AUTHOR'S NOTE: Whenever the meaning of the "outcome" card in an online spread analysis is unclear, I expect to encounter advice from the community to "look at the rest of the cards in the reading for the answer." This is wise counsel since no single card operates in a vacuum when accompanied by one or … Continue reading Point/Counterpoint: The Interplay of Cards in a Reading
Author: parsifalswheeldivination
The Blame Game: A “Weaponized” Relationship Spread, Rev. 1
UPDATE: In practice, the original spread did not lend itself to a clean judgment regarding the forces at work, so I created an alternate version. Each "Upper Hand" card has been changed to a "Defense Mode" indicator for the partner on that side of the layout, with the idea that it will counter the other … Continue reading The Blame Game: A “Weaponized” Relationship Spread, Rev. 1
A Reversal Miscellany – Variations on a Theme
SUMMARY: Let it be said that nothing is certain in life except death, taxes and more essays from me on the subject of reversed cards in tarot reading. Here is another composite post based on the new "shared theme" model that I debuted recently, this time taking a more general look at reversals. The "Bubble … Continue reading A Reversal Miscellany – Variations on a Theme
Noise Pollution: Unpacking the Ambiguous Reading
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Lately I've been using the analogy of "white noise" when discussing the lack of a cohesive (it doesn't hang together) and coherent (it isn't intelligible) message in the cards of a tarot reading. All too often, when diviners are confronted with such ambiguity in a spread, the sound coming out of them (myself … Continue reading Noise Pollution: Unpacking the Ambiguous Reading
The AI Assault on the Art of Divination
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I can't quite fathom why anyone would think that the intrusion of AI (artificial intelligence) technology into the art of divination is desirable. Regarding the entire phenomenon, we might well substitute "AI" for "America" in the old Funkadelic album title "America Eats Its Young." I'm disturbed (although I can't say shocked) by the … Continue reading The AI Assault on the Art of Divination
“Tell Me What’s Going to Happen, Percy!”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I was just reading an online comment that stated in part "Tarot isn't meant to give you answers (about the future) per se . . . " I looked up the current definition of that phrase, which is "by or in itself; intrinsically." For the purpose of this essay I decided to transmute … Continue reading “Tell Me What’s Going to Happen, Percy!”
The Six of Cups: “Pleasure Promised” (b/w “Pleasure Denied”)
AUTHOR'S NOTE: For those unfamiliar with archaic music-industry jargon, "b/w" ("backed with") referred to the frequently inferior song on the reverse side of a 45-rpm record that stood in stark contrast to the "hit" on the front side. In this instance it is being applied to the reversed orientation of the card in question. Thoth … Continue reading The Six of Cups: “Pleasure Promised” (b/w “Pleasure Denied”)
Rank Has Its Prerogatives – A Departure from the Norm
AUTHOR'S NOTE: As I understand it, those diviners who use only the 22 trump cards in their readings frequently assign all of the cards equal weight in the same way that Lenormand cards are interpreted. I've also been told by some in Europe that they accord the trumps no more significance than they would any … Continue reading Rank Has Its Prerogatives – A Departure from the Norm
The Middle Way: Finding the “Sweet Spot”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: It is often said that, within its range of customary definitions, every tarot card contains all possible shades of positive and negative meaning that will invariably yield a piece of the puzzle when wisely applied to a specific question. The analysis is typically approached as a deductive exercise that first zeros in on … Continue reading The Middle Way: Finding the “Sweet Spot”
Carpe Momentum Redux : Another “Two Sides to Every Story” Reading
AUTHOR'S NOTE: When I created this spread a couple of days ago, I had two "test" questions in mind. Here is the second one. Since we moved to our new home seven years ago, I've been doing at least one reading a year exploring how I might go about restarting the small tarot-reading business I … Continue reading Carpe Momentum Redux : Another “Two Sides to Every Story” Reading
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 