Arthur Edward Waite
Arthur Edward Waite (1857–1942) was a writer on Christian mysticism, Freemasonry and Western esoteric traditions. His publications covered Rosicrucianism, alchemy, the Holy Grail and tarot.[1] He commissioned Pamela Colman Smith to illustrate the tarot deck published in 1909 and now commonly called the Rider–Waite–Smith deck.[2]
Life and Masonic career
Waite was born in Brooklyn, New York, on 2 October 1857 and grew up in England. His mother brought him to England as a small child after his father's death. Much of his education came through his own reading.[3]
He was initiated in Runymede Lodge No. 2430 at Wraysbury, Buckinghamshire, on 19 September 1901. St Marylebone Lodge No. 1305 performed his raising on 10 February 1902 as a courtesy to Runymede. He became Master of Runymede in 1910 and retained membership until his death. He also joined the Royal Arch and Masonic Knights Templar, and entered the Rectified Scottish Rite in Geneva in 1903.[3]
Rosicrucian and Golden Dawn work
Waite joined the Metropolitan College of the SRIA on 10 April 1902 and chaired its study group in 1903. His work there included lectures and research on symbolism.[4]
During the divisions within the Golden Dawn, he developed a group with an explicitly mystical emphasis, the Independent and Rectified Order, in 1903. He subsequently founded the Fellowship of the Rosy Cross in 1915. These activities formed a separate part of his career from his membership of Masonic lodges.[4]
Writing and interpretation
Waite interpreted Freemasonry, alchemy, Rosicrucianism and Grail literature as expressions of a shared spiritual quest. This was his theory of a secret tradition. R. A. Gilbert's study recognises the originality of that interpretation while criticising Waite's historical errors and his treatment of other researchers. His books therefore require a distinction between his mystical interpretations and independently established institutional history.[3]
His Masonic and related publications include:[5]
- The Real History of the Rosicrucians (1887).
- The Life of Louis Claude de Saint-Martin (1901).
- The Hidden Church of the Holy Graal (1909).
- The Secret Tradition in Freemasonry (1911; revised in 1937).
- A New Encyclopaedia of Freemasonry (1921).
- The Brotherhood of the Rosy Cross (1924).
- Emblematic Freemasonry (1925).
- Shadows of Life and Thought (1938), his autobiography.
References
- ↑ UCL Special Collections, ‘Waite Manuscript’, MS OGDEN/99, catalogue description and biographical note.
- ↑ Claire Gilman, ‘British Occult Revival: Pamela Coleman Smith before Waite’, Morgan Library & Museum, online exhibition commentary. The exhibition heading spells her middle name ‘Coleman’; the artist used ‘Colman’.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 R. A. Gilbert, ‘The Masonic Career of A. E. Waite’, Ars Quatuor Coronatorum (1986), reproduced by the Grand Lodge of British Columbia and Yukon; based on Waite's diaries, correspondence and other records.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 SRIA Province of Greater London, ‘Metropolitan College’, historical account based on the college's records.
- ↑ R. A. Gilbert, ‘Masonic Writings of A. E. Waite’, Appendix B to ‘The Masonic Career of A. E. Waite’ (1986).
| Rosicrucian history and related societies | |
|---|---|
| Overview | Rosicrucians · Christian Rosencreutz · SRIA · Golden Dawn |
| Early texts | Fama · Confessio · Chymical Wedding |
| People | William Wynn Westcott · Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers · William Robert Woodman · Arthur Edward Waite · Pamela Colman Smith |
| Related reading | Comparing the traditions · All articles in this section |