One thing that can be said with certainty about divination is that predicting the future in a "yes-or-no" fashion using any of the currently popular methods of inquiry is at best a 50-50 proposition: one percentage point either way spells the difference between success and failure. In short, despite our fascination with the details of the … Continue reading Cheap Shots #26: The Slippery Slope
Month: December 2017
Philosopher or Fortune-Teller?
In his excellent (although a bit "lite" for the seasoned esotericist) volume, The Tarot, History, Symbolism and Divination, Robert Place offers his definition of the best use for tarot: "From its origin, the Tarot has been designed as a set of symbols or tools that the unconscious can use to communicate with the conscious mind. Instead … Continue reading Philosopher or Fortune-Teller?
They Loves Me, They Loves Me Not*
*My grammatically absurd title is an intentional poke at the current practice of substituting a plural pronoun in situations demanding a singular one as a way to avoid gender specificity. While there may be a place for gender-neutral pronouns in the English language, this clumsy abomination most definitely ain't it; we clearly need a new … Continue reading They Loves Me, They Loves Me Not*
Tarot Taboos
One of the perennial topics debated on the tarot forums is whether we as readers have (or should have) any inviolable "taboos" regarding subjects we prefer not to touch in our practice. Typical examples include those involving the intentions of "third-party" individuals who are unaware of the querent's interest in them; predictions of death or … Continue reading Tarot Taboos
The Exit Card: An Epiphany
If there is one crucial thing I've learned in nearly seven years of working with the Lenormand system of divination, it's that there is always more to learn. Epiphany can come from highly unlikely places, an insight that was recently delivered with considerable force. A few weeks before the suicide of her son, my sister … Continue reading The Exit Card: An Epiphany
Cheap Shots #25: “If Wishes Were Horses . . .”
A philosophy professor of mine who was also a Protestant minister (and, for what it's worth, a heart transplant survivor – the very definition of “ on a wing and a prayer”), once told our class that, according to Pascal's Wager, “It's safer to believe in a God even if there isn't one, than to … Continue reading Cheap Shots #25: “If Wishes Were Horses . . .”
The Wheel and the World: Jupiter and Saturn
One time over thirty years ago, when I was still very much a novice astrologer with loads of book learning but little practical experience, I was brought up short by someone who obviously had slightly more of the latter. I had made an off-hand remark about Jupiter and Saturn being the “social” planets, bridging the … Continue reading The Wheel and the World: Jupiter and Saturn
Court Card Thumbnails: The Queen of Cups
The Minor Arcana: The Queen of Cups Titles: Water of Water; The Queen of the Thrones of the Waters Astrological Correspondence: 21°Gemini to 20° Cancer Commentary: Golden Dawn “Liber T” (S.L. Mathers): “She is imaginative, poetic, kind, yet not willing to take much trouble for another. Coquettish, good-natured underneath a dreamy appearance. Imagination stronger than … Continue reading Court Card Thumbnails: The Queen of Cups
Court Card Thumbnails: The King of Cups
The Minor Arcana: The King of Cups Titles: Fire of Water; The Lord of the Waves and the Waters; The King of the Hosts of the Sea Astrological Correspondence: 21° Aquarius to 21° Pisces Commentary: Golden Dawn “Liber T” (S.L. Mathers): “Graceful, poetic, Venusian, but enthusiastic if roused. Ill-dignified, he is sensual, idle and untruthful.” … Continue reading Court Card Thumbnails: The King of Cups
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 