There is a premise in esoteric philosophy that envelopes the entire field of Hermetic theory: the "Descent of Spirit into Matter." This key concept underlies the principle of spiritual "adaptation" (as described in the Emerald Tablet) that links the "above" to the "below," mediating between the most subtle regions (the Divine) and the grossest (the … Continue reading The Force
Esoteric Philosophy
Omar’s Picture Book, Episode #3
Here is the third installment of my "Rubaiyat as Tarot Cards" visual narrative. I have a hunch this is going to get difficult due to the sheer number of iterations. As expected, I'm finding more situations where the pictorial story-telling vignettes in the RWS minor cards dovetail at least as vividly with the text as … Continue reading Omar’s Picture Book, Episode #3
Omar’s Picture Book, Episode #2
This is the second of my episodic attempts to translate the quatrains of The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam into the visual language of the tarot cards, approximately one card per quatrain. I'm looking for logical transition points in the flow of the text so I can limit these posts to four or five related paragraphs … Continue reading Omar’s Picture Book, Episode #2
“Better a Live Sparrow”
In my ongoing (and lately intermittent) attempts to transform classic English-language poetry into visual narrative via the tarot cards, one work stands out as the "Holy Grail" of my lofty aspiration: The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam. It is one I have been reluctant to tackle because it is so heavily laden with metaphysical imagery (the … Continue reading “Better a Live Sparrow”
Not Milk
Milk for Babes and Meat for Strong Men is the (much redacted) title of a religious treatise published posthumously in 1661 on behalf of the early English Quaker leader James Nayler. Later, in The Theosophist, Vol. III, No. 7, Supplement to April, 1882, Helena Blavatsky presented an essay titled "Milk for Babes and Strong Meat … Continue reading Not Milk
The “Be All You Can Be” Archetype Alignment Spread
There was an old recruitment slogan used by the U.S. Army for over 20 years that went "Be All You Can Be." I poached this phrase to reflect aspiration to the universal human ideals captured in the first four numbered trump cards of the tarot as Fire (Emperor/Mars), Water (High Priestess/Moon), Air (Magician/Mercury) and Earth … Continue reading The “Be All You Can Be” Archetype Alignment Spread
“Easy Come, Easy Go”
I'm not exactly "at war" with the narrative thrust of the Minor Arcana in the Waite-Smith (aka RWS) deck, but it often doesn't sit well with me because of my lengthy involvement with the Thoth deck and the Golden Dawn's system of esoteric symbolism. It's not just that the stories they tell are prosaic, they … Continue reading “Easy Come, Easy Go”
Life After Intuition
I'm not a huge fan of purely intuitive tarot reading. There, I said it. It will probably be dismissed as mean-spirited literalism toward what is chiefly an elastic, visionary pursuit, but there is something too fatuously "squishy" about unmitigated intuition for my taste. I think the idea is fed to beginners as "The Way" because … Continue reading Life After Intuition
More Thoth Musings
Since there is some interest in my view of the Thoth as an alkahest, or "universal solvent" in the world of tarot divination, I thought I would strike while the iron is hot. The best place to chase down this notion is with Frieda Harris's wonderfully evocative Minor Arcana (aka "pip") cards, and one of … Continue reading More Thoth Musings
Thoth As Universal Solvent
I'm feeling a bit mystical this morning and got thinking that, with enough dedicated study and contemplation, Aleister Crowley's Thoth Tarot is well-positioned to be "all things to all people" in the world of tarot divination. It has one foot in the New Age (and often strides nimbly past that metaphysical sink-hole, which is why … Continue reading Thoth As Universal Solvent
