History and symbols
What does the Golden Dawn have to do with tarot?
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The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn was an esoteric society founded in England in 1888. Its members studied tarot alongside astrology, Kabbalah and the elements, and created correspondences that influenced twentieth-century decks such as the Rider-Waite-Smith. These links are esoteric tradition, not proven history of the cards.
What the Golden Dawn was
The Golden Dawn was an English order founded in 1888, amid the interest in the occult that marked the late nineteenth century. Members moved through grades of study, with lessons on symbolism, astrology, alchemy and other subjects. Tarot was one of those fields of study.
The order was short-lived as a united organization and split into groups after internal disagreements. What remained was mostly its written output and methods of study, which circulated among its members and later among other authors. That is why many people who have never heard of the order unknowingly use ideas that passed through it.
What it added to tarot
The great legacy was the system of correspondences: each Major Arcana card received a link to a planet, a sign or an element, and each suit was tied to an element. This tradition is the source of ideas such as associating Cups with water and Swords with air, something this site also uses in its suits section.
It is worth remembering that these links are symbolic constructions made by people who studied tarot in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The fifteenth-century Italian decks, created for playing, were not made with this system in mind.
- Suits tied to the four elements.
- Major Arcana tied to planets, signs and elements.
- Study of tarot together with astrology and Kabbalah.
What is the link to the Rider-Waite-Smith
Arthur Edward Waite and Pamela Colman Smith moved in circles connected to the Golden Dawn, and the symbolism of the 1909 deck reflects that environment. As a result, much in the cards, such as elemental figures and astrological details, can be read in light of this tradition.
At the same time, the deck has choices of its own from Waite and Smith, and not everything in it comes from the order. To study rigorously, it is best to separate what the sources show about the people and the works from what is later interpretation.
Frequently asked questions
- Did the Golden Dawn invent tarot?
- No. Tarot is much older than the order, coming from the Italian tarocchi of the fifteenth century. The order contributed a system of symbolic interpretation.
- Do I need to know about the Golden Dawn to read tarot?
- No. Many people read tarot simply by looking at the images and noting what they feel. Knowing the history is an optional complement.
- Are the correspondences with planets and signs mandatory?
- No, they are one tradition among others. You can use them as a tool, adapt them or ignore them without losing depth in your reading.
Educational content, for reflection. Tarot does not replace medical, legal or financial advice.