AUTHOR'S NOTE: Here is a compact tableau that proposes to identify the ideal positional alignment the seeker should maintain going into a looming "showdown with circumstances." It uses a pre-established set of "situational bias" cards that facilitates adopting a "forward," "reverse" or "neutral" posture toward one's approach to a potential conflict scenario or uncertain evolution. … Continue reading A “Body/Mind/Soul” Positional-Bias Matrix
Esoteric Tarot
A Bridge to Somewhere
AUTHOR'S NOTE: The title of this essay alludes to an episode from one of the Presidential terms of Bill Clinton during which he proposed building a bridge spanning the Aleutian Islands in Alaska. Conservative critics at the time immediately panned the idea as a costly boondoggle, a "bridge to nowhere" (which would almost certainly have … Continue reading A Bridge to Somewhere
The Sixes: Pathways of Progress
AUTHOR'S NOTE: In Dawn Jackson's "Hedgewytchery" system of playing-card divination, one general keyword for the number Six is "paths," which ideally means "a way forward" and not merely the avoidance of stagnation by retracing one's steps or traveling in circles. But this progressive advancement should really be considered in light of the following sequence of … Continue reading The Sixes: Pathways of Progress
Over-interpretation: Looking for Trouble in All the Wrong Places
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I admit to being more than a little skeptical of the "empowerment" (aka "cheerleading") mode of divination and of unbridled optimism in general, which is why I seldom take anything I see in a spread at face value. I'm always looking for the "rest of the story" (in talk-radio host Paul Harvey's memorable … Continue reading Over-interpretation: Looking for Trouble in All the Wrong Places
Major Arcana As “Step-Change”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: In manufacturing jargon, effective process control begins with the engineering of a work-station performance envelope that ensures steady-state functionality by permitting only minor, easily-adjusted shifts in operating parameters for the duration of the activity. (As a former quality-control technician, later an engineer and ultimately a manager, I know a little about the subject.) … Continue reading Major Arcana As “Step-Change”
Mars Abides: A Question of Surgery
AUTHOR'S NOTE: An acquaintance of mine has a long-standing medical issue related to several previous surgeries that looks like it may need another surgical intervention. In February I did a French Cross (tirage en croix) spread to ask that question. (Note that I performed this reading two hours before I learned the surgeon's recommendation.) Thoth … Continue reading Mars Abides: A Question of Surgery
The 10 of Cups: “Pushing a String”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Sometimes we can tie ourselves up in knots when trying too diligently to impose esoteric symbolism on the tarot cards. I recently came across an opinion that the 10 of Cups - which is associated with Mars in Pisces in the Golden Dawn's system of "Chaldean" astrological correspondences - must refer to the … Continue reading The 10 of Cups: “Pushing a String”
Kicked Upstairs: A Numerical Displacement Method and Spread
AUTHOR'S NOTE: The assumption behind this spread is that the top tier of cards is more likely to be "fast-tracked" to closure, the middle tier will play out more gradually and the bottom tier will be substantially delayed. The table at the end of the essay offers a tool to determine which tier a card … Continue reading Kicked Upstairs: A Numerical Displacement Method and Spread
Occult Tarot Fundamentals: Justice vs. Judgement
AUTHOR'S NOTE: There is endless confusion among new tarot readers about the difference between the Justice and Judgement cards because both seem to be about the same thing. Here I will attempt to sort this out since it all comes down to the intent of the esoteric symbolism. One of my forum-mates on Aeclectic Tarot … Continue reading Occult Tarot Fundamentals: Justice vs. Judgement
Fortuitous Attraction: A Spirit-Contact Spread Using Court Cards
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Although it is usually the domain of psychic mediums, contacting ancestral spirits via tarot reading is a popular topic of discussion in the online community that often generates requests for suitable spreads. I've created a few such arrays in the past, but I'm on the fence about the subject. Humans in primordial times … Continue reading Fortuitous Attraction: A Spirit-Contact Spread Using Court Cards
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 