AUTHOR'S NOTE: I'm currently following an interesting sub-reddit thread in which the conversation centers on ex-partner reconciliation and the broader issue of "soulmate/twin-flame" connections, two areas of concern that are frequently brought to a diviner's attention. Then it broaches the subject of "attachment style," which I didn't realize has become an area of formal study … Continue reading The “Ex-Partner” Dilemma: Abandonment and Avoidance
Cultural & Social Commentary
Pop Metaphysics and the “Spirit Guide Mentality”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Following up on my previous post about "scrying in the spirit vision," I have a few more critical observations to share about the "spirit guide mentality." I'm not sure where the notion of spirit guides first cropped up in the practice of Western occultism. Although it apparently made its earliest appearance in the … Continue reading Pop Metaphysics and the “Spirit Guide Mentality”
Flagrant Faking: Real or Imaginary?
AUTHOR'S NOTE: In a recent sub-reddit thread, someone asked whether it is possible to spot a "fake" tarot reader, and how that might be done. The person was understandably nervous about paying for a poor-quality reading by an incompetent practitioner. Many of the negative comments were aimed at YouTube readers, and I was inspired to … Continue reading Flagrant Faking: Real or Imaginary?
“Death Becomes Him” – Thoughts on Mystical Rationalism
AUTHOR'S NOTE: You may remember the old Bruce Willis-Meryl Streep-Goldie Hawn film Death Becomes Her. I'm paraphrasing the title to support my introductory premise but there is no intended plot connection. In the occult tarot lexicon, the Death card corresponds to the enigmatic and remorseless Water sign Scorpio. In a previous essay I mentioned that, … Continue reading “Death Becomes Him” – Thoughts on Mystical Rationalism
“Grow, Grow . . .”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: My title is an allusion to a quote from the Talmud mentioned by Sallie Nichols in Tarot and the Archetypal Journey: "Every blade of grass has its Angel that bends over it and whispers, 'Grow, grow!'" One of my favorite semi-truisms about the tarot is "Every time I perform a reading for another … Continue reading “Grow, Grow . . .”
Tarot Culture and “Toxic Introversion”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: The subject of "toxicity" in human relations seems to be on a lot of minds lately. But I believe there is an equally noxious "disinclination to engage" in face-to-face terms, and that is my focus here. A pair of recent posts brought me to the contemplation of how this premise operates in modern … Continue reading Tarot Culture and “Toxic Introversion”
Kindness as the “Coin of the Realm”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: It looks like "kindness" is the new social and cultural buzzword. Suddenly I'm seeing it everywhere: on bumper stickers, on window decals, on posters, on panhandlers' placards, even spray-painted on walls. I've been expecting the entrepreneurs to catch up with the phenomenon sooner or later, and I didn't have long to wait. If … Continue reading Kindness as the “Coin of the Realm”
Jupiter’s Child: A “Tarotscape”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: While writing my recent essay about the Lover and the Chariot I had occasion to look up the words to Steppenwolf's 1969 rock song Jupiter's Child, and confirmed my recollection that its mythic tone is perfect for my approach to linking tarot cards with song lyrics. I decided to use the Anna K … Continue reading Jupiter’s Child: A “Tarotscape”
The Nature of Truth (As We Know It)
AUTHOR'S NOTE: "What is the truth?" (at least in the matter at hand) is one of the "big questions" along with "What is the meaning of life?" (usually "my life" when asked by a querent) that are often put to the tarot and other modes of divination. (Of course, both questions are aimed at discovering … Continue reading The Nature of Truth (As We Know It)
Stolen Artwork: A Horary Perspective
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I'm posting this with the acknowledgement and permission of the Isabella S. Gardner Museum, with whom I've shared it in case anyone considers trying to cash in on my work. Although I first heard about this back in 1990 when it happened, I was recently reminded that millions of dollars worth of artwork … Continue reading Stolen Artwork: A Horary Perspective
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 