Arthur Edward Waite (1857-1942) was born in New York to an American father and an English mother. He is best known as the co-author of the Rider-Waite Tarot, published in 1910, featuring illustrations by Pamela Colman Smith, a member of the Golden Dawn. In addition to his work with Tarot, Waite was also a poet and advocated for a systematic study of the history of Western occultism, which he regarded as a genuine spiritual tradition.
After his father’s death in his early years, he moved to the United Kingdom to continue his education. Following the death of his sister Frederika in 1874, he developed an interest in occult studies and began regularly examining the texts housed at the British Museum.
In 1891, he was accepted into the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. He left the Order in 1893 but was re-admitted three years later, remaining until 1914 despite various trials.
In 1897, he married Ada Lakeman, known as “Lucasta.” She was also interested in spiritual practices, and they had a daughter named Sybil.
From 1900 to 1909, he worked as a company manager producing malted milk to earn a living.
In 1901, he became a Freemason, and in 1902, he joined the Societas Rosicruciana in Anglia, a Rosicrucian Christian order. In 1903, he travelled to Switzerland to receive the rank of Beneficent Knight of the Holy City within the Rectified Scottish Rite. In 1915, after leaving the Golden Dawn due to internal conflicts, Waite founded the Company of the Rose Cross, one of the branches that emerged from splits within the Golden Dawn. He faced significant criticism for his decision, particularly from Aleister Crowley.
In 1924, shortly after his wife’s death, he remarried Mary Broadbent Schofield, about whom little biographical information is known.
Waite was a prolific author whose works were highly regarded in occult circles during his time. However, his lack of formal academic qualifications led to criticism of his writing style, which was often described as diffuse, overly wordy, and filled with archaic language. He focused on subjects such as divination, esotericism, freemasonry, Kabbalah, alchemy, and ceremonial magic. Additionally, he published a poetic anthology inspired by the fairies of English folklore.
He died in London in 1942 at the age of 84.