AUTHOR'S NOTE: Tarot novices often ask more seasoned diviners (with almost palpable dread) "What should I do if I get a reading totally wrong for one of my sitters?" The puzzling thing for me is why they assume they must be infallible when that's an impossible feat in a practice as fluidly impressionistic as card-reading. … Continue reading “Getting It Wrong”
Boundaries, Fences and Neighbors: Drawing a Line in the Sand
AUTHOR'S NOTE: In his poem Mending Wall, Robert Frost gives the impression that he is rudely baiting the neighbor who keeps telling him earnestly "Good fences make good neighbors" as they work on repairing their shared stone wall. ("Something there is that doesn't love a wall." Hmm. Why do I feel that Frost would have … Continue reading Boundaries, Fences and Neighbors: Drawing a Line in the Sand
An Accident That Never Happened
AUTHOR'S NOTE: The fascinating thing about this reading is the direct validation I received early in the period regarding its chances for occurring as predicted. As of mid-April, the prediction is over eight months old and nothing drastic has ever happened, but it still makes for an interesting case study. Notably, I did experience some … Continue reading An Accident That Never Happened
“Dividing the Chaos” – Reconstituting the Trump Cards
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Here is another oddball experiment (I have a few of them queued up) in which pairs of trump cards are collated numerologically (similar to the "quintessence" calculation but with pre-selected components) to intentionally yield the numerical value of a third trump. The goal is to create a three-part dynamic with two "modifying" cards … Continue reading “Dividing the Chaos” – Reconstituting the Trump Cards
Qabalistic Constellations: A Reading Template
AUTHOR'S NOTE: As does religious mysticism with its unproven "origin" theories and moralizing allegorical themes, esoteric metaphysics exhibits a long history of "making stuff up." In the world of tarot, the British "Occult Revival" of the late 19th Century produced the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, one of the chief proponents of such inventive … Continue reading Qabalistic Constellations: A Reading Template
Deck Selection and Spread Dynamics
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I'm not proposing that there are "scientific" answers to these questions but, humans being the insatiably curious and highly critical creatures that we are, I tend to think in those terms. "What is the best deck to use? What is the best spread?" I hear these questions all the time from beginners who … Continue reading Deck Selection and Spread Dynamics
“Just Desserts” vs “Justice Served” – The Two Faces of Justice
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Whenever the Justice card appears in a client's reading, I usually talk about "receiving one's just desserts" according to the propriety of one's actions. I like to tell them that "the trick is to be found worthy and not wanting when the verdict is handed down." But there is another, potentially more sinister, … Continue reading “Just Desserts” vs “Justice Served” – The Two Faces of Justice
Symbolic Sacrifice and Ritual Cannibalism
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This will surely offend some people, but I've never been especially thin-skinned, and I make no apologies for my non-religious attitude. Consider this an entry in my "tarot curmudgeon" series. I've always understood that early shamanistic cultures performed human sacrifice - and later, animal sacrifice - to summon their gods and thereby curry … Continue reading Symbolic Sacrifice and Ritual Cannibalism
One Against Nature: A Tarot Self-Critique
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Mystical and spiritual types like to assert that they use tarot solely to tap into their self-awareness and self-improvement potential in the service of personal enlightenment. Fair enough, but going at it completely cold with nothing but the cards to compare ourselves to - no model or set of criteria defining excellence and … Continue reading One Against Nature: A Tarot Self-Critique
The Lover Departs (or “Squeezing the Grape”)
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I recently came across an unusual interpretation of the Tarot de Marseille "Lover" card that I find quite engaging. It inspired me to present a pair of amusing anecdotes that convey a serious message. (I've already covered this subject from the Chariot's perspective in much the same language; see my previous essay, linked … Continue reading The Lover Departs (or “Squeezing the Grape”)
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 