This article is one of many about interpreting the images of the Tarot. It explores the symbols that were painted in the Smith-Waite-Rider deck by Pamela Coleman Smith, also known as Pixie. This deck inspires most contemporary decks of tarot and it is one of the richest in symbolism. I attempt to interpret the symbols that E.A. Waite commissioned and why he commissioned such symbols. I try to understand his mindset by reading his comments on the works of Eliphas Levi, his books Key to the Tarot, The True History of the Rosicrucians, The Book of Black Magic and the Book of Ceremonial Magic. The result should be one of the most accurate interpretations of Smith and Waite’s deck. However, Waite was surprisingly Christian and much of the symbolism will show this. In order to ensure that we do not have gaps in our knowledge we will need to grin and bear with it.
The tarot is often easier to read than most people realise. Each card has a story which creates feelings. These feelings act like letters. When letters are put together words are formed and a message is made. After interpreting the cards’ symbols I will give a story for each card. If the person reading the card is in touch with their intuition, the subconscious mind will highlight an aspect of the story or a significant feeling. If this process is unsure the reader can stare into the card and see it open like a door in their mind. They then scry through the doorway as one would with a magic mirror. Usually, the card will make the reading clear.
For other cards see the section about the tarot and scroll down to the list.
Early decks often refer to this card as the traitor.
Eliphas Levi supposes that this is the prudence card. As I have said before, in the decks which include the prudence card, the Popess is distinctly absent she is also commonly depicted with a book, just like prudence, and is the appropriate gender.
The way Eliphas Levi describes the character it is as if his body would form a rare symbol for phosphorous beneath the tau cross. The symbol for phosphorous more often rendered with the apex of the triangle point upwards is often referred to as the golden dawn. A stage of alchemy where the alchemist’s work finally proves fruitful. The term phosphorous actually means light-bringing. So as much as it is a chemical it might be referring to an enlightening stage of spiritual alchemy.
Some including Waite have attempted to suppose a fylfot cross in his legs possibly the Hindu sun god, Savitr or Surya represented by the Swastika. (blasphemously coopted by murderers in WWII). This is congruent with the halo / nimbus around his head emitting light and associating him with sun gods.
Consistent with the many sun gods he is possibly being sacrificed for the greater good and symbolizes martyrdom. While I would expect Waite to suggest a connection between the hanged man and Jesus, instead he says that the Hanged Man is not suffering, but instead in a state of contemplation which is why he asked for the face to be so calm and surreal. This is inconsistent with older decks where the hanged man is called the traitor and is a martyr to maintain moral order.
For Thelemites, this card symbolized the initiatory power of the Old Aeon. The Aeon of the Father or of Osiris, where a person experiences enlightenment through suffering and self-sacrifice. This is different to the current Aeon where enlightenment is achieved through individuation like a child vested with all authority growing to be their true self.
Interpretation
Convicted of a crime against an unusual law, a person is condemned to be hung upside down. The world seems topsy turvy for him for a while and everything is at peace, until eventually suffering befalls him and he realises his fate. He must go through this suffering publicly to prevent others from experiencing the same fate. It is for the greater good that he must take on a difficult fate, but soon it will be over.
When it comes to the Tarot I have mostly got rid of my books. The most useful book for me has been The Definitive Tarot by Bill Butler. The entries in this book are short, but all the main tarot decks are included. The Marseille, Waite, Crowley, etc and it includes brief descriptions of the cards with interpretations from a variety of sources such as Waite, Mathers, The Golden Dawn, Paul Huson, and more. I have also included the Book of Thoth by Crowley which was one of the last books he ever published. This is not for beginners, in fact, it’s a hard read for me and I have been continually practising for about 20 years and studying magick seriously since 2005. This book is for people already well-versed in Crowley. He feels little need to explain himself and it is an in-depth commentary on the symbolism in the Thoth Tarot and the meaning of the cards. I will also recommend a couple of decks. The first is the cheapest Smith-Waite-Rider deck I could find for people on a budget. The second deck is a beautiful repaint of the Smith-Waite-Rider called the Radiant Rider-Waite available in a tin to protect the cards. I recommend people who are new to reading the tarot learn with some variant of this deck for their first deck in order to be able to read with the thousands of decks which are based on it. When you know the Smith-Waite-Rider deck, if you wish you can decide to move on to the Thoth Tarot or Tarot de Marseilles or remain using just variants of this deck. Many themed decks are impossible to read because they are designed to be true to the theme or artistic rather than useful for intuitive reading.
This article is part of our Magic 101 course. It’s in the Lore section.
