I'm always looking for novel ways to pull cards for a tarot reading. Here I've adopted and also adapted the "card pairing" method of the Golden Dawn as used in the First Operation of the "Opening of the Key." First, I shuffled the deck and pulled a single card to show the "Heart of the … Continue reading The “Three of a Perfect Pair*” Tarot Card Selection Method
Month: February 2022
Isolation and Insight: The “Essence of Nine”
I just unearthed another random gem from Barbara Walker's book, The Secrets of the Tarot: Origins, History and Symbolism. One meaning she offers for the 4 of Swords is "insight generated by seclusion" and, judging from the obvious opportunity for introspection shown in the RWS version, I can see where she's coming from. The Thoth … Continue reading Isolation and Insight: The “Essence of Nine”
Tarot As “Wave-Form”
A wave is described as "a traveling disturbance that carries energy from one place to another." We might consider the flow of cards from one place (the first position) to another place (the last position) in a linear tarot spread to be a "wave-form," with observable peaks and troughs along the way (a mix of … Continue reading Tarot As “Wave-Form”
Where Is Harmony? – A Tarot-Cartography View
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is one of my "bonus" posts that I will occasionally double-up on in my daily output. UPDATE: During an online conversation about this reading, someone observed that the 4 of Wands clearly means she is deceased. I responded by saying that I'm not so sure. Aleister Crowley's idea behind the title for … Continue reading Where Is Harmony? – A Tarot-Cartography View
Barbara Walker and the RWS Suit of Pentacles
Although it's a bit overstuffed with mythology and "armchair" anthropology (think "Golden Bough Lite"), I've been reading Barbara Walker's fascinating and frequently enlightening 1984 book Secrets of the Tarot: Origins, History and Symbolism. Despite the meticulous academic tone of much of her writing and its overarching themes of matriarchal culture and Goddess worship in antiquity, … Continue reading Barbara Walker and the RWS Suit of Pentacles
“Warring Archetypes”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: As my thinking on the Major Arcana continues to evolve, I occasionally experience an epiphany during my online tarot conversations. I was explaining my opinions about the most effective uses for the cards on the r/tarot forum, and was asked a question that sent me down an unexplored path. Having worked with tarot … Continue reading “Warring Archetypes”
Lunar Month Look-Ahead for February – March, 2022
I just applied my "Threepenny Opera" three-deck selection method to my Lunar Look-ahead reading for the February-March cycle that began with the New Moon on Tuesday, February 1, 2022. I use astrologer Dane Rudhyar's 8-phase "Lunation Cycle" model for this layout (with a nod to Marc Robertson’s Cosmopsychology: Engine of Destiny); each phase is roughly … Continue reading Lunar Month Look-Ahead for February – March, 2022
Rectification: Adjusting an Unknown Birth Time for a Natal Horoscope
I occasionally see people asking online how they can come up with a reliable birth chart when they have no time of birth, precise or otherwise. A legitimate time is crucial to establishing the astrological "framework" (house divisions and associated planetary placements) for the horoscope. While it is often possible to obtain an officially "timed" … Continue reading Rectification: Adjusting an Unknown Birth Time for a Natal Horoscope
Reversed Cards As “Interrogatories”
While working on my Pink Floyd essay, I used reversed cards to portray the questions posed in the song's lyrics as a way to distinguish them from the declarative statements made by the upright cards. "Can you feel me?" and "Would you touch me?" are two examples. This has me thinking that reversed cards might … Continue reading Reversed Cards As “Interrogatories”
Updated Transits for the Disappearance of Harmony Montgomery
Authorities have now updated the most likely period for the disappearance of Harmony Montgomery of Manchester, NH to between November 28 and December 10, 2019. Since she was officially in the custody of her father at that time even though her biological mother lived in Haverhill, MA, the event probably occurred in Manchester. Given the … Continue reading Updated Transits for the Disappearance of Harmony Montgomery
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 