I'm always looking for new learning approaches to improve my grasp of tarot card combinations. With a couple of million possible permutations of ten cards out of a total of 78, my regular use of the Celtic Cross isn't going to cover all of them any time soon, and working through them methodically from beginning-to-end … Continue reading Taking the Trumps for a Spin
Divination
Enlightened Folly?
More musings on "how tarot works," with a new twist or two (but I will spare you a few of my overused personal aphorisms and axiomatic bromides). I've long believed that the Age of Enlightenment (aka the Age of Reason) that arose out of Renaissance "humanism" between the 17th and early 19th Centuries did more … Continue reading Enlightened Folly?
Mild Spring? A Geomantic Example Reading
For my first geomantic "return engagement," I decided to ask whether we will have a milder-then-usual Spring season here in my local area (and no, I didn't consider the "groundhog factor"). I used my bowl of carefully-gathered stones, even though they came from our previous "home ground" and are more regional than local. I'm rusty … Continue reading Mild Spring? A Geomantic Example Reading
Easing Back into Geomancy: Tools of the Trade
As promised, I'm moving toward exploring forms of divination beyond cartomancy and horary astrology. Several years ago I spent a good deal of time pursuing the art of geomancy but let it lapse as my tarot practice grew. I found it to be quite accurate in its predictions about practical affairs and accumulated a small … Continue reading Easing Back into Geomancy: Tools of the Trade
Taking the Pulse
As an online essayist, I try to stay abreast of which blog posts attract the most attention so I can continue to pursue similar topics in my work. WordPress archival statistics don't seem to be flexible enough for a real-time, on-demand roll up and ranking of the individual posts or categories that have drawn the … Continue reading Taking the Pulse
“It Is Known”
C.S. Lewis observed that history books written during the Middle Ages differed far less from the historical fiction of that time than modern histories differ from present-day historical novels (or, even more so, screenplays). He pointed out that the proper role of the Medieval historian was to accurately perpetuate the "knowledge" received from earlier authorities … Continue reading “It Is Known”
By Guess or By Golly
UPDATE: The birth occurred early in the morning on January 9th, which was within slightly more than 24 hours of the predicted date. I seem to be giving my younger readers an ongoing education in idioms from a bygone era. This one seems particularly appropriate to the situation. We have an informal family lottery going … Continue reading By Guess or By Golly
Edging Up to the Runes
I've decided to take on the challenge of familiarizing myself with the Nordic runes to the point that I can successfully divine with them, at least in a non-professional way. I bought Lisa Chamberlain's introductory book on the subject and have elected to pursue the more traditional approach of Edred Thorsson and Nigel Pennick and … Continue reading Edging Up to the Runes
Why Do It?
In his book The Horary Textbook, John Frawley makes the point that divination shouldn't be attempted unless the querent (who is often oneself) has a legitimate need to know the answer. Anything other than that is just idle curiosity about circumstances that don't directly concern us, and therefore a misuse of the method. I've been … Continue reading Why Do It?
Intuition or Guided Suggestion?
A recent Facebook post on the Tarot History page by tarot author and deck creator Robert Place about the earliest known forms of divination got me thinking about the nature of intuition (specifically as championed by those cartomancers who only use free-association from the card images, downplaying or dismissing the value of knowledge-based analysis). In … Continue reading Intuition or Guided Suggestion?
