All about the Rider – Waite Tarot Deck

All about the Rider – Waite Tarot Deck

Tarot Readings are happening all over the world. People are getting more and more interested in this art and wish to employ it as a full-time skill. However, it isn’t easy to do so. There are various videos on YouTube under amateur Tarot Readers who provide free readings to their viewers. Some of them resonate so much, and some, not so much. But it also depends on you and how you wish to be guided with approaching Tarots. Tarot signifies a glimpse at the future which is changeable at any time. 

Many Tarot decks are available in the market, either offline or online. People love to collect them as their hobby and are mesmerized by the artwork and the kind of messages it delivers. One of the most well-known and famous Tarot decks in the world is the Rider-Waite Tarot deck. 

The Rider-Waite Tarot Deck has been a hit for more than six decades. Originally published in 1909, this is the most popular Tarot Deck and treated as a standard one. Other names for this Tarot Deck are Waite-Smith, Rider Tarot Deck, or just Rider-Waite-Smith. But have you ever wondered how the beautiful designs of this Tarot Deck came into existence and who designed it? The cards are drawn by Pamela Colman Smith, a British illustrator who was into the fields of Spirituality, Magic, and Occult sciences. Before we tread to read about the illustrator whose designs have made the whole world its fan, let us read how the Rider-Waite Tarot Deck stands high amongst the crowd. 

What is so unique about the Rider-Waite Tarot Deck?

The Rider-Waite Tarot Deck is unique in so many innumerable ways. It is the first printed Tarot deck that became renowned in the world and became the face of what we call the Tarot Reading Community. For some reason or the other, Pamela Colman Smith’s Tarot Deck has redesigned acclimatized by various other artists. What is the appeal, you may ask? The appeal lies in the fact that it was the first-ever full-fledged Deck that thronged like crazy in the market. 

The colors used in the Rider-Waite Tarot Deck are simple and easy to draw inferences from. 

Who is Pamela Colman Smith?

Pamela Colman Smith was a British Illustrator who drew the designs for the Rider-Waite Tarot deck under the guidance and instructions of an academic and mystic, A.E. Waite. It is estimated that more than a hundred million copies of this ever-original deck have been sold throughout the world. 

It is said that Pamela Smith was always interested in the topics of spirituality, folklore, and magic. And that is what led her to design this deck as well. Apart from illustrating the Rider-Waite Tarot deck, Smith has always produced some of the most jaw-breaking books and illustrations, writing about Jamaican folklore, editing, and led a small press that focused on the women’s writing at that time. 

Pamela Smith and Waite must have points of inspiration that led them to produce this Tarot Deck. It appears that Waite took inspiration from the French Tarot of Marseilles. The French Tarot of Marseilles is considered the oldest Tarot deck from the sixteenth century. However, some critics believe that Smith drew inspiration from the fifteenth-century Italian Sola Busca Tarot. Smith might have even instructed Pamela to draw cards like the Queen of Swords and the World which features his actress friends named Ellen Terry and Florence Farr respectively. 

Post history of the Rider- Waite Tarot Deck

The first copy of the Rider-Waite Tarot Deck was first published by the Rider Company in December 1909, in England. However, in 1971, U.S. Games bought the right of this Tarot Deck and publish it under the name of The Rider Tarot Deck. 

Life is not a fixed line that can be surpassed with Tarot as a guiding torch. If you are interested in knowing or getting your Tarot Reading done, you should know they are just talking about the possible outcomes, not final destinations. Pamela and Waite’s contributions are very significant for Tarot Readers throughout the world. The Rider- Waite Tarot Deck remains on the bestseller list even today.