That's more than an amusing rhetorical question. One of the most daunting challenges facing those who would divine with historical decks like the Tarot de Mareille (TdM) is how to coax useful meaning from their sparely illustrated, non-scenic minor - or "pip" - cards. There is no body of traditional literature explaining how the stereotypical … Continue reading Do the Pips Roar or Squeak?
Month: August 2017
Horary Astrology Notebook
Since my blog title promises some astrology, I decided to lay out what I intend to do with it here. Although I learned psychological, natal and predictive astrology in the early '70s, most of my recent astrological work has been in the area of horary, helping people on-line locate lost items. My success rate has … Continue reading Horary Astrology Notebook
Parsifal’s Wheel – A Celtic Cross Variation
The famous (or as some would have it, infamous) “Celtic Cross” (CC) tarot spread popularized by Arthur Edward Waite in his Pictorial Key to the Tarot in the early 1900s and updated by Eden Gray and others in the last half of the 20th century is a mainstay of the tarot reader's art. In the … Continue reading Parsifal’s Wheel – A Celtic Cross Variation
Parsifal’s Bow Personal Destiny Spread
When working New Age fairs, I'm usually limited to brief reading sessions, no more than 20 minutes. My favorite spread has always been the venerable Celtic Cross, which I've tweaked to my own satisfaction over the years. But doing justice to one takes me a solid 45 minutes, and even trimming it to half-an-hour is … Continue reading Parsifal’s Bow Personal Destiny Spread
“All Well and Good, But . . .”
Along with requests for financial and legal advice, health questions of a diagnostic type are best avoided by the tarot professional. With rare exceptions, we aren't trained and credentialed (or licensed, or insured) counselors or therapists, and should direct our clients to someone who is. On the other hand, as long as we stop short … Continue reading “All Well and Good, But . . .”
Why Not Professional?
"Money for nothing and your pips for free" (with apologies to Mark Knopfler). A professional is anyone who performs services for pay and hopefully makes a living at it. A tarot reader who accepts payment for readings is by definition a professional. A tarot reader who reads on-line while still in pajamas could be called … Continue reading Why Not Professional?
The Daily Draw – An Alternate View
First, a confession: I didn't perform a daily draw for many years, since it just wasn't telling me much of anything useful. This despite the fact that it's touted far and wide as the best way to familiarize oneself with the cards. I just couldn't - and still don't - see much of value in … Continue reading The Daily Draw – An Alternate View
The Spirit of the Year: A Mandala of Growth and Opportunity
Here is an intricate "once-a-year" spread that is similar to the pagan Wheel of the Year layout, except that it follows a zodiacal sequence and uses a pair of six-sided dice to augment the monthly interpretations. This would be one to take a photo of and revisit at the beginning of each month. You might … Continue reading The Spirit of the Year: A Mandala of Growth and Opportunity
Yes, No and Maybe Cards
A widely-held conviction among modern tarot readers is that there are no categorically "good" or "bad" cards in the deck, therefore no single card can give a "yes" or "no" answer via a one-card pull. I often quote James Wanless, who said "There are no negative cards, only opportunities." As a working hypothesis, this seems … Continue reading Yes, No and Maybe Cards
Local vs. Remote Reading – A Rant
As an old-school face-to-face tarot reader, I'm quite leery of the validity of conducting readings over the internet. I finally worked my way around to something I can live with, which is having my remote clients pull their own cards and tell me the order of the draw so I can perform the reading. I … Continue reading Local vs. Remote Reading – A Rant
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 