What Is The Rider Tarot Deck

The RiderWaite tarot deck is one of the most extensively used decks for reading tarot cards. It is also referred to as the RiderWaiteSmith, WaiteSmith, or Tarot deck. The cards were first released by the Rider Company in 1909, based on the guidelines of scholar and mystic A. E. Waite and illustrated by Pamela Colman Smith, both of whom are members of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. The deck has been released in several versions and served as the model for numerous variations and knockoffs. The deck is thought to exist in more than 20 countries in more than 100 million copies.

Is the Rider Tarot a decent choice for novices?

All things witchy, including tarot cards, have enjoyed a resurgence of interest during the past several years. Some people use tarot as a helpful social tool to encourage connections that they might not have otherwise made with friends. Others view the tarot as a spiritual art form and a potent life-management tool.

Tarot cards were initially intended primarily as a parlor game, despite the mystical connotations they have acquired in popular culture. The cards have been in use since at least the middle of the 15th century, and the earliest known decks were from different regions of Italy. The tarot was not first employed for divinatory (or occult) purposes until the 18th century. In the 1780s, Antoine Court and Jean-Baptiste Alliette are credited for making tarot readings commonplace in Paris.

There is a sizable group of people who find tarot cards informative and entertaining, if not necessarily supernatural, in between those who think it’s a joke and those who believe they are real magic. Tarot reading (for oneself and for others) can be an enlightening past time, whether it turns into a pastime or a full-time business.

You will need a tarot deck first. The Rider-Waite deck, created by illustrator Pamela Colman Smith and released in 1910, is the most well-known and widely used. These cards are renowned for their straightforward symbolism, straightforward color palette (which includes lots of yellow, sky blue, and gray), and straightforward imagery. The Rider-Waite deck is frequently recommended for novices since the meanings of the cards are frequently intuitive, and in the event that they are not, there are several interpretation aids available in books and online. Many decks, notably the Rider-Waite, include a small piece of paper outlining each of the most typical interpretations for each card.

The Rider-Waite is not the only deck available to beginning readers, despite being the most well-known. Although the Wild Unknown deck is less intuitive for beginners, it is extremely attractive. Like the Rider-Waite on steroids, the Morgan Greer deck has comparable symbols but with larger, bolder faces and more vibrant, variegated hues. There are contemporary, varied decks as well as decks with Game of Thrones themes. The most crucial step is choosing a deck with pictures and symbolism that appeal to you. Since you will be utilizing them, they must match your personality and sense of style.

The Rider Tarot deck was produced by who?

The Rider-Waite tarot deck is definitely recognizable to you, whether or not you have ever had your own or another person’s cards read. In the public mind, tarot is connected with its iconic imagery and symbolism, which served as the inspiration for many more decks. Pamela Colman Smith (18781951), a turn-of-the-century artist who produced the 78 pictures for the RiderWaite deck in 1909, is probably unknown to you unless you’re a tarot enthusiast. The history of U.S. Games Systems, the firm that produces that well-known deck and numerous others, is centered around her legacy. Pamela Colman Smith: The Untold Story is an illustrated biography and critical work written by four academics who extensively explore Smith’s life, influence, and art. It was published by U.S. Games Systems to commemorate the 140th anniversary of Smith’s birth and the 50th anniversary of the company’s founding.

The book, which was published in July, was the creation of Stuart R. Kaplan, who established U.S. Games Systems in 1968 and bought the Rider-Waite deck’s rights two years later, bringing it to the notice of a sizable U.S. audience. In addition to other writings, Kaplan is the author of The Encyclopedia of Tarot, a classic work on the tarot art. Beyond the tarot deck, he became deeply interested in Smith’s life and work. She was a stage designer, poet, publisher, storyteller, folklorist, and suffragette in addition to being an illustrator. Pamela Colman Smith: The Untold Story’s more than 400 photographs, many of which came from Kaplan’s own collection, are based on the archive of her art, papers, publications, and history that Kaplan has been building for decades.

The reason behind the name “rider deck”

As I began to learn the Major and Minor Arcana’s definitions, I also started to comprehend the significance of each card’s symbolism and the background of the 1909-founded Rider-Waite deck. The 78 paintings that were commissioned for the deck’s 78 playing cards were done by artist Pamela Colman Smith, who provided her services for a modest fee. The 78 paintings were named after co-creators Arthur Edward Waite, a scholar, and William Rider, a publisher. One of history’s most renowned tarot decks was made possible by Smith’s vital work with Rider and Waite.

What should you do initially while using a tarot deck?

What to Do First:

  • Get out your tarot deck.
  • The cards are in your hand.
  • “Knock or tap the pile of cards numerous times while holding them in your palm to disseminate your energy throughout the deck.
  • Shuffle the cards completely.
  • The cards are divided into three heaps, which are subsequently reassembled into one pile.

Does the tarot card order matter?

Because so many subsequent cards drew inspiration from its iconic artwork, the Rider-Waite Tarot Deck is an excellent starting deck. The deck is referenced in practical tarot publications like 78 Degrees of Wisdom as well. Start with the Rider-Waite deck and then add more decks that speak to you to your collection. Although it is available online, you are welcome to visit your neighborhood occult shop to see what appeals to you there.

Which Tarot deck is the best?

The following are the top 5 tarot card sets, in the opinion of expert readers:

  • the tarot deck by Rider-Waite-Smith. Amazon.
  • The Modern Tarot Library’s Modern Witch tarot deck. Amazon.
  • Tarot deck from St. Croix.
  • Tarot deck by Morgan-Greer. Tarot.com.
  • The tarot deck and book set called The Wild Unknown. The Unknown Wild.

What kind of religion are tarot cards?

Tarot cards are frequently cited as a component of New Age thought and practice along with astrology, aspects of Buddhism, paganism, and First Nations teachings in the eclectic scholarly approach to the New Age.

What tarot deck is the most conventional?

Tarot cards by Rider-Waite The Rider-Waite deck is the most well-known deck of playing cards ever. Together with Arthur Edward Waite, Pamela Colman Smith produced this timeless work in 1909, and 113 years later, the detailed imagery is still powerful and arresting.

How should my tarot deck be cleaned?

While rearranging the cards in the tarot deck is a good approach to purify and clear their energy, there are some circumstances in which you might wish to perform a more specialized ritual. If you’re just getting started with tarot, cleaning your deck can be an excellent place to start.

You might want to clean your tarot deck for a variety of reasons, including:

  • beginning with a fresh deck
  • readings for other people
  • You think you need to recharge.
  • Your card readings seem a touch “odd” or “disconnected”
  • Your deck hasn’t been used recently.
  • Your deck has been handled by others
  • You think you’ve been utilizing your deck a lot. A LOT, especially for books with strong emotional content

Why should you cleanse or clear your tarot deck?

Tarot deck cleansing helps keep the energy flowing between you and your deck. Consider it as a little spiritual hygiene to maintain a strong and clear connection. It’s not necessary, but if you have any of the aforementioned symptoms, try a few of the energetic cleansing techniques listed below and note which ones seem to work the best for you.

How often should you cleanse your tarot deck?

This is another way of stating USE YOUR INTUITION: there are no hard and fast laws. Don’t stress if you don’t believe it is necessary for your deck. Alternately, if you like to cleanse them once per week or once per month, that’s great. If it feels appropriate to you, you can even place your favorite crystal on the balcony each night.

If you frequently place crystals on your deck and store it on an altar while not in use, you might not feel the need to cleanse it frequently because this quick ritual will likely be sufficient to keep your deck feeling nice.

There are numerous ways to cleanse your cards, just as there are numerous reasons why you might desire to do so.

Different ways to cleanse your tarot deck

Use holy smoke. Light a dried rosemary, lavender, cedar, sage, or palo santo cleansing wand until it begins to smoke. Hold the smoke a safe distance below the deck while holding the burning herbs in one hand and the deck in the other so that the smoke drifts upward onto the cards. Turn the deck so that the smoke covers it from all angles. Next, safely put your deck to the ground and put out the fire.

On the deck, set a selenite stone (or a black tourmaline or a transparent quartz). It works well to leave it like way for an hour, but I prefer to leave it overnight.

Set them on display during a new moon. The New Moon is energy of a blank slate; you can purify the deck by setting it on a window sill on a new moon night. At this moment, you can also make a brand-new intention for your deck.

Place the cards in a salty dish. A strong and stabilizing cleaner is salt. My preferred choice for a thorough cleansing is this. Allow it to sit anywhere from one to eight hours in a dry area.

Unorderly shuffle. Spread the cards out on the ground, then shuffle them around like a child playing in dirt. This method’s freedom and randomization serve as an excellent reset.

the shuffle and sort. Set up the deck in rows of seven cards across, commencing with the Major Arcana numbers 0 to 22. (see photo above). Next, arrange the cards, Ace through King, one for each suit, as follows: Swords, Pentacles, Cups, and Wands. View the deck in this configuration, then mix everything up (like the chaotic!) and shuffle it thoroughly.