AUTHOR'S NOTE: The subject of "randomizing" a tarot deck before pulling the specific cards for a reading is one that suffers from much misapprehension. The common belief is that the pre-deal shuffle by the client or the diviner accomplishes the intended dispersion, but it is more accurate to say that this step instead subconsciously arranges … Continue reading Deck Preparation: Clearing and Neutralizing
Month: March 2025
The Message for the Querent: A “Quick-Read” Technique
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I've been re-reading 54 Devils by Cory Hutcheson, which is a brief treatise on playing-card cartomancy. (The standard deck of playing cards has 52 pip and court cards and two "jokers" for a total of 54). In it he describes a "quick-read" method by which the querent cuts the shuffled deck from right-to-left … Continue reading The Message for the Querent: A “Quick-Read” Technique
Missing in Plain Sight? – A Local-Area “Search Envelope”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: What's to be done when one wakes up at 2:00 AM and can't get back to sleep? I don't know about you, but I think about tarot. Here's my latest insomnia-fueled spread. I normally use horary astrology when I'm helping someone look for a lost item, or when I'm examining a missing-person case, … Continue reading Missing in Plain Sight? – A Local-Area “Search Envelope”
The Turning Away: Reversal as the “Other Fork”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: The title of this essay was inspired by the Pink Floyd song "On the Turning Away," although my use of the idea isn't identical. It can be said with some confidence that every tarot card has a preferred path for expression of its influence and that route is usually indicated by its upright … Continue reading The Turning Away: Reversal as the “Other Fork”
“On the Cheap:” A Tarot Trend
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I call myself a "professional tarot reader," and in fact there have been periods in my life when I've lived up to the calling. But I don't have to make a living at it now, which is a good thing given the fact that I won't succumb to the trend for ultra-cheap online … Continue reading “On the Cheap:” A Tarot Trend
Major Arcana As “Step-Change”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: In manufacturing jargon, effective process control begins with the engineering of a work-station performance envelope that ensures steady-state functionality by permitting only minor, easily-adjusted shifts in operating parameters for the duration of the activity. (As a former quality-control technician, later an engineer and ultimately a manager, I know a little about the subject.) … Continue reading Major Arcana As “Step-Change”
“Business and Enterprise” Cards in Lenormand Reading
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is the fourth in my series of posts that examine the informal (and highly non-traditional/unofficial/controversial) correlation of the Lenormand cards to the 12 signs and 36 decanates of the astrological zodiac. This time I'm looking at business and enterprise aspects reflected in the sign of Capricorn and its "native" 10th House, in … Continue reading “Business and Enterprise” Cards in Lenormand Reading
“Personal Advantage” Cards in Lenormand Reading
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is the third essay in my series that attempts to align groups of seemingly related Lenormand cards with the 12 signs and 36 decans of astrology. Not all of them are a perfect fit, but I think most work to some extent. One of the challenges I faced was how to integrate … Continue reading “Personal Advantage” Cards in Lenormand Reading
Grooming the Significator
AUTHOR'S NOTE: The classic Celtic Cross spread requires the use of a court card to represent the person for whom the reading is being done (the querent, seeker or sitter) or any other card that is appropriate to the subject of the inquiry. This is the first card placed on the table, and all of … Continue reading Grooming the Significator
Mars Abides: A Question of Surgery
AUTHOR'S NOTE: An acquaintance of mine has a long-standing medical issue related to several previous surgeries that looks like it may need another surgical intervention. In February I did a French Cross (tirage en croix) spread to ask that question. (Note that I performed this reading two hours before I learned the surgeon's recommendation.) Thoth … Continue reading Mars Abides: A Question of Surgery
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 