Difference between pages "Mercury" and "Arthur Edward Waite"

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[[File:Mercury.png|300px|thumb|Symbol of planet Mercury]]
[[File:Arthur Edward Waite.jpg|300px|thumb|Portrait of A.E. Waite taken in 1911]]
'''Mercury''' is the smallest planet in the Solar System and the closest to the [[Sun]]. It is one of four terrestrial planets in the Solar System, and is a rocky body like [[Earth]]. It is the smallest planet in the Solar System, with an equatorial radius of 2,439.7 kilometers (1,516.0 mi).
'''Arthur Edward Waite''' (2 October 1857 – 19 May 1942) was an American-born British poet and scholarly mystic who wrote extensively on [[occult]] and esoteric matters, and was the co-creator of the [[Rider-Waite Tarot]] deck (also called the Rider–Waite–Smith or Waite–Smith deck). As his biographer R. A. Gilbert described him, "Waite's name has survived because he was the first to attempt a systematic study of the history of western occultism—viewed as a spiritual tradition rather than as aspects of proto-science or as the pathology of religion."


Mercury's surface is similar in appearance to that of the Moon, showing extensive mare-like plains and heavy cratering, indicating that it has been geologically inactive for billions of years.
==Early life==
Waite was born in Brooklyn, New York, United States. Waite's father, Capt. Charles F. Waite, died when he was very young, and his widowed mother, Emma Lovell, returned to her home country of England, where he was then raised. They were well enough off to educate Waite at a small private school in North London. When he was 13, he was educated at St. Charles' College. When he left school to become a clerk he wrote verse in his spare time. In 1863 Waite's mother converted to Catholicism. The death of his sister Frederika Waite in 1874 soon attracted him into psychical research. At 21, he began to read regularly in the Library of the British Museum, studying many branches of esotericism. In 1881 Waite discovered the writings of [[Eliphas Levi]].


==Early observation==
When Waite was almost 30 he married Ada Lakeman (also called "Lucasta"), and they had one daughter, Sybil. Some time after Lucasta's death in 1924, Waite married Mary Broadbent Schofield. He spent most of his life in or near London, connected to various publishing houses and editing a magazine, ''The Unknown World.''
The earliest known recorded observations of Mercury are from the MUL.APIN tablets. These observations were most likely made by an Assyrian astronomer around the 14th century BC. The cuneiform name used to designate Mercury on the MUL.APIN tablets is transcribed as UDU.IDIM.GU\U4.UD ("the jumping planet").Babylonian records of Mercury date back to the 1st millennium BC. The Babylonians called the planet Nabu after the messenger to the gods in their mythology.


The Greco-Egyptian astronomer Ptolemy wrote about the possibility of planetary transits across the face of the Sun in his work Planetary Hypotheses. He suggested that no transits had been observed either because planets such as Mercury were too small to see, or because the transits were too infrequent.
From 1900 to 1909, Waite earned a living as a manager for Horlicks, the manufacturer of malted milk.


In medieval [[Islam]]ic astronomy, the Andalusian astronomer Abū Ishāq Ibrāhīm al-Zarqālī in the 11th century described the deferent of Mercury's geocentric orbit as being oval, like an egg or a pignon, although this insight did not influence his astronomical theory or his astronomical calculations. In the 12th century, Ibn Bajjah observed "two planets as black spots on the face of the Sun", which was later suggested as the transit of Mercury and/or [[Venus]] by the Maragha astronomer Qotb al-Din Shirazi in the 13th century.
==In the Golden Dawn==
Waite joined the Outer Order of the [[Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn]] in January 1891 after being introduced by E.W. Berridge. In 1893 he withdrew from the Golden Dawn. In 1896 he rejoined the Outer Order of the Golden Dawn. In 1899 he entered the Second order of the Golden Dawn. He became a Freemason in 1901, and entered the ''Societas Rosicruciana'' in Anglia in 1902. In 1903 Waite founded the Independent and Rectified Order R. R. et A. C. This Order was disbanded in 1914. The Golden Dawn was torn by internal feuding until Waite's departure in 1914; in July 1915 he formed the Fellowship of the Rosy Cross, not to be confused with the ''Societas Rosicruciana''. By that time there existed some half-dozen offshoots from the original Golden Dawn, and as a whole it never recovered.


In India, the Kerala school astronomer Nilakantha Somayaji in the 15th century developed a partially heliocentric planetary model in which Mercury orbits the Sun, which in turn orbits [[Earth]], similar to the Tychonic system later proposed by [[Tycho Brahe]] in the late 16th century.
[[Aleister Crowley]], Waite's foe, referred to him as the villainous "Arthwate" in his novel ''Moonchild'' and referred to him as "Dead Waite" in his magazine ''Equinox''. [[H. P. Lovecraft‏‎]] has a villainous wizard in his short story "The Thing on the Doorstep" called Ephraim Waite; according to Robert M. Price, this character was based on Waite.


==Astrology==
==Author and scholar==
Mercury is the ruling planet of [[Gemini]] and [[Virgo]] and is exalted in Virgo. In classical Roman mythology, Mercury is the messenger of the gods, noted for his speed and swiftness. Echoing this, the scorching, airless world Mercury circles the [[Sun]] on the fastest orbit of any planet. Mercury takes only 88 days to orbit the Sun, spending about 7.33 days in each sign of the zodiac. Mercury is so close to the Sun that only a brief period exists after the Sun has set where it can be seen with the naked eye, before following the Sun beyond the horizon.
[[File:Rider-Waite Magician.png|250px|thumb|The Magician card from the [[Rider-Waite Tarot]]]]
Waite was a prolific author and many of his works were well received in the esoteric circles of his time, but his lack of academic training is visible in his limitations as a historian and in his belittling of other authors.


[[astrology|Astrologically]], Mercury represents the principles of communication, mentality, thinking patterns, rationality/reasoning, adaptability and variability. Mercury governs schooling and education, the immediate environment of neighbors, siblings and cousins, transport over short distances, messages and forms of communication such as post, email and telephone, newspapers, journalism and writing, information gathering skills and physical dexterity.
He wrote [[grimoire|occult texts]] on subjects including [[divination]], esotericism, Rosicrucianism, Freemasonry, and [[ritual magic]], [[Kabbalah|Kabbalism]] and [[alchemy]]; he also translated and reissued several mystical and alchemical works. He wrote about the Holy Grail, influenced by his friendship with Arthur Machen.


In modern [[astrology]], Mercury is regarded as the ruler of the third house; traditionally, it had the joy in the first house. Mercury is the messenger of the gods in mythology. It is the planet of day-to-day expression and relationships. Mercury's action is to take things apart and put them back together again. It is an opportunistic planet, decidedly unemotional and curious.
Waite was a regular contributor to the esoteric magazine ''[[The Occult Review]]'' and wrote many articles on magic, Tarot, and [[divination]].


==Alchemy==
A number of his volumes remain in print, including ''[[The Book of Ceremonial Magic]]'' (1911), ''The Holy Kabbalah'' (1929), ''A New Encyclopedia of Freemasonry'' (1921), and his edited translation of [[Eliphas Levi]]'s 1896 ''Transcendental Magic, its Doctrine and Ritual'' (1910), having been reprinted in recent years. Waite also wrote two allegorical fantasy novels, ''Prince Starbeam'' (1889) and ''The Quest of the Golden Stairs'' (1893), and edited ''Elfin Music'', an anthology of poetry based on English fairy folklore.
In alchemical medicine, Mercury is associated with the nervous system, the brain, the respiratory system, the thyroid and the sense organs. It is traditionally held to be essentially cold and dry, according to its placement in the zodiac and in any aspects to other planets.


==Ritual magic==
==Rider-Waite Tarot==
According to [[Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa]], [[chalcedony]] is a stone under the planets Mercury and [[Saturn]].
Waite is best known for his involvement with the [[Rider-Waite Tarot]] deck, first published in 1910, with illustrations by Golden Dawn member [[Pamela Colman Smith]]. Waite authored the deck's companion volume, the ''[[The Key to the Tarot]]'', republished in expanded form in 1911 as the ''Pictorial Key to the Tarot'', a guide to [[Tarot]] reading. The Rider–Waite–Smith tarot was notable for illustrating all 78 cards fully, at a time when only the 22 Major Arcana were typically illustrated.


The [[Olympic Spirit]] [[Ophiel]] rules over Mercury and is capable of instantly turning the metal Mercury into the [[Philosopher's stone]].
[[Category:Authors]]
 
[[Category:Occultists]]
[[Archangel Raphael]] rules over Mercury and the planet is associated with the choir of [[archangels]].
 
[[Category:Planets]]

Revision as of 05:09, 7 May 2024

Portrait of A.E. Waite taken in 1911

Arthur Edward Waite (2 October 1857 – 19 May 1942) was an American-born British poet and scholarly mystic who wrote extensively on occult and esoteric matters, and was the co-creator of the Rider-Waite Tarot deck (also called the Rider–Waite–Smith or Waite–Smith deck). As his biographer R. A. Gilbert described him, "Waite's name has survived because he was the first to attempt a systematic study of the history of western occultism—viewed as a spiritual tradition rather than as aspects of proto-science or as the pathology of religion."

Early life

Waite was born in Brooklyn, New York, United States. Waite's father, Capt. Charles F. Waite, died when he was very young, and his widowed mother, Emma Lovell, returned to her home country of England, where he was then raised. They were well enough off to educate Waite at a small private school in North London. When he was 13, he was educated at St. Charles' College. When he left school to become a clerk he wrote verse in his spare time. In 1863 Waite's mother converted to Catholicism. The death of his sister Frederika Waite in 1874 soon attracted him into psychical research. At 21, he began to read regularly in the Library of the British Museum, studying many branches of esotericism. In 1881 Waite discovered the writings of Eliphas Levi.

When Waite was almost 30 he married Ada Lakeman (also called "Lucasta"), and they had one daughter, Sybil. Some time after Lucasta's death in 1924, Waite married Mary Broadbent Schofield. He spent most of his life in or near London, connected to various publishing houses and editing a magazine, The Unknown World.

From 1900 to 1909, Waite earned a living as a manager for Horlicks, the manufacturer of malted milk.

In the Golden Dawn

Waite joined the Outer Order of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn in January 1891 after being introduced by E.W. Berridge. In 1893 he withdrew from the Golden Dawn. In 1896 he rejoined the Outer Order of the Golden Dawn. In 1899 he entered the Second order of the Golden Dawn. He became a Freemason in 1901, and entered the Societas Rosicruciana in Anglia in 1902. In 1903 Waite founded the Independent and Rectified Order R. R. et A. C. This Order was disbanded in 1914. The Golden Dawn was torn by internal feuding until Waite's departure in 1914; in July 1915 he formed the Fellowship of the Rosy Cross, not to be confused with the Societas Rosicruciana. By that time there existed some half-dozen offshoots from the original Golden Dawn, and as a whole it never recovered.

Aleister Crowley, Waite's foe, referred to him as the villainous "Arthwate" in his novel Moonchild and referred to him as "Dead Waite" in his magazine Equinox. H. P. Lovecraft‏‎ has a villainous wizard in his short story "The Thing on the Doorstep" called Ephraim Waite; according to Robert M. Price, this character was based on Waite.

Author and scholar

The Magician card from the Rider-Waite Tarot

Waite was a prolific author and many of his works were well received in the esoteric circles of his time, but his lack of academic training is visible in his limitations as a historian and in his belittling of other authors.

He wrote occult texts on subjects including divination, esotericism, Rosicrucianism, Freemasonry, and ritual magic, Kabbalism and alchemy; he also translated and reissued several mystical and alchemical works. He wrote about the Holy Grail, influenced by his friendship with Arthur Machen.

Waite was a regular contributor to the esoteric magazine The Occult Review and wrote many articles on magic, Tarot, and divination.

A number of his volumes remain in print, including The Book of Ceremonial Magic (1911), The Holy Kabbalah (1929), A New Encyclopedia of Freemasonry (1921), and his edited translation of Eliphas Levi's 1896 Transcendental Magic, its Doctrine and Ritual (1910), having been reprinted in recent years. Waite also wrote two allegorical fantasy novels, Prince Starbeam (1889) and The Quest of the Golden Stairs (1893), and edited Elfin Music, an anthology of poetry based on English fairy folklore.

Rider-Waite Tarot

Waite is best known for his involvement with the Rider-Waite Tarot deck, first published in 1910, with illustrations by Golden Dawn member Pamela Colman Smith. Waite authored the deck's companion volume, the The Key to the Tarot, republished in expanded form in 1911 as the Pictorial Key to the Tarot, a guide to Tarot reading. The Rider–Waite–Smith tarot was notable for illustrating all 78 cards fully, at a time when only the 22 Major Arcana were typically illustrated.

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