AUTHOR'S NOTE: In alchemy, fermentation is a euphemism for "putrefaction" or rotting, from which an impure elixir is generated. Spiritually speaking, the composite Self formed during the process of conjunction was assumed to be authentic but it had not yet achieved the pinnacle of perfection and must now be dissolved, digested and reformulated. The union … Continue reading Tarot Alchemy in Seven Stages: Fermentation
Elements
Tarot Alchemy in Seven Stages: Conjunction
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Quoting Thomas Ellison in The Collector, "Conjunction refers to the process of combining the elements from the previous three stages." Another source (Credo Quia Absurdum) notes: "The separated elements demand a new combination to find the balance. The male and female principles are significant for every human being and its physical and spiritual … Continue reading Tarot Alchemy in Seven Stages: Conjunction
Tarot Alchemy in Seven Stages: Separation
AUTHOR'S NOTE: In approaching the subject of alchemical separation as it relates to the third phase of my tarot "self-realization" model, I decided to quote my source material: "The separation of the elements allows us to observe them more clearly. Their true nature and shape are finally exposed to us." For the purpose of spiritual … Continue reading Tarot Alchemy in Seven Stages: Separation
Tarot Alchemy in Seven Stages: Dissolution
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is the second in my series of tarot spreads based on the principles of alchemy, this time addressing the process of dissolution. Once again I used a "prepared" deck with the pip and court cards separated into sub-packs and the rest of the trump cards set aside. The purpose of this alchemical … Continue reading Tarot Alchemy in Seven Stages: Dissolution
A Loony on the Paths
AUTHOR'S NOTE: After re-reading the Sepher Yetzirah and some of its modern commentary for the first time in several decades, I decided to rework the correspondences for the trump cards on the paths of the Qabalistic Tree of Life to align them with my renewed (some will say "skewed") awareness. During a discussion on one … Continue reading A Loony on the Paths
“Who Am I Right Now?” – A Three-Part Personality Profile
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Here is an approach to personality profiling that uses a "prepared" deck split into trump, court and pip card sub-packs. The design employs three layers of significance: the outer rectangle of four "pip" cards displays a tableau of daily experience in four elemental attitudes or postures; the middle diamond of four court cards … Continue reading “Who Am I Right Now?” – A Three-Part Personality Profile
Scrambled Symbolism: Revisiting the Sepher Yetzirah
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I recently had occasion to revisit the Sepher Yetzirah (Hebrew "Book of Formation") as part of a discussion about the relationship between the tarot trumps and the 22 paths of the Hermetic Tree of Life. Once one acclimates to the euphoric "God-talk" and its mystical exhortations, the material in the brief epistle invites … Continue reading Scrambled Symbolism: Revisiting the Sepher Yetzirah
The Thoth Court Cards: Old and Trusted Friends
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is the second post in my three-part initiative to explore the Thoth tarot at a profound level that goes deeper than the card-by-card analysis I've already presented elsewhere in this blog. Here I'm tackling the court cards, for which I've always considered Crowley's compact explanations to be "some of the best out … Continue reading The Thoth Court Cards: Old and Trusted Friends
The “Glorified Pip Cards” of the Thoth Tarot
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Today I'm embarking on my promised "deep dive" into the Thoth tarot, beginning with the Minor Arcana. Note, however, that I'm not going to present an exhaustive card-by-card analysis of divinatory content; I've already done that in my posted "Tarot 101" course material, which is primarily Thoth-based, and in a more general way … Continue reading The “Glorified Pip Cards” of the Thoth Tarot
Scattered Elements
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I just came across a radical departure from the typical "Fool's Journey" motif for the Major Arcana that I find intriguing since it relies on the hierarchy of elements shown in the four "magical implements" of the Magician. This led me to a related topic: whether the cards pulled for a spread can … Continue reading Scattered Elements
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 