AUTHOR'S NOTE: The more I read The Tarot of the Bohemians by Gerard Encausse ("Papus"), the more respect I have for his wisdom (at least until he wanders off into Theosophy and loses me). When - in his discussion of science - he says that "observation and experience are only instruments" of intuition (the cognitive … Continue reading “Who’s Zoomin’ Who?”
Month: January 2024
The Third Principle
AUTHOR'S NOTE: In The Tarot of the Bohemians, Papus covered a minor point that I've explored in much greater detail in my own work over the last few years, although at the time I had no idea I was echoing a nearly 150-year-old numerological concept. He proposed treating the second of two cards in a non-adjacent … Continue reading The Third Principle
Super Bowl LVIII: San Francisco vs. Kansas City
UPDATE: Well, this certainly turned out to be an interesting reading. It was right about the game going into overtime for only the second time in 58 Super Bowls but slightly wrong about the score, entirely due to the fact that the NFL changed the overtime rules this year. In past seasons it was a … Continue reading Super Bowl LVIII: San Francisco vs. Kansas City
Cut the Cord! – Folk Magic and the 3 of Swords
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I've written in the past about the opportunity presented by the Waite-Smith (RWS) 3 of Swords to resist wallowing in the apparent misery it depicts and instead actively seek a way to remove the swords from the heart and let it heal. (This is the symbolic function of the nimble and resilient number … Continue reading Cut the Cord! – Folk Magic and the 3 of Swords
The Tarot Cosmology of Papus
AUTHOR'S NOTE: A couple of weeks ago I posted an essay in which I took issue with the Golden Dawn's arrangement of the Kings, Queens and Knights on the Chaldean wheel of the zodiac. Rather than the Queens being Cardinal (a dynamic and enterprising mode), I've always felt that they should be Fixed due to … Continue reading The Tarot Cosmology of Papus
Hope-Based Questions: “Be Careful What You Wish For”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I just read an old blog post by Bjorn Meuris that struck a chord with me. In his advice for asking a proper question of the Lenormand cards (or any cards for that matter) he said "Don't ask for what you do not hope for to be confirmed" by casting your question in … Continue reading Hope-Based Questions: “Be Careful What You Wish For”
“Ankle-Biters” – A Brief Meditation on Reversal
AUTHOR'S NOTE: While writing my essay on the occurrence of reversals in the Celtic Cross spread, I hit upon the idea that a reversed card (in its emulation of the Hanged Man's inverted perspective) enters the situation at "ankle height" rather than at shoulder level where we can handle it directly in the way we're … Continue reading “Ankle-Biters” – A Brief Meditation on Reversal
The Virtue of Extemporizing
AUTHOR'S NOTE: In a recent r/tarot thread, someone advised beginners - once they've diligently jotted down their initial thoughts about each card - to "put this notebook away and don't look at it again. You've done the basic work of learning the meanings, and even if you think you don't remember, that knowledge is now … Continue reading The Virtue of Extemporizing
A Lenormand Near/Far Impact Table
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I spent some time sifting through Andy Boroveshengra's book, Lenormand: Thirty-Six Cards, looking closely at the "near/far" guidance for assessing the effect of distance between certain cards and the main Significator (Man or Woman card). Then I compared my observations to the more limited instructions in the seminal Philippe Lenormand Sheet (PLS), seeking … Continue reading A Lenormand Near/Far Impact Table
Papus and the Trump-Card Septenaries
AUTHOR'S NOTE: With the numbers One through Ten, Papus (Gerard Encausse) found major inspiration in the quaternary paradigm, by which he managed to turn ten "pips" into a triad of four-card arrays. (See my previous essay.) With the trump cards he adopted a septenary model instead, and strove to bring the two onto the same … Continue reading Papus and the Trump-Card Septenaries
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 