AUTHOR'S NOTE: I can't quite fathom why anyone would think that the intrusion of AI (artificial intelligence) technology into the art of divination is desirable. Regarding the entire phenomenon, we might well substitute "AI" for "America" in the old Funkadelic album title "America Eats Its Young." I'm disturbed (although I can't say shocked) by the … Continue reading The AI Assault on the Art of Divination
Cultural & Social Commentary
The “Third-Party” Reading and the Boomerang Effect
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Arguably the most common question put to the tarot after "Does my ex want to come back to me?" is "What does Joe or Mary think or feel about me?" (A bit of wry humor there: inquiries about the mental state of a prospective love interest far exceed those exploring possible reconciliation with … Continue reading The “Third-Party” Reading and the Boomerang Effect
“Squishy” Tarot Reading
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Not long ago I came across a post on one of the Facebook pages that railed against the current "state of the art" (if I may dignify it as such) in on-line tarot reading. The relevant part of the rant is worth quoting here: "I know intuition and the client's question/situation will influence … Continue reading “Squishy” Tarot Reading
Death As . . . Well, “Death”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I find it it immensely revealing that, in historical tarot decks like the Tarot de Marseille, the Thirteenth Arcanum ("Death" in our less-superstitious age) was typically left untitled, embracing the principle of sympathetic magic that if we don't name something, we can pretend that it has no power over us. Modern interpretation has … Continue reading Death As . . . Well, “Death”
The Less-Traveled Byways of Tarot: Knowledge and Inspiration Meet Insight and Wisdom
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Whenever I contemplate the unstructured psychic or purely intuitive approach to tarot reading as currently practiced in "live" settings, on internet platforms and via telephone-hotline "prediction mills," my skeptical nature goes into overdrive. I summon a fanciful vision of a youngish mystical diviner (who is largely untutored and inexperienced in the historical roots … Continue reading The Less-Traveled Byways of Tarot: Knowledge and Inspiration Meet Insight and Wisdom
Patriarchal and Matriarchal Bias in the Tarot
AUTHOR'S NOTE: In the early 1980s, I departed the urban tarot scene for a couple of decades to study and practice privately in the country, and when I returned via the internet in 2011 a full-blown controversy was underway over masculine bias in the cards. The online community was awash in hand-wringing, finger-pointing and self-righteous … Continue reading Patriarchal and Matriarchal Bias in the Tarot
The Separation of Church and Fate: Taking Religion Out of Tarot
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Sorry about the clumsy malapropism, it was the best I could come up with as a riff on the "separation of Church and State" in tarot terms. As everyone knows if they have even a smattering of knowledge about tarot history (or just the eyes to see), the traditional cards have a strong … Continue reading The Separation of Church and Fate: Taking Religion Out of Tarot
Mistaking the “Medium” for the “Message”
AUTHOR'S NOTE. In his 1967 study The Medium Is The Message: An Inventory of Effects, Canadian communication theorist Marshall McLuhan proposed that the medium by which knowledge is transmitted can have an impact in shaping our understanding of the world that goes far beyond the information it conveys. A good case in point is the … Continue reading Mistaking the “Medium” for the “Message”
“Do As I Say, Not As I Do” – Authoritarian Posturing in Spiritual Practice
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Having recognized (and suffered from) the glaring inadequacies of the second-rate teachers and administrators hired by my small rural high school back in the 1960s, I've never had much patience with authority figures. (With that attitude, just imagine how I fared in the US Army!) In the realm of spirituality, the recent documentary … Continue reading “Do As I Say, Not As I Do” – Authoritarian Posturing in Spiritual Practice
“The Shadow Knows” (aka “How Tarot Works”)
AUTHOR'S NOTE: The Shadow was a supernatural detective show that ran on AM radio in the United States from 1937 to 1954. In its early years it featured the distinctive voice of Orson Welles intoning at the beginning of each episode: "Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows!" trailing … Continue reading “The Shadow Knows” (aka “How Tarot Works”)
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 