AUTHOR'S NOTE: As I recently told one of my online tarot groups, I've saved "the worst for last." When compared to the majority of modern diviners, I'm very far off the beaten path in my dim view of the RWS deck. While the Waite-Smith (RWS) tarot may be the most popular deck in the world, … Continue reading The Maverick Cartomant, Part 4: The Waite-Smith Tarot
Cultural & Social Commentary
An Insurrection Panorama
"Pass the dynamite 'cause the fuse is lit"- from Riot in Cell Block #9 by The CoastersAUTHOR'S NOTE: Here I'm using my favorite sociopolitical deck, Brian Williams' PoMo Tarot, to pose the question "What are the prevailing circumstances for invoking the Insurrection Act in Minnesota?" (I decided that national/international politics and world events are still … Continue reading An Insurrection Panorama
A New Year, A New Agenda
AUTHOR'S NOTE: It's no secret that I've become thoroughly disenchanted with the populist pretensions of the online tarot community, to the point that I've decided to disengage from public conversation and return to private academic pursuits of a more esoteric nature. (I doubt the typical YouTube "talking head" will miss me or even notice.) I … Continue reading A New Year, A New Agenda
Esoteric Correspondences “In the Trenches”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I've been inspired by something I just read in T. Susan Chang's Tarot Correspondences: Ancient Secrets for Everyday Readers to revisit a subject I covered a few years ago in my essay "Correspondences: How Much is Too Much?" (linked below). Her section on "putting it all together" provides useful techniques by which the … Continue reading Esoteric Correspondences “In the Trenches”
The Meaning(lessness) of Life: An Appreciation
AUTHOR'S NOTE: After chasing the esoteric implications of various forms of metaphysical practice for over five decades, I've finally concluded that, despite determined efforts to find the "meaning of life" therein, all of them nibble around the edges but never really deliver on the promise. First off, don't hand me any religious nonsense; I'm just … Continue reading The Meaning(lessness) of Life: An Appreciation
Online Tarot: Fishing for Meaning But Catching Only Noise
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Here is another installment in my long-running "beating-a-dead-horse" criticism of online tarot as my impatience with its superficiality continues to simmer. I've reached a new low in my opinion of the self-indulgent shallowness exhibited by so much of what I see going on, and have retreated to my hermitage to contemplate it. I … Continue reading Online Tarot: Fishing for Meaning But Catching Only Noise
Faking It in the Key of “T”
"Lovely bloke, but posing."- Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones commenting in 1986 on Elton John's lack of rock & roll authenticity. AUTHOR'S NOTE: In music there is what is known as a "fake book" that typically provides melody and chords but no written-out "parts" for each player. It is defined as "the minimal information … Continue reading Faking It in the Key of “T”
The Realist Bids Farewell to the Romantic (or “Don’t Call Me, I’ll Call You”)
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I was recently cautioned against performing the kind of investigative tarot-reading that operates in the same algorithmic space as probabilistic number-crunching (specifically for odds-making in sports betting). The critic's presumptuous attitude was that I'm tarnishing my credentials as a diviner (which I assume means my standing as an enlightened mystic). I'm not so … Continue reading The Realist Bids Farewell to the Romantic (or “Don’t Call Me, I’ll Call You”)
Tendencies, Trends and Probabilities: Three Modes of Realization in Tarot Prediction
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Before I dive into my subject, I should mention that I no longer use tarot for the purpose of psychological self-awareness and self-development after doing so for the better part of four decades. I decided beginning in 2011 that natal astrology (which I've also done since 1972) is a far better tool for … Continue reading Tendencies, Trends and Probabilities: Three Modes of Realization in Tarot Prediction
A Skeptic’s View of Mystical Pretenders
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I was recently accused by someone in the online tarot community of being an elitist gatekeeper when I voiced my doubts about the mystical drivel that too often passes for professional guidance in the social-media marketplace. I'm too thick-skinned to feel the urge to wage war against those who take it upon themselves … Continue reading A Skeptic’s View of Mystical Pretenders
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 