. . . narcissist. In a forum exchange about which cards best portray male narcissism, I came up with a near-perfect expression in Brian William's Post-Modern Tarot.
Month: August 2017
The Tree in the Oval
In her 1970 book The Complete Guide to the Tarot, Eden Gray teamed up with astrologer Mary Beckwith Cohen to attempt a redistribution of the Major Arcana to the Qabalistic Tree of Life by disregarding the paths between the sephiroth and instead placing the zodiacal trumps in an oval around the Tree. She called her … Continue reading The Tree in the Oval
Diamond Sky (No Lucy)
No words . . . just something to feed your eyes (and your head). I know, I know . . . Freud would have had a field day with this one!
The How – and Why – of Shuffling
Recently I've been involved in a seemingly endless on-line debate over how to shuffle a tarot deck to get the best result. Overhand shuffling, riffle shuffling faro shuffling and simply mixing the cards face-down on a tabletop all have their proponents, along with unique approaches like dealing the deck into several piles and than randomly … Continue reading The How – and Why – of Shuffling
Rota Fortunae: Ticket to Ride
In my unpublished book on tarot spreads, I made the following statement about the Wheel of Fortune: It sits in the eleventh position of the sequence, mid-way between Key 0 (the Fool) and Key 21 (the World), bringing to closure the first half of the Fool's journey of self-discovery and stimulating a fresh start with … Continue reading Rota Fortunae: Ticket to Ride
“Cheap Shots” #8 (Do You Believe in Magic?)
There's even a song about it (although I rather ruthlessly culled the verses I wanted for my purpose). "I'll tell you about the magic, and it'll free your soul If you believe in magic, come along with me Believe in the magic that can set you free Ohh, talking 'bout magic Do you believe like … Continue reading “Cheap Shots” #8 (Do You Believe in Magic?)
Simple Keyword Lists
Somewhere along the way I gathered these useful lists of basic keywords for the Major and Minor Arcana of the Thoth deck. I may have condensed them myself into this particular form, but more likely they came from the Aeclectic Tarot forum or an on-line blog. If I could recall from whom, I would credit … Continue reading Simple Keyword Lists
Court and Minor Cards as Allies to the Major Arcana
The appeal of systematically aligning the cards of the Minor Arcana with the Major Arcana has engaged many thinkers on the tarot, and a number of schemes have been proposed, most with a numerical or hierarchical root. Attempts along these lines have been made by James Wanless (Voyager Tarot) and Elizabeth Hazel (The Tarot Decoded). … Continue reading Court and Minor Cards as Allies to the Major Arcana
Maxwell and Cirlot: Numbers Don’t Lie
I've been working with the numerological ideas of Joseph Maxwell and the geometric graphics of J.E. Cirlot to come up with a new model for interpreting the Tarot de Marseille pip cards. This involves Maxwell's isomorphs of the first four numbers, and Cirlot's metaphysical interpretations of the point, line, cross, triangle, square and circle. I've … Continue reading Maxwell and Cirlot: Numbers Don’t Lie
Tarot Unzipped: Fixing the Unfixable
We have all had the experience: something we take for granted that is commonplace but also absolutely essential to the performance of some action no longer works as it should. Think of a broken zipper on a jacket or pair of pants. Replacing a zipper – unless you're a talented seamstress or accept the expense … Continue reading Tarot Unzipped: Fixing the Unfixable
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 