Arthur Edward Waite

Waite — The Book of Ceremonial Magic (1913) [DECLARADA]

Magia ceremonial · Miembro

Rosacruces · Fundador

Alquimia · Comentarista

Masonería · Comentarista

Cristianismo · Miembro

«It should be understood that the writer of this brief note must not be accredited with the translation which it seeks to introduce. That is the work of a gentleman who is said to have had a life-long acquaintance with alchemical literature; it has been subjected to a searching revision at the hands of the present editor, who may himself be permitted to claim some experience in Hermetic antiquities» — se deslinda en su propio prefacio de la traducción que la portada del volumen le adjudica: la obra es de un caballero a quien dice de trato de toda la vida con la literatura alquímica, y él se llama the present editor, que ha revisado esa versión y se permite reclamar alguna experiencia en antigüedades herméticas

«I have also ruled out, as it will be seen, the distinctions which have subsisted between the good and evil side of the arts and processes, not that it does not exist on the bare surface, but because the two aspects dissolve into one another and belong one to another in the root that is common to both.» — declara lo que su libro descarta: la distinción entre el lado bueno y el malo de las artes mágicas, no porque no exista en la superficie sino porque los dos aspectos se disuelven uno en otro y pertenecen a una raíz común

«but the quest of miraculous power—and I use an unscientific phrase of set purpose, because I am dealing now with the most inexact of all subjects—is that which is usually comprehended by the term occult science, and the occult sciences, speaking generally, are the sciences of the abyss.» — define la ciencia oculta en su propio vocabulario y avisa del grado: usa a propósito una frase no científica porque trata del más inexacto de los asuntos, y llama a las ciencias ocultas las ciencias del abismo

«I except astrology, which—only through the accident of many associations—has been taken by force into the category: it is not an occult science, and notwithstanding a few negligible claims on the part of a few sanctuaries, it has no secret mode of working whatsoever.» — y exceptúa a la astrología de esa categoría: dice que no es ciencia oculta y que, pese a unas pocas pretensiones de unos pocos santuarios, no tiene modo secreto alguno de operar

«But with this also I have dealt so fully in the text that I question whether the entire work is not an illustration of my thesis that, except in a very slight, verbal and fluidic sense, no such distinction exists—I mean to say that it is unrooted in the subsoil of the subject.» — resume su propia tesis sobre la distinción entre magia blanca y negra: que salvo en un sentido leve, verbal y fluídico no existe, porque no arraiga en el subsuelo del asunto

«Alchemy has, however, another and if possible a more secret side, from which it enters the science of the soul.» — y lo que concede a la alquimia: otro lado, más secreto si cabe, por el cual entra en la ciencia del alma

«It is improbable that there is any hidden science in respect of Magic, whether Black or White, but it should be noticed that the occult sciences with which I am concerned here are reducible under this especial head, as it is the greater which includes the lesser.» — juzga improbable que exista ciencia oculta alguna respecto de la magia, negra o blanca, y acota el campo del que se ocupa

«In its, so to speak, pure state, but absit verbum—I should rather have said undiluted—it is the simple ambition and attempt to compel demons, and observe here that it is Satanism to deal, ex hypothesi, with the abyss, for whatever purpose.» — define la magia negra en estado puro: la simple ambición de forzar demonios, y sostiene que tratar con el abismo es satanismo sea cual sea el propósito

«However, that symbolic door is the golden way of satisfaction; but it is not of magic, of divination, of clairvoyance, of the communication with spirits, of what order soever; it does not offer the fabled power over Nature of which the Magus is said to be in search and to which lying rituals have from all time pretended that he can attain.» — deslinda esa puerta de lo que él mismo edita: no es de magia, ni de adivinación, ni de clarividencia, ni del trato con espíritus de orden alguno, y no ofrece el fabulado poder sobre la naturaleza que los rituales mentirosos pretendieron siempre

«I do not believe for one moment that anything responds to its methods from the unseen side of things which can bring good to man by the intercourse.» — lo dice en primera persona y sin grado: no cree ni por un momento que nada responda a esos métodos desde el lado invisible de las cosas de manera que traiga bien al hombre

«I have no reason to suppose that the sober, ordered and well-judged methods of such experimental research will succeed in taking the subject into any grade of certitude which will be of permanent value to man, and the question closes here so far as I am concerned.» — y cierra por su parte la cuestión de la investigación psíquica de su tiempo: no tiene razón para suponer que sus métodos sobrios y ordenados lleven el asunto a grado alguno de certidumbre de valor permanente

«There is no extant Ritual, as there is no doctrine, which contains, or [12] can possibly contain, the real secret of magical procedure or the essence of occult doctrine.» — enuncia la tesis deflacionaria que ordena el libro entero: no hay ritual ni doctrina existente que contenga, ni pueda contener, el secreto real del procedimiento mágico ni la esencia de la doctrina oculta

«It is desirable that they should not be undervalued, as records of the past, because they have exercised an influence, and they are memorable as curiosities thereof; but it is more desirable still that the weak and credulous should be warned against acting like fools, and that those who are seeking spiritual certitude should be dissuaded from the science of the abyss.» — declara el doble propósito con que publica los rituales: que no se los subestime como documentos del pasado y, más aún, que se advierta a los débiles y crédulos contra obrar como necios

«It will be made clear as I proceed that the purposes and ambitions of Magic are commonly very childish, so that we must distinguish really between Black and White Magic, not as between the essentially good and evil, but as between that which is certainly evil and that which may only be foolish.» — y el deslinde con que sustituye la distinción heredada: los propósitos y ambiciones de la magia son comúnmente muy pueriles, de modo que la diferencia entre magia negra y blanca no es entre lo bueno y lo malo esenciales sino entre lo que es ciertamente malo y lo que acaso solo sea necio

«It cannot be said, even, that Black Magic is invariably and White Magic occasionally evil.» — niega incluso la versión atenuada de esa distinción: ni siquiera cabe decir que la magia negra sea invariablemente mala y la blanca lo sea de vez en cuando

«What is called Black Magic is by no means diabolical invariably; it is almost as much concerned with preposterous and stupid processes as the White variety with those of an accursed kind.» — sostiene que lo llamado magia negra no es diabólico invariablemente y que se ocupa de procesos absurdos y estúpidos casi tanto como la variedad blanca de los de especie maldita

«The unprinted literature of Ceremonial Magic offers a considerable field to research, though even in the historical or bibliographical interest it is questionable whether it would repay the pains, unless research of all kinds whatsoever is to be regarded as its own reward.» — su juicio sobre el archivo inédito de la magia ceremonial: ofrece campo considerable a la investigación, y es dudoso que compensara el trabajo aun en interés histórico o bibliográfico

«It is perhaps loosely equivalent to the Haute Magie of Eliphas Lévi, which I have rendered Transcendental Magic, not as a satisfactory equivalent but because there is no current or admitted expression which corresponds more closely.» — justifica su propia terminología: adopta magia trascendental para la Haute Magie de Eliphas Lévi, no por equivalente satisfactorio sino porque no hay expresión corriente que corresponda más de cerca

«Within my own knowledge, there are no copies in manuscript, or none at least which are prior to the end of the sixteenth century.» — da el alcance de su propio testimonio y no un hecho de la bibliografía: hasta donde él conoce no hay copias manuscritas, o ninguna anterior al final del siglo XVI

«I do not consider that the least credit should be attached to the statement per se, as representing an actual claim made by any secret fraternity, and the claim is without consequence, should it happen that it does.» — y el grado con que trata una definición que le remitió un corresponsal: no le concede el menor crédito como declaración de una fraternidad secreta real, y añade que la pretensión sería igualmente inconsecuente si lo fuera

«The anonymous Cloud of Unknowing belongs, I believe, to the early part of the fifteenth century, and it is to be classed among the most signal presentations of the conditions and mode of the Union which I have met with in Christian literature.» — data y valora La Nube del No Saber, marcando el grado con un I believe: la sitúa a principios del siglo XV y la cuenta entre las presentaciones más señaladas de la Unión que ha hallado en la literatura cristiana

«It follows that the Divine Union, as I have sought to give it expression apart from all antecedents and warrants of precursors-I think indeed that there are none-is something much deeper and higher than is understood by the Beatific Vision» — declara su doctrina de la Unión Divina sin precursores conocidos y la pone por encima de la Visión Beatífica

«Yet is the old doctrine the true doctrine still; there is nothing abrogated and there is nothing reduced.» — y acota lo anterior para que no se lea como derogación: la doctrina vieja sigue siendo la verdadera, y nada queda abrogado ni reducido

«Had Magic centred in the transmutation of metals, it would never have moved multitudes, but would have remained what that still is, the quixotic hope which emerges at a far distance from the science of chemistry.» — su jerarquía declarada: si la magia se hubiera centrado en la transmutación de los metales no habría movido multitudes y seguiría siendo lo que eso es, la esperanza quijotesca que asoma a lo lejos de la química

«THE HERMETIC MUSEUM would also seem to represent a distinctive school in Alchemy, not altogether committed to certain modes and terminology which derived most of their prestige from the past, and sufficiently enigmatical as it was, still inclined to be less obscure and misleading than was the habit of the older masters.» — en el prefacio a la edición inglesa sitúa al Hermetic Museum como escuela distinta dentro de la alquimia, menos oscura y menos engañosa que la costumbre de los maestros más viejos

«Running through all the tracts which are comprised in the following volumes, the reader will recognize traces of a central claim in alchemical initiation—that the secrets, whatever they were, must be understood as the property of a college of adepts, pretending to have subsisted from time almost immemorial, and revealing themselves to the select and the few, while the literature, large as it is, appears chiefly as an instrument» — señala lo que el lector reconocerá corriendo por todos los tratados: la huella de una pretensión central de la iniciación alquímica, que los secretos son propiedad de un colegio de adeptos que dice subsistir desde tiempo casi inmemorial

«Michael Sendivogius was an uninstructed disciple of Alexander Seton, and the "New Chemical Light," which he published and claimed as his own, was really the work of his master, who has been called the chief martyr of Alchemy.» — niega la autoría que el propio tratado se adjudica: sostiene que Sendivogius fue discípulo no instruido de Alexander Seton y que la New Chemical Light era obra del maestro, llamado el mártir principal de la alquimia

«It may be added in this connection that some critics have cast doubt upon the genuine nature of the "Testament of John Cremer," and it is true that the annals of Westminster do not include an abbot of that name.» — consigna la duda de atribución sobre el Testamento de John Cremer y añade que los anales de Westminster no incluyen un abad de ese nombre

«While affording to the modern student of secret doctrines an unique opportunity for acquiring in English a collection of alchemical writers, this edition of THE HERMETIC MUSEUM also claims consideration at the hands of the historian as a contribution of real value to the early history of chemistry.» — cierra su prefacio reclamando para la edición un doble público: el estudioso moderno de doctrinas secretas y el historiador de los comienzos de la química

«The Key of Solomon can scarcely be judged accurately in the light of its English version, for the translator, preternaturally regarding it as a highly honourable memorial of lawful magic, has excised as much as possible the Goëtic portions, on the ground that they are interpolations, which is of course arbitrary.» — su reproche a la edición inglesa de la Clavícula, citado por Joseph H. Peterson: no se la puede juzgar con exactitud por su versión inglesa porque el traductor, teniéndola por memorial honorable de magia lícita, extirpó cuanto pudo de las porciones goéticas alegando que son interpolaciones, lo que Waite llama arbitrario

«As A.E. Waite has stated (BCM, pg. 58) "At the head of all, and, within certain limits, the inspiration and the source of all, stands the Key of Solomon.» — y el juicio contrario del mismo Waite sobre la misma obra, citado por Peterson desde el Book of Ceremonial Magic: a la cabeza de todo, y dentro de ciertos límites la inspiración y la fuente de todo, está la Key of Solomon

«The amateurs of occult science in the more dubious of its practical branches became possessed of this pearl of tradition in 1898, and I suppose that it is familiar enough in certain circles.» — su frase sobre la difusión del Abramelin, citada por David Shoemaker en el volumen de Lon Milo DuQuette: los aficionados a la ciencia oculta en sus ramas prácticas más dudosas se hicieron de esa perla de la tradición en 1898

«An exponent of Art Magic in the utmost simplification thereof, but that which he saves in ritual he expends in the dramatic elaboration of general mise en scène.» — y el desdén que le tiene al autor de ese texto, en sus propias palabras citadas ahí mismo: exponente del Arte Mágico en su máxima simplificación, que lo que ahorra en ritual lo gasta en la elaboración dramática del decorado

«Waite, Arthur Edward, * 2.10.1857 Brooklyn, N.Y., | 19.5.1942 Bridge, Canterbury (England)» — la cabecera de la entrada que Robert A. Gilbert le dedica en el Dictionary of Gnosis and Western Esotericism da sus dos fechas y sus dos lugares: nacido el 2 de octubre de 1857 en Brooklyn y muerto el 19 de mayo de 1942 en Bridge, Canterbury; el signo de defunción lo rinde el troceo como una barra vertical

«Writing as an apologist and critical historian of his subject matter, Waite was the author, editor or translator of more than eighty works on > alchemy, > Freemasonry, kabbalah [> Jewish Influences], > magic, > mysticism, > Rosicrucianism and other aspects of western esotericism» — Gilbert lo describe como apologista e historiador crítico de su propia materia y le cuenta más de ochenta obras como autor, editor o traductor, sobre alquimia, masonería, cábala, magia, mística y rosacrucismo

«Waite’s parents — Emma Lovell, an English woman, and an American sea captain, Charles F. Waite - seem not to have been married and after the death of his father Waite was brought to England in 1859 with his infant sister» — Gilbert da su origen familiar: Emma Lovell, inglesa, y el capitán de barco estadounidense Charles F. Waite, que parecen no haber estado casados, y el traslado a Inglaterra en 1859 tras la muerte del padre

«He saw himself, however, not as a magician but as ‘the exponent in poetical and prose writings of sacramental religion and the higher mysticism, understood in its absolute separation from psychic and occult phenomena’.» — Gilbert abre la entrada con la autodefinición del propio Waite, que es un deslinde: no se veía como mago sino como expositor en verso y prosa de la religión sacramental y la mística superior, entendida en separación absoluta de los fenómenos psíquicos y ocultos

«Through a series of translations of > Eliphas Lévi’s major works on magic he effectively introduced Lévi to the English-speaking world, while the tarot pack that he designed in 1909, in conjunction with Pamela Colman Smith, has been more widely distributed than any other of the zoth century.» — Gilbert le adjudica dos efectos de escala: haber introducido a Eliphas Lévi en el mundo anglófono por sus traducciones, y haber diseñado en 1909, con Pamela Colman Smith, la baraja de tarot más distribuida del siglo XX

«He rejected both creeds and gradually developed his own brand of sacramental Christianity infused with such elements of esotericism as proved acceptable to his temperament.» — Gilbert describe su itinerario religioso como una decantación: rechazó los dos credos y fue desarrollando un cristianismo sacramental propio con los elementos de esoterismo que su temperamento aceptaba

«Between 1893 and 1896 Waite edited and published a series of English translations of classic alchemical texts, thus providing source material for English-speaking students of alchemy for the next hundred years.» — Gilbert cuantifica el efecto de su etapa de editor: entre 1893 y 1896 editó y publicó traducciones inglesas de textos alquímicos clásicos, con lo que dio material de fuente a los estudiosos anglófonos de alquimia durante los cien años siguientes

«In addition Waite also edited The Unknown World, 1894-1895, the first journal to be devoted solely to Western esotericism, but while it was a critical success it was also a financial failure and Waite left publishing to take up paid employment as the commercial manager for Horlicks, the manufacturers of malted milk.» — Gilbert data en 1894-1895 The Unknown World, que llama la primera revista dedicada solo al esoterismo occidental, y consigna que fue éxito de crítica y fracaso financiero

«When the Golden Dawn broke apart in 1903 Waite did not stand upon the sidelines: he seized control of the Isis-Urania Temple, re-named the Order the Independent and Rectified Rite, and took his branch of the Golden Dawn firmly away from magic and in the direction of an idiosyncratic Christian» — Gilbert cuenta lo que hizo al romperse la Golden Dawn en 1903: tomó el control del templo Isis-Urania, rebautizó la orden como Independent and Rectified Rite y la apartó de la magia

«which he developed from his interpretation of the doctrine of the Fall, defining it as ‘the immemorial knowledge concerning man’s way of return whence he came by a method of the inward life’.» — Gilbert deriva su Tradición Secreta de su lectura de la doctrina de la Caída, y la define con sus palabras: el conocimiento inmemorial sobre el camino de retorno del hombre a su origen por un método de vida interior

«This tradition, Waite argued, has been maintained down the ages in secret by means of ‘Instituted Mysteries and cryptic literature’.» — y el vehículo doble y siempre secreto que Gilbert le reporta como tesis: los Misterios Instituidos y la literatura críptica

«By contemporary standards of scholarship much of Waite’s critical work may be found wanting, but he was a pioneer of the academic study of esoteric traditions, an innovative exponent of the philosophy of mysticism, and a creative genius in the field of practical spirituality.» — el balance con que Gilbert cierra la entrada tiene las dos mitades: buena parte de su obra crítica puede hallarse insuficiente según los criterios eruditos de hoy, y a la vez fue pionero del estudio académico de las tradiciones esotéricas

«Waite gained the support of those who looked upon the Golden Dawn as mystical rather than magical, took control of the Isis Urania Temple, and on 8 July 1903 instituted the “Independent and Rectified Rite” of the Golden Dawn» — la entrada sobre la Golden Dawn consigna que ganó el apoyo de quienes veían la orden como mística y no como mágica, tomó el templo Isis Urania e instituyó el Independent and Rectified Rite el 8 de julio de 1903

«Waite withdrew his own rituals and, in 1914, dissolved the Rite. Within twelve months he had created a new Order, the Fellowship of the Rosy Cross, but it was in no sense a continuation of the Golden Dawn.» — y que retiró sus propios rituales, disolvió el rito en 1914 y en menos de doce meses creó la Fellowship of the Rosy Cross, que en ningún sentido continuaba la Golden Dawn

«There is no evidence that a majority, or even a significant fraction of pre-18th century European alchemical writers and practitioners saw their work as anything other than natural philosophical in character, as even the prolific occultist writer > A.E. Waite (1857-1942) was forced to admit toward the end of his career in 1926.» — la entrada sobre alquimia lo llama prolífico escritor ocultista, lo data entre 1857 y 1942 y lo trae como testigo de que los alquimistas europeos anteriores al siglo XVIII veían su trabajo como filosofía natural

«A.E. Waite discussed it, cautiously at first, then in 1926 declared that the hypothesis was invalid.» — Richard Caron sigue su recorrido frente a la hipótesis de la alquimia espiritual: cautela primero y declaración de invalidez en 1926

«Waite seems to have had no antenna for the dialectical nature of L´evi’s thinking,» — Wouter Hanegraaff le objeta no haber tenido antena para el carácter dialéctico del pensamiento de Lévi

«In the absence of any serious competitors, Waite’s prodigious output did make him the virtually unavoidable authority, until far into the twentieth century, for anybody who wished to place the various currents associated with “the occult” in some kind of historical framework.» — y a la vez le mide el peso: a falta de competidores serios, su producción prodigiosa lo volvió la autoridad prácticamente inevitable, hasta bien entrado el siglo XX, para quien quisiera poner las corrientes de lo oculto en algún marco histórico

«Arthur Edward Waite has published a work on the legends of the Holy Grail 1 that is imposing in its dimensions and by the amount of research» — René Guénon abre su capítulo sobre el Santo Grial con el libro de Waite, imponente por sus dimensiones y por la cantidad de investigación que supone

«It must be added that Waite did not intend to produce a work of erudition only, and he is to be commended for this. We are in entire agreement with him on the minimal value of all work that does not go beyond this point of view, and of which the interest can only be ‘documentary’.» — Guénon le reconoce no haber querido hacer solo obra de erudición y declara estar enteramente de acuerdo con él sobre el valor mínimo de todo trabajo que no pase de ese punto de vista

«Waite intended to clarify the real and ‘inner’ significance of the symbolism of the Holy Grail and of the ‘quest’. Unfortunately, we feel bound to say that this aspect of his work is the one which seems least satisfactory.» — y nombra el propósito de Waite —aclarar el significado real e interior del simbolismo del Grial y de la búsqueda— para decir enseguida que ese aspecto de su obra es el que le parece menos satisfactorio

«We do not think we would be doing Waite any injustice if we say that his work is somewhat one-sighted2 or, as might be said in French, ‘partial’. It might not be rigorously exact, and in any case we do not mean by this that the author intended to be partial.» — Guénon le imputa parcialidad sin imputarle intención: dice que no cree hacerle injusticia al llamar su obra unilateral, y acota que no quiere decir con eso que el autor se propusiera ser parcial

«That the Grail legend is Christian is incontestable, and Waite is right in affirming it. But does this prevent it from being something else at the same time?» — le concede que la leyenda del Grial es cristiana y que Waite acierta al afirmarlo, y pregunta si eso impide que sea otra cosa a la vez

«But Waite, for his part, is somehow bent on seeing only that which is specifically Christian, thus enclosing himself within a particular tradition, whose relations with other traditions, precisely through its ‘inward’ dimension, seem to escape him.» — y le imputa el límite: empeñado en ver solo lo específicamente cristiano, se encierra en una tradición particular cuyas relaciones con las demás se le escapan

«In point of fact, it seems that Waite has been more or less influenced by a certain ‘evolutionism’, a tendency that comes out into the open when he declares that what is important is much less the origin of the legend than its final state; and he appears to believe that there must have been, from the one to the other, a sort of progressive improvement.» — Guénon le atribuye influencia de cierto evolucionismo, que a su juicio sale a la luz cuando Waite declara que importa mucho menos el origen de la leyenda que su estado final

«We find, in connection with alchemy, a striking example of this kind of reversal: he thinks that material alchemy preceded spiritual alchemy and that the latter appeared only with Kuhnrath and Jacob Boehme.» — y el ejemplo con que ilustra esa inversión: que Waite tenga la alquimia material por anterior a la espiritual y haga aparecer la segunda solo con Khunrath y Jacob Boehme

«If he knew certain Arabic treatises which are definitely earlier than these, he would be obliged to modify his opinion simply in the light of written documents.» — con la objeción medida en el terreno del propio Waite: ciertos tratados árabes anteriores lo obligarían a modificar su opinión solo a la luz de documentos escritos

«Waite’s most successful venture was a Tarot pack published in 1910, but the publication of most interest to us is his Book of Black Magic and of Pacts (1898).» — Owen Davies registra su empresa más exitosa, la baraja de tarot de 1910, y dice que de toda su obra la que le interesa a él es el Book of Black Magic and of Pacts de 1898

«Waite’s motivation—apart from money—was the same as the likes of Reginald Scot and Georg Conrad Horst in that he set before readers a cornucopia of practical magic for the explicit purpose of undermining it.» — Davies le adjudica el mismo motivo que a Reginald Scot y a Georg Conrad Horst, aparte del dinero: poner delante del lector una cornucopia de magia práctica con el propósito explícito de socavarla

«Waite was well aware, of course, that its contents would be of huge interest to practical occultists and pointedly stated that he intended to provide them with ‘the fullest evidence of the futility of Ceremonial Magic as it is found in books’.» — y consigna que Waite lo declaraba de frente, prometiendo a los ocultistas prácticos la evidencia más completa de la futilidad de la magia ceremonial tal como se halla en los libros

«Without naming him directly, he referred to the editor of the Key of Solomon as ‘an expositor of the more arid and unproWtable side of Kabalistic doctrine’.» — Davies identifica como dirigido a Mathers el ataque que Waite hizo sin nombrarlo, llamando al editor de la Key of Solomon expositor del lado más árido e improductivo de la doctrina cabalística

«In contrast, his Devil Worship in France (1896), an expose´ of supposed Satanists, was praised in the academic journal The American Anthropologist as an ‘invaluable’ work for serious students of occultism and mysticism.» — Davies registra también la recepción académica de su Devil Worship in France de 1896, que The American Anthropologist elogió como obra invaluable para los estudiosos serios del ocultismo y la mística

«Mr. Waite's harsh criticism is hardly justified. In fact, Mathers excised very little. Actually, three of the four significant excisions are operations dealing with l» — Joseph H. Peterson responde a su reproche: dice que apenas se justifica y que Mathers suprimió muy poco

«It is true that the Mathers edition would not be considered critical by modern standards of scholarship (but Waite's editions of various esoteric texts leave far more to be desired than Mathers').» — y Peterson devuelve el cargo: concede que la edición de Mathers no se tendría por crítica según los criterios modernos y añade que las ediciones de Waite de varios textos esotéricos dejan mucho más que desear

«When the dust began to settle after the breakup of the original Golden Dawn, three main schismatic groups continued the legacy in various forms: The Independent and Rectifi ed Rite of the Golden Dawn, headed by A. E. Waite; the Stella Matutina, led by R. W. Felkin; and the continued lineage of MacGregor Mathers and those (including, from ca. 1908, J. W. Brodie-Innes) still loyal to his leadership, the Alpha et Omega.» — Egil Asprem cuenta su rama entre las tres que siguieron el legado de la Golden Dawn tras la ruptura: el Independent and Rectified Rite, encabezado por Waite

«One should know, for instance, that A. E. Waite’s group, The Independent and Rectifi ed Rite, aimed to extinguish the practice of ritual magic altogether, and instead focus deeply on a sort of Christian mysticism.» — y da la posición que deja a esa rama fuera de su historia: el grupo de Waite se proponía extinguir del todo la práctica de la magia ritual y concentrarse en una suerte de mística cristiana

«Meanwhile, we cannot entirely rule out a possibility mentioned a century ago by A. E. Waite: “Dr. Rudd” may simply have been an invention of Peter Smart, the alleged copyist at the dawn of the eighteenth century.» — Asprem recoge de él, y no descarta, una posibilidad que Waite mencionó hace un siglo: que el doctor Rudd fuera simplemente una invención de Peter Smart

«Waite’s notion of “the secret tradition” encompassed all said topics, but was above all intrinsically connected to his personal brand of Christian mysticism» — Asprem y Granholm dicen a qué quedaba amarrada su noción de tradición secreta: abarcaba todos esos asuntos y estaba ante todo intrínsecamente ligada a su propia marca de mística cristiana

«Even though Waite lacked academic training, which accounts for his writing being “diffuse, often verbose, and peppered with archaisms” (Gilbert 1987: 12), his firm belief that the originators of Freemasonry were versed in kabbalistic doctrine is worth considering:» — Henrik Bogdan consigna que carecía de formación académica, con la caracterización de Gilbert de su escritura como difusa, a menudo verbosa y salpicada de arcaísmos, y a la vez juzga digna de consideración su creencia firme en el origen cabalístico de la masonería

«Indeed, for Waite, this did not only apply for the masonic tradition, for he firmly believed “that all mystical and hermetic traditions, from alchemy and the Hebrew Kabbalah to the quest for the Holy Grail, contained true paths to be followed in the quest for Mystical Union with God; and God, for Waite, is immanent rather than transcendent” (Gilbert 1983: 14).» — Bogdan generaliza lo que le atribuye: creía firmemente que todas las tradiciones místicas y herméticas, de la alquimia y la cábala hebrea a la búsqueda del Santo Grial, contenían vías verdaderas

«The new Master’s Word is thus not Christ, which would have been the logical choice if the Hiramic legend were influenced by Christian kabbalistic traditions.» — y Bogdan añade su consecuencia contra esa tesis: la nueva Palabra del Maestro no es Cristo, que habría sido la elección lógica si la leyenda de Hiram estuviera influida por tradiciones cabalísticas cristianas

«There was a great deal of Christian imagery in the rituals, and devout members of that faith, such as Woodward and the scholar Arthur Edward Waite, were prominent in the order.» — Ronald Hutton lo cuenta, con Woodward, entre los miembros devotos y prominentes de la Golden Dawn, y lo llama el estudioso Arthur Edward Waite

«somebody who knew the world of British occultism well, A. E. Waite, accused her of making use of ‘cultist fictions’.» — Hutton recoge la objeción que Waite, buen conocedor del ocultismo británico, le hizo a Margaret Murray: que usaba ficciones de secta

«A. E. Waite and Pamela Colman (“Pixie”) Smith, both members of the Golden Dawn, designed what is today’s most popular deck, the so-called Rider-Waite (or more accurately, the Rider-Waite-Smith) Tarot.» — Donald Michael Kraig enmienda el nombre usual del mazo: Waite y Pamela Colman Smith, los dos de la Golden Dawn, diseñaron el más popular de hoy, el llamado Rider-Waite o, más exactamente, Rider-Waite-Smith

«The members of the Golden Dawn considered their “correct” version of the Tarot to be an important secret of the Order. Waite and Smith, who had taken solemn vows not to reveal the inner secrets of the Golden Dawn, kept their word. Many of the cards are designed with symbolism that varies considerably from the meanings given to the cards by the Golden Dawn, perhaps in order to fool the uninitiated.» — y consigna que Waite y Smith, que habían jurado solemnemente no revelar los secretos internos de la Golden Dawn, cumplieron su palabra

«Waite, A. E. The Book of Ceremonial Magic. Cosimo Classics, 2007. A famous source book of sections from grimoires purposely designed to be unusable.» — Kraig sostiene que el Book of Ceremonial Magic fue hecho inservible a propósito, y lo llama libro de fuentes famoso de secciones de grimorios

«Others hide it in archaic or obsolete wordings that make A. E. Waite seem clear and simple!» — y lo usa de vara de la oscuridad en la prosa ocultista para medir a otros: los hay que la esconden en redacciones arcaicas u obsoletas que hacen parecer claro y simple a A. E. Waite

«However, as some translations, particularly those of A. E. Waite, tend to be rather free, it is suggested that for scholarly purposes the reader consult the originals.» — Lyndy Abraham advierte que algunas de sus traducciones tienden a ser bastante libres y sugiere consultar los originales para fines eruditos

«As far as I am aware, no doubt as to the authenticity of this manuscript obtained until 1893, when Mr. A.E. Waite suggested that it was a forgery on the following grounds.» — E. J. Langford Garstin data en 1893 el nacimiento de la duda sobre la autenticidad del manuscrito: hasta la impugnación de Waite nadie la había discutido

«Mr. Waite's three remaining arguments seem to me to be far more to the point. Indeed so cogent are they that in the absence of any other theory to explain what must at once be admitted to be correct, I should be compelled to agree that he has proved his case.» — Garstin le reconoce la fuerza de sus argumentos: tan concluyentes los halla que, a falta de otra teoría, se vería obligado a darle la razón

«Mr. Waite has, perhaps, been more painstaking than any other contemporary scholar, but his findings can only be regarded by the impartial reader as inconclusive, as is the case with so much historical research.» — y lo trata con deferencia mientras le niega la conclusión: lo llama quizá el más concienzudo de los estudiosos contemporáneos y juzga sus hallazgos inconcluyentes

«More so than in other places, especially during the Symbolist period, England and the United States had many who were writer and "magus" as well: A. Crowley, P.B. Randolph, A.E. Waite, Arthur Machen, and of course the great William B. Yeats, and Arthur Symonds (Images of Good and Evil, 1899).» — Antoine Faivre lo cuenta entre los que fueron a la vez escritores y magos en Inglaterra y los Estados Unidos, con Crowley, Randolph, Arthur Machen, Yeats y Arthur Symonds

«This is Waite’s greatest work. It remains one of the best books on the Kabbalah ever written.» — Donald Tyson declara cuál tiene por su obra mayor: The Holy Kabbalah, que dice que sigue siendo uno de los mejores libros sobre la cábala que se han escrito

«Moreover, these younger students of magic have taken up where Mathers and Waite left off.» — Colin Wilson pone a los estudiantes nuevos de magia como continuadores de donde Mathers y Waite lo dejaron

«One of the continuing aims of this Volume in the present series is to show how interconnected the scholarly practice of angel magic was with the magic of the grimoires, and to rescue the grimoires from the stigma of being mere sorcerer's handbooks, as A E Waite suggested, and to show that they are indeed an integral part of the traditions of ceremonial magic, and were often utilised by such acknowledged luminaries as Trithemius, Agrippa, Dee, and de Abano.» — Stephen Skinner y David Rankine declaran el fin de su serie Sourceworks of Ceremonial Magic contra un juicio que le atribuyen a Waite: sacar a los grimorios del estigma de ser meros manuales de hechicero, como él sugería