British occultist Arthur Waite was a member of the Order of the Golden Dawn and apparently a longtime nemesis of Aleister Crowley, who was also involved in the group and its various offshoots. Waite got together with artist Pamela Colman Smith, also a Golden Dawn member, and created the Rider-Waite Tarot deck, which was first published in 1909.

At Waite’s suggestion, Smith used the Sola Busca artwork for inspiration. There are many similarities in the symbolism between Sola Busca and Smith’s final result. Smith was the first artist to use characters as representative images in the lower cards. Instead of showing merely a cluster of cups, coins, wands or swords, Smith incorporated human figures into the artwork, and the result is the iconic deck that every reader knows today.

The imagery is heavy on Kabbalistic* symbolism, and because of this it is typically used as the default deck in nearly all instructional books on Tarot. Today, many people refer to this deck as the Waite-Smith deck, acknowledging Smith’s enduring artwork.

Now, over a hundred years since the release of the Rider-Waite deck, Tarot cards are available in a practically endless selection of designs. In general, many of these follow the format and style of Rider-Waite, although each adapts the cards to suit their own motif. No longer just the domain of the wealthy and upper class, Tarot is available for anyone who wishes to take the time to learn it.


*Kabbalah is an esoteric
method, discipline
and school of thought
in Jewish mysticism.

In contrast to the grand narratives of the Major Arcana, the Minor Arcana* symbolizes the intricacies of daily life. These cards show us the daily events and steps that lead us to that bigger picture of the Major Arcana. They delve into the details of our emotions, intellect, spirit, and practicality. Each suit represents essential elementals of life from matters of the heart, our thought processes and patterns, the actions we take, and material matters. They guide us through the nuances of our interactions, the obstacles we may encounter, and the steps we need to take to achieve personal growth.

Tarot can feel daunting when you are first introduced to it. Today, we sat down with seasoned tarot reader Olivia Borth to ask what advice she would give to beginners and those who are interested in getting started.