Lamps of Western Mysticism
About this ebook
This development follows certain definite steps which have as their preliminary goal the harmonizing and balancing of the inner life in terms of objective, ultimate reality. Beyond this, the path opens out to a still higher attainment, culminating in that sublime, conscious oneness with the divine, described in writings of those men and women who have attained at least a first experience of this highest of all goals.
This book was written in order to open before us the prospect of this goal, to outline at least the first steps on the path leading to it, and to introduce us to some of the human beings who have achieved noteworthy results in this quest, particularly in the Western World.
In simple, straightforward language he outlines the ideals and practice of the spiritual life from the standpoint of the man of the West as he is today, a description entirely free of asceticism and the restrictions of theological dogma.
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About the author
Arthur Edward Waite (1857-1942) was an American-born British poet and scholarly mystic. He wrote extensively on occult and esoteric matters and was the co-creator of the Rider-Waite Tarot deck.
Born on October 2, 1857 in Brooklyn, New York, he moved to his mother's home country of England following his father Capt. Charles F. Waite's death. He was educated at a small private school in North London and St. Charles' College from age 13. Following his sister Frederika's death in 1874, he became attracted to psychical research and studied many branches of esotericism. He joined the Outer Order of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn in 1891 and the Second Order of the Golden Dawn in 1899. He became a Freemason in 1901 and entered the Societas Rosicruciana in Anglia in 1902. In 1903, he founded the Independent and Rectified Order R. R. et A. C., which disbanded in 1914. In 1915 he formed the Fellowship of the Rosy Cross.
Waite was a prolific author of occult texts on subjects including divination, esotericism, Rosicrucianism, Freemasonry, and ceremonial magic, Kabbalism and alchemy. He also translated and reissued several mystical and alchemical works. Titles include: 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). He 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.
Waite is best known as the co-creator of the Rider-Waite Tarot deck, notable for being one of the first tarot decks to illustrate all 78 cards fully, not only the 22 major arcana cards. Golden Dawn member Pamela Colman Smith illustrated the cards for Waite, and the deck was first published in 1909. It remains in publication today.
Waite died on May 19, 1942, aged 84.
