AUTHOR'S NOTE: In the past, all of my self-initiated involvement with the Astral Plane (formally called "scrying" as distinct from involuntary "dreaming" and out-of-body "astral travel") was done using a tarot trump card as a prompt to incite creative visualization when entering the "spirit vision," a technique known as "path-working" on the Qabalistic Tree of … Continue reading It’s Scrying Time Again
Author: parsifalswheeldivination
“Diviner, Know Thy Stuff”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I recently had cause to go back and look at a post from 2018 in which I gave my opinion about what a beginning tarot reader needs to know concerning the art of divination. The second "diviner's maxim" I presented after mentioning the advice of Socrates to "Know thyself" was "Know thy stuff." … Continue reading “Diviner, Know Thy Stuff”
Divination: A Step Away from Ceremonial Magic
AUTHOR'S NOTE: As a longtime student and practitioner of the esoteric arts, I progressed through several years of close contact with ceremonial magic back in the 1980s. This was a natural outgrowth of my investigation of the Hermetic Qabalah and the literature of its chief proponents that began in 1971, particularly addressing the contributions of … Continue reading Divination: A Step Away from Ceremonial Magic
The Nines and Tens: Perfection and Postscript
AUTHOR'S NOTE: As evident in the online tarot community, current practice reflects the general agreement that "if Nine is good, Ten must be better" (with the obvious exception of the suit of Swords). The genesis of this idea most likely goes back to the assertion of Pythagoras that Ten is the "perfect" number, as symbolized … Continue reading The Nines and Tens: Perfection and Postscript
Another “Tweaked” French Cross Model: A Situational and Positional Profile Spread
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Here is another adaptation of my "tweaked" version of the French Cross spread, this time to address a client's specific relationship matter. It features a horizontal, four-card "situational" axis, the middle pair of which I'm calling "adaptive response" cards that suggest necessary adjustments to the querent's behaviors and attitudes. (They should be interpreted … Continue reading Another “Tweaked” French Cross Model: A Situational and Positional Profile Spread
The Mystical Tide: Rising or Falling?
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Between the ages of 18 and 30, I lived through the 12-year period that saw the hippie zeitgeist reach its brief zenith and then fade. It was a heady time of boundless "New Age" enthusiasm for all things exotic in the realm of metaphysics, as well as the burgeoning of unique psychological and … Continue reading The Mystical Tide: Rising or Falling?
Rambling On: A Metaphysical Journey in Ten Phases
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Unsurprisingly, as I sit here lulled by the Florida sun and surf, I've momentarily run out of profound ideas for my daily deliberation. So permit me to ramble on a bit with an updated riff on a couple of old autobiographical posts. Things have been moving again, albeit glacially, and it's time for … Continue reading Rambling On: A Metaphysical Journey in Ten Phases
Rethinking My Online Business Model
AUTHOR'S NOTE: For the last nine years I've keep my charges for online tarot, Lenormand and horary astrology readings roughly in line with my face-to-face sessions, even though it takes quite a bit longer to write everything down in a report than it does to deliver it orally across a table. I even tried raising … Continue reading Rethinking My Online Business Model
Tarot Syncretism*
*Syncretism: The union of different practices whose features may be synchronized to good effect. AUTHOR'S NOTE: I last weighed in on the subject of esoteric syncretism in divination with a pair of essays in April and May of 2024, and a recent encounter with the topic in an r/occult sub-reddit thread brought it to mind … Continue reading Tarot Syncretism*
Numerical Rectification of the Minor Arcana
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Even when divining with tarot decks that include scenic or semi-scenic Minor Arcana (specifically the Waite-Smith, the Thoth and their numerous clones), I'm prone to rely on suit-and-number theory for much of my improvisational content. When interpreting the cards, I pay little attention to the images after I've identified their presence in a … Continue reading Numerical Rectification of the Minor Arcana
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 