tomb in Winchelsea Church.

  46. Carving at Tomb in Winchelsea, photograph by authors.

  We see in this card how Pamela naturally blended her experience and symbolist expression to effortlessly convey a particular type of strength. That she did so whilst maintaining some of the more obscure connotations of the design, which we see below, is a testament to her art. The design draws on the Marseilles version of Strength, which in that deck is numbered 11, before the “rectification” of the Golden Dawn exchanging Strength (8) and Justice (11) to accord more with astrological correspondences. In the Marseilles tarot, the card is seen as expressing a certain type of force: “self-confidence and personal strength, without the need for violence or forceful oppression.” 97

  47. Strength Card Showing Pamela’s Real World Models (Additional art from photograph by authors and private collection). Card reproduced by permission of U.S. Games Systems.

  Key Symbols

  Young woman (Strength): Waite speaks of her being innocentia inviolata (unviolated innocence or pure strength) and she “is closing the jaws of a lion.” However, she is “beneficent,” and it is this fortitude that is most effective at subduing the lion. This would imply that to Waite this was a most important quality. The definition of beneficent is “performing acts of kindness or charity” and especially so not expecting results or something back in return; it is working “without lust of result” as Crowley would state it. Waite says of she who is called Strength that she “has walked upon the asp and the Basilisk and has trodden down the lion and the dragon.” This is a reference to Psalms 91:13, and the whole of Psalm 91—a promise of God’s protection in times of fear.