Arthur Edward Waite (October 2, 1857 – May 10, 1942)

Yes, we are all familiar with his name, but I’ll wager very few have read his books. He is the man behind the scenes who helped define the Major Arcana of the Tarot for Pamela Colman Smith.

The timing for this chart comes from a biographical source. Otherwise, I cannot attest to its accuracy except to say that the three inconjuncts seem to tell the story of a man who reveals esoteric truths.

Moon Inconjunct Midheaven

Work very hard to develop an objective awareness of what you are doing and where you are going. You will need this understanding to guide your emotions, which might otherwise lead you astray and make it difficult for you to focus on your goals. Even though you won’t have to choose a career or a purpose in life for many years, you can learn now to have good perception, which will make it easier to choose later on. Learn to see others’ points of view, even if you cannot accept them. Learn to make logical decisions, and do not let passing moods color your attitudes about yourself and your life too much.

Mercury Inconjunct Pluto

You have a rather complicated and sometimes tricky mind. You usually prefer to do things in roundabout and involved ways instead of being simple and direct.

On the positive side, this means that you enjoy solving puzzles, tracking down mysteries and finding out about hidden matters. You have a natural ability to understand how people’s minds work, what makes them act as they do, and what they are thinking, which is quite amazing for someone of your age.

Uranus Inconjunct Midheaven

You need to express your thoughts and feelings, but you often upset the people around you with your words. You seem to enjoy creating a stir every time you say something, but this can get you into quite a bit of trouble with parents, teachers and other authority figures. The underlying principle of this aspect is the need to balance your individual self-expression and manner of communicating with you need to learn and grow under the guidance of older people.

The Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot Deck (published December 1909)

It occurred to me, today, that I could chart the publication of this original pack of Tarot cards. Unfortunately, the only information available states that the pack was first published in December 1909 after Pamela Colman Smith produced the drawings for it between April and September of that year.

As the exact date is unknown, I’ve set the date for December 15, 1909 and the timing is randomized.

There is but one inconjunct and it ties together two of the original inconjuncts from Waite’s birth chart. Hmm,

Moon Inconjunct Pluto

You probably enjoy exploring the mysterious and probing hidden secrets. Even while you are young, you will understand human nature better than most people, but to use this ability positively, you must be reasonably calm about your feelings.

(That sounds like excellent advice for any Tarot readers out there.)

So, Who had the Most Influence on this Tarot Pack’s Production?

I knew it was going to be Pixie long before I combined these charts. But, Waite’s Mercury is (albeit, accidentally) conjunct the Tarot’s Ascendant, so he is the thinker behind the work, for sure.