AUTHOR'S NOTE: I've known for some time that those who prefer classical decks like the Tarot de Marseille to the esoteric reveries of the post-Occult Revival don't subscribe to the conflation of Hebrew letters and trump cards in general, and particularly not to the model proposed by the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. Rather … Continue reading Rolling Back the Golden Dawn’s Syllabus
Month: January 2024
What Happened to Ashley? – A “World of Hurt” Missing-Person Follow-up Reading*
*I'm doubling-up on today's posts because this is a time-critical situation that I don't want to get by me. AUTHOR'S NOTE: As promised, here is a follow-up reading that adds detail to the prediction I did on Monday regarding the missing-person case of Ashley Turcotte. This spread is intended to show an individual's mode of … Continue reading What Happened to Ashley? – A “World of Hurt” Missing-Person Follow-up Reading*
“Who’s Got the Button?” – Abusing the Privilege
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I was away from the public tarot scene for an extended period near the end of the last century, and when I returned in the middle of the online reading frenzy I was amazed at how many people won't take "No" for an answer even when the Universe is telling them point-blank "I … Continue reading “Who’s Got the Button?” – Abusing the Privilege
Modern Planets on the Chaldean Zodiac
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Here is another jolt of revisionist heresy. While some occult authorities have attempted to place the three modern planets of astrology, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto, on the Tree of Life, I'm not aware that any have tried to fit them into the Chaldean zodiac (as used by the Hermetic Order of the Golden … Continue reading Modern Planets on the Chaldean Zodiac
What Happened to Ashley? – A Missing Person Reading
AUTHOR'S NOTE: On January 8, 2024, Ashely Turcotte, a 31-year-old artist from Barnstead, NH was reported missing. Her car, backpack and phone were found at the Barnstead Town Hall but there was no sign of her. Although I usually wait for a few days in new missing-person cases because they often work themselves out promptly, … Continue reading What Happened to Ashley? – A Missing Person Reading
Rethinking the Chaldean Court
AUTHOR'S NOTE: During a recent online conversation, a question was raised about the reasons for the Golden Dawn's arrangement of the court cards on the Chaldean zodiac. I had a plausible answer for the Princesses: basically there was no place else to put them in the grand scheme, so the GD came up with a … Continue reading Rethinking the Chaldean Court
Percolating Insights: Reversed Cards in the Celtic Cross Reading
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I recently had occasion to present my view that any reversed card in a spread could be inferred as having a "Hanged-Man moment" in that it requires bringing an inverted perspective to bear on our assessment of the energy involved. Its mode of arrival is redirected along occluded channels that may be subconscious … Continue reading Percolating Insights: Reversed Cards in the Celtic Cross Reading
The Tarot of the Bohemians: First Thoughts
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Now that I've finished Sallie Nichols' Tarot and the Archetypal Journey I'm setting off in an entirely different direction, having just begun reading The Tarot of the Bohemians (third edition) by Gerard Encausse (aka "Papus"), which will surely generate as many brief essays as the former work. I'm only part-way through the preface … Continue reading The Tarot of the Bohemians: First Thoughts
“Teach It To Talk”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: These four words jumped out at me from Sallie Nichols' text in Tarot and the Archetypal Journey as a perfect summary of how we must engage with the tarot if we're going to get the most out of its metaphysical abstractions. Tarot is a language but it isn't necessarily one with which we're … Continue reading “Teach It To Talk”
The “Roll Your Own” Tarot Scenario
AUTHOR'S NOTE: It is a bone of contention among tarot practitioners whether the "past" positions in timeline spreads add any value to a reading. We already know where we've been, do we really need the cards to legitimize our experience or try to dissuade us of its validity? (However, I do recognize that they can … Continue reading The “Roll Your Own” Tarot Scenario
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 