AUTHOR'S NOTE: One of the least useful questions I've encountered in online discussion groups, after the ubiquitous "What does this person think or feel about me?" is "What will my future lover look like?" Probably because most of its later development occurred in Western Europe, traditional (that is, non-inclusive) tarot is notoriously poor at identifying … Continue reading Tarot and Physical Appearance: “The Packaging vs. the Content”
Cultural & Social Commentary
“Third Time’s the (C)harm”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: We all recognize the proverb "The third time's the charm" when we've failed twice at something and are trying again with finger's crossed. (Elizabeth Barrett Browning wrote "The luck of the third adventure is proverbial.") But when it comes to divination, asking the same question over-and-over again and expecting a more agreeable answer … Continue reading “Third Time’s the (C)harm”
“But Does It Work?”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: If dismay among junior members of the online tarot community is any indication, it's not uncommon for beginners to expect far more factual accuracy and predictive discernment from a tarot reading than it is reasonably able to deliver, causing many new readers to question its usefulness. Lack of observable success leads to disillusionment, … Continue reading “But Does It Work?”
“Canceling” Effects in Tarot Reading
AUTHOR'S NOTE: In Chinese cosmology there is a premise that certain forms of qi (life-force) subdue and diminish other types, subordinating their influence. I'm intrigued by the idea that something similar could be going on in tarot divination. It's a well-established concept that certain cards in a tarot spread will dominate the reading and push … Continue reading “Canceling” Effects in Tarot Reading
“Scrying Into” the Tarot Cards: An Alternative to Intuition
AUTHOR'S NOTE: "Scrying in the spirit vision" is an occult practice involving out-of-body exploration (or, if you prefer, "astral travel") that is more focused and directed than the spontaneous act of intuitive discernment commonly used in divination. (Classically, one visualizes and enters the "body of light," projecting it onto the Astral Plane and moving about … Continue reading “Scrying Into” the Tarot Cards: An Alternative to Intuition
Mission Impossible?
AUTHOR'S NOTE: "Can tarot really tell the future?" Tarot readers gnaw on this question endlessly the way a dog worries a well-chewed bone, and it frequently comes up in online discussion groups. Judging from the number of comments I've seen, it often feels like there are as many contentious opinions about it as there are … Continue reading Mission Impossible?
“The Arduous Path” – Walking the Talk
AUTHOR'S NOTE: As the theme for this essay I'll trot out my slightly cynical version of the hackneyed aphorism: "It's all good . . . except when it isn't." Because I detect a certain weary resignation in the voices of those who use the original as a justification for accepting less-than-ideal conditions, it has always … Continue reading “The Arduous Path” – Walking the Talk
Boundaries, Fences and Neighbors: Drawing a Line in the Sand
AUTHOR'S NOTE: In his poem Mending Wall, Robert Frost gives the impression that he is rudely baiting the neighbor who keeps telling him earnestly "Good fences make good neighbors" as they work on repairing their shared stone wall. ("Something there is that doesn't love a wall." Hmm. Why do I feel that Frost would have … Continue reading Boundaries, Fences and Neighbors: Drawing a Line in the Sand
Symbolic Sacrifice and Ritual Cannibalism
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This will surely offend some people, but I've never been especially thin-skinned, and I make no apologies for my non-religious attitude. Consider this an entry in my "tarot curmudgeon" series. I've always understood that early shamanistic cultures performed human sacrifice - and later, animal sacrifice - to summon their gods and thereby curry … Continue reading Symbolic Sacrifice and Ritual Cannibalism
Structured Intuition
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Buried in the strident chorus of "Just go with what you feel!" and "You don't have to read books!" emitted in self-righteous certitude by a significant percentage of 21st-Century tarot "influencers," an occasional quiet voice is raised in defense of developing a method of reading the cards that is both rational and instinctual. … Continue reading Structured Intuition
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 