Oswald Wirth
In their own terms: A Freemason and occultist translating Levi's philosophical system into visual form
As history sees them: The artist who gave Levi's abstract system its first physical deck
Created the first tarot deck consciously designed to embody Levi's Kabbalistic correspondences. His deck, guided by Stanislas de Guaita, was the French occult school's practical tarot art.
Biography
Born August 5, 1860, in Brienz, Canton of Bern, Switzerland. Initiated into Freemasonry in 1884, joining a Scottish Rite lodge affiliated with the Grand Orient de France. In 1887, while practicing as a hypnotic healer, he was introduced to the Marquis Stanislas de Guaita, a young aristocratic poet turned occultist. Wirth became de Guaita's secretary, disciple, and close collaborator for roughly a decade. In 1888, they joined with Josephin Peladan and Papus to found the Ordre Kabbalistique de la Rose-Croix.
Under de Guaita's guidance, Wirth designed a set of 22 Major Arcana cards, published in 1889 as 'Les 22 Arcanes du Tarot Kabbalistique.' The deck followed the Marseille pattern closely but incorporated explicit occult symbolism drawn from Levi's teachings: Hebrew letters on each card, Kabbalistic and alchemical imagery. It was the first tarot deck since Etteilla's to be designed specifically to illustrate occult teachings, and the first ever to include Hebrew letters on the cards.
Wirth became a prolific Masonic writer and editor. In 1927, he published his major tarot treatise, 'Le Tarot des imagiers du Moyen Age,' combining imagery from alchemy, Freemasonry, Rosicrucianism, and Egyptian tradition. He died March 9, 1943, at age 82.
Key Works
- Major Arcana deck (1889) — First deck designed to embody Levi's Kabbalistic correspondences
- Le Tarot des Imagiers du Moyen Age (1927) — Comprehensive guide to the Wirth Tarot
Intellectual Lineage
Influenced by
- Eliphas Levi intellectual Wirth's deck was designed to embody Levi's Kabbalistic correspondences
Timeline
Oswald Wirth creates Kabbalistic tarot deck
First deck consciously designed to embody Levi's Kabbalistic correspondences. Created with guidance from Stanislas de Guaita.