Pamela Colman Smith & The Tarot Deck which changed everything

About this episode

This episode explores the life of Pamela Colman Smith and her significant impact on the Tarot deck that transformed Western magical practices.

If the western Magical tradition has one object which has bled into mainstream culture and seems like it is there to stay, it would be a pack of Tarot cards designed and released in 1909. Originally released as The Tarot, it would later be known as the Rider Waite Tarot, and for decades that is what it would remain. Yet, this name negated perhaps the most important element of these cards- the artist herself. Pamela Colman Smith was an exceptional talent who lived a fascinating and tumultuous life. While her deck is beyond notorious, her story is almost entirely unknown by most. Pamela would like you to join her in the Fools Gallery, for she has much to tell us these days.

People in this episode

Host: Douglas Batchelor

Topics covered

• Tarot cards
• Pamela Colman Smith
• Western Magical tradition
• Rider Waite Tarot
• Art and spirituality

Keywords

• Tarot
• Pamela Colman Smith
• Rider Waite
• Western magic
• spirituality
• art
• Tarot history

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: The Tarot, Rider Waite Tarot

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