AUTHOR'S NOTE: One of my sly assumptions when court cards appear in a tarot reading is that, rather than defaulting to psychological, ethical or spiritual conventions, they will quite often signify the direct involvement of another human being who has a stake in the querent's future "for good or ill." I say this mainly because … Continue reading “Waiting for Godot” – Court Cards in Long-Range Forecasts
Author: parsifalswheeldivination
Reversed Fours: A Stumble and A “One-Point Landing”
AUTHORS NOTE: Having finished re-reading 54 Devils, Cory Hutcheson's playing-card divination book, and not yet possessed of a new tarot book, I picked up my interrupted reassessment of Paul Fenton-Smith's Tarot Master Class (which I believe has now been renamed). In it he mentions that the 4 of Wands reversed can indicate a "lack of … Continue reading Reversed Fours: A Stumble and A “One-Point Landing”
Court Cards “On the Diamond”
"Roundin' third, he was headed for homeIt was a brown-eyed handsome man."- from "Brown Eyed Handsome Man" by Chuck Berry (who wasn't talking about the Knight of Swords or Pentacles but certainly could have been) AUTHOR'S NOTE: As always, my title is a "lure" to spark interest but the objective is nothing more than coming … Continue reading Court Cards “On the Diamond”
A Matter of Symbolism
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Not so long ago (before purely psychic free-association became fashionable among "pop-tarot" practitioners), tarot reading was a matter of deciphering complex images to come up with a narrative that was assumed to explain mundane conditions. The diviner's art lay in the translation of decidedly arcane symbolism into more commonplace language for the purpose … Continue reading A Matter of Symbolism
A “Body/Mind/Soul” Positional-Bias Matrix
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Here is a compact tableau that proposes to identify the ideal positional alignment the seeker should maintain going into a looming "showdown with circumstances." It uses a pre-established set of "situational bias" cards that facilitates adopting a "forward," "reverse" or "neutral" posture toward one's approach to a potential conflict scenario or uncertain evolution. … Continue reading A “Body/Mind/Soul” Positional-Bias Matrix
“Waitin’ on Judgement Day” – Thoughts on Legacy
"It's just ol' Luke, and Luke's waitin' on the Judgement Day"- from The Weight by The Band For my 400th consecutive daily post and 2,407th entry in the last eight years, I decided to briefly ponder the subject of "legacy." I realize that in this era of "New Tarot" revisionism such considerations are felt to … Continue reading “Waitin’ on Judgement Day” – Thoughts on Legacy
A Bridge to Somewhere
AUTHOR'S NOTE: The title of this essay alludes to an episode from one of the Presidential terms of Bill Clinton during which he proposed building a bridge spanning the Aleutian Islands in Alaska. Conservative critics at the time immediately panned the idea as a costly boondoggle, a "bridge to nowhere" (which would almost certainly have … Continue reading A Bridge to Somewhere
Mystery and Surprise: The Joker, the Fool and the High Priestess as “Stop Cards”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: The most intriguing concept I've encountered in my periodic study of playing-card divination - which has been an on-again, off-again affair over the past ten years - is the practice of including the two Jokers of a standard deck in the reading. I understand that most traditional cartomancers don't bother with them, but … Continue reading Mystery and Surprise: The Joker, the Fool and the High Priestess as “Stop Cards”
The Self-Referential Diviner: Depth and Dependability or Merely Self-Flattery?
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Novice tarot readers are typically told by mentors that they will eventually shelve the guide-books and bypass the social-media "talking heads" to follow their own star when it comes to card meanings and situational applications. This is wise but not entirely incontestable counsel. As a longtime diviner (over five decades of tarot reading … Continue reading The Self-Referential Diviner: Depth and Dependability or Merely Self-Flattery?
Numerous Reversals as Trade-offs: Pyrrhic Victories and Strategic Retreats
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Encountering numerous reversed cards in a brief tarot reading can present a challenge that is difficult to resolve. In an otherwise favorable forecast they can mean willingly giving up just a little more than you get to achieve your goal (the "Pyrrhic victory"), while in a less fortunate augury the implication is that … Continue reading Numerous Reversals as Trade-offs: Pyrrhic Victories and Strategic Retreats
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 