Paul Foster Case's Biography(Books)(Photos)

Paul Foster Case (October 3, 1884 – march 2, 1954) was an
American occultist of the early 20th century and author of

Whitty republished Case's attribution of the Tarot keys
(with corrections) in Azoth. That same year, Case became

numerous books on tarot and Qabalah. Perhaps his greatest
contributions to the field of occultism were the lessons he

Sub-Praemonstrator (Assistant Chief-Instructor) at the
Thoth-Hermes Lodge. Also during that year he finished a set

wrote for associate members of Builders of the Adytum. The
Knowledge Lectures given to initiated members of the

of articles on the Mystical Rosicrucian Origins of Faust &
published by Whitty. The following year, he began to

Chapters of the b.o.t.a. were equally profound, although the
limited distribution has made them less well known.

correspond with Dr. John William Brodie-Innes (Fr. Sub
Spe).

Between 1919 and 1920, Case and Michael Whitty collaborated

A modern scholar of the Tarot and Qabalah, Paul Foster Case

in the development of the text which would later be
published as The Book of Tokens. This book was written as a

was born at 5:28 p.m.[citation needed], October 3, 1884 in
Fairport, New York.

received text, whether through meditation, automatic
writing, or some other means. It later surfaced that Master

His father was the town librarian and a Deacon at the local

R. was the source. On May 16, 1920 case was initiated into
Alpha et Omega's Second Order. Three weeks later, according

Congregational church. When he was five years old, his
mother began teaching him to play the piano and organ, and

to the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn's bio-page on Case,
he was named Third Adept.

later in his youth, Case performed as organist in his
family's church. A talented musician, he embarked on a

In December 1920, Michael Whitty died. Case believed

successful career as a violinist, and orchestra conductor.

Whitty's health problems were attributable to the dangers
that arise or may arise in the practice of Enochian magic.

Case was early on attracted to the occult. While still a
child he reported experiences that today are called lucid

He later corresponded with Israel Regardie about those
concerns.

dreaming. He corresponded about these experiences with
Rudyard Kipling who encouraged him as to the validity of his

paranormal pursuits.

In the "Wheel of Life" Magazine, in March 1937, Case

In the year 1900, Case met the occultist Claude Bragdon
while both were performing at a charity performance. Bragdon

described B.O.T.A.'s relationship to the Golden Dawn, and
his views on the Golden Dawn's use of Enochian material.

asked Case what he thought the origin of playing cards was.
After pursuing the question in his father's library, Case

"B.O.T.A. is a direct off-shoot of the Golden Dawn, but its

discovered a link to Tarot, called 'The Game of Man,' thus
began what would become Case's lifelong study of the tarot,

work has been purged of all the dangerous and dubious magic
incorporated into the Golden Dawn's curriculum by the late

and leading to the creation of the b.o.t.a. tarot deck, a
"corrected" version of the Rider-Waite cards.

S.L. MacGregor Mathers, who was responsible for the
inclusion of the ceremonials based on the skrying of Sir

Between 1905 and 1908 (aged 20–24), case began practicing

Edward Kelly.

yoga, and in particular pranayama, from what published
sources were available. His early experiences appear to have

"There is much in these Golden Dawn rituals and ceremonies
that is of the greatest value; but from the first grade to

caused him some mental and emotional difficulties and left
him with a lifelong concern that so called "occult" practice

the last it is all vitiated by these dangerous elements
taken from Dee and Kelly. Furthermore, in many places, the

be done with proper guidance and training.

practical working is not provided with adequate safeguards,
so that, to the present writer's personal knowledge, an

In the summer of 1907, Case read The Secret of Mental Magic,
by William W. Atkinson (aka Ramacharaka) which led him to

operator working with the Golden Dawn [Enochian] rituals
runs very grave risks of breaking down his physical

correspond with the then popular new thought author. Many
people have speculated that Case and Atkinson were two of

organism, or of obsession by evil entities."
Death

the three anonymous authors of The Kybalion, an influential
philosophical text.

Case died while vacationing in Mexico with his second wife,

Dilemma: music or the mysteries

Harriet. His ashes lie in Forest Lawn Memorial Park in
Glendale, California.

Case reported a meeting on the streets of Chicago, in 1909

or 1910, that was to change the course of his life. A "Dr.
Fludd," a prominent Chicago physician approached the young

Case left behind extensive published writings on Tarot and

Case and greeting him by name, claimed to have a message
from a "Master of Wisdom" who, the Doctor said, "is my

Qabalah and even more unpublished writings that are
circulated today through the Mystery School he founded.

teacher as well as yours."

Some of the wording from "The Book of Tokens" was used in

The stranger said that Case was being offered a choice. He
could continue with his successful musical career and live

the Tarot-inspired musical episode of Xena: Warrior Princess
entitled The Bitter Suite. In the show, a character

comfortably, or he could dedicate himself to "serve
humanity" and thereby play a role in the coming age.

representing The Fool speaks the quote, "ALEPH am I. From
mine unfathomable Will, the universe hath its beginning. In

From that time on, Case began to study and formulate the

my boundless Wisdom are the types and patterns of all
things."

lessons that served as the core curricula of the Builders of
the Adytum, the school of Tarot and Qabalah that Case

Bibliography

founded and that continues in operation.

In 1916 Case published a groundbreaking series of articles
on the Tarot Keys, titled "The Secret Doctrine of the

Tarot," in the popular occult magazine The Word. The
articles attracted wide notice in the occult community as

organizing and clarifying what had been confusing and
scattered threads of occult knowledge as illustrated and

1. The Kybalion (1912) [with William A. Atkinson]

illuminated by the Tarot.
Whitty and Alpha et Omega

2. An Introduction to the Study of the Tarot (1920)
3. A Brief Analysis of the Tarot (1927)

In 1918, Case met Michael Whitty, who was the editor of the

4. The True and Invisible Rosicrucian Order (1927)
5. Correlations of Sound & Color (1931)

magazine Azoth (and would become a close friend). Whitty was
serving as the Cancellarius (Treasurer/Office Manager) for

6. The Highlights of Tarot (1931)
7. The Book of Tokens (1934)

the Thoth-Hermes Lodge of the Alpha et Omega. Alpha et Omega
was S. L. MacGregor Mathers' group that formed in 1906 after

8. The Great Seal of the United States (1935)
9. Progressive Rotascope (1936)

the demise of the original Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn
in 1903. Whitty invited Case to join Thoth-Hermes, which was

10. Tarot Fundamentals 4 volumes (1936)
11. Tarot Interpretations 4 volumes (1936)

the direct American lodge under the A.O. mother lodge in
Paris. Case did and quickly moved up initiations in the

12. The Open Door (1938)
13. The Tarot: A Key to the Wisdom of the Ages (1947)

Rosicrucian Grades (True and Invisible Rosicrucian Order).
Case's aspiration name in A.'.O.'. was Perserverantia (

Perseverance, or I Persevere).

16. The Name of Names