AUTHOR'S NOTE: Here are a few more thoughts on "opportunity" as expressed by the cards of the tarot. Any discussion of the effective duration of a tarot reading (i.e. how long it is "good" for) carries the implication that there is a "window of opportunity" for action in the matter that will close sooner or … Continue reading The “Window of Opportunity”
Esoteric Tarot
Princesses and Aces: “Doubling-Down” on Opportunity
AUTHOR'S NOTE: In tarot reading, the Aces and the Princesses (Pages in the Waite-Smith deck, Knaves or Valets in the Tarot de Marseille) embody the idea of "beginnings" and of entering a new chapter, a quality they share with the Fool and Judgement of the Major Arcana. Here I'm translating this emphasis on the pursuit … Continue reading Princesses and Aces: “Doubling-Down” on Opportunity
Reversed Cards and the Golden Dawn
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Every once in a while I encounter another self-anointed expert who insists that reversed-card meanings must not be used with the Thoth tarot and other Golden-Dawn-based decks, and that Elemental Dignity is the only permissible method for judging the fortunate or unfortunate complexion of the cards in a reading beyond their intrinsic stand-alone … Continue reading Reversed Cards and the Golden Dawn
Wherefore Intuition?
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Many (if not most) tarot writers who discuss the cards in psychological terms relate the element of Fire and the suit of Wands to Carl Gustav Jung's function of "Intuition." Here is my rebuttal. After a good deal of reading and contemplation on the subject, I've come to the conclusion that the metaphysical … Continue reading Wherefore Intuition?
Justice By Extension
GRATUITOUS UPDATE: I just came across a "Kabbalistic" definition of "good vision" that I wanted to amend for this post: "20/20 vision is not the ability to see far but the ability to see clearly and accurately that which is right under your nose," a cautionary message for the 2 and 8 of Swords. We … Continue reading Justice By Extension
A “Method to the Madness” Multiple-Midpoint Spread
AUTHOR'S NOTE: As a natal astrologer I've always been fascinated by the mathematical midpoints between factors (typically the planets and angles of the horoscope) that represent sensitive locations in a birth chart that will eventually be "triggered" by predictive transits and progressions. The concept (which implies "hidden symmetry" in an apparently irrational Universe) can just … Continue reading A “Method to the Madness” Multiple-Midpoint Spread
Four Worlds: Clothing the Abstract
AUTHOR'S NOTE: The Qabalistic Tree of Life (which takes its inspiration from the orthodox Hebrew Kabbalah) presents an ontological model of four levels (olams or "worlds") of increasing density as one descends the Tree: the Archetypal or Spiritual World (Atziluth) at the top is entirely numinous; the Creative or Intellectual World (Briah or Beriah) immediately … Continue reading Four Worlds: Clothing the Abstract
The Passion of the Pages
AUTHOR'S NOTE: In her book, Tarot and the Tree of Life, Isabel Kliegman mentions the "passion" of the Pages for the idealistic preoccupations of youth. The idea is that the Pages in general lack the wisdom and experience of age and thus react instinctively rather than in a rational way to the "spirit of the … Continue reading The Passion of the Pages
“A Powerful Group Effort”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: One of the problems with electronic reading devices is that they will run out of power if you forget to charge them. (I know, "Duh!") I like to read my tarot books on the Kindle while doing my morning treadmill jog, but yesterday the tablet died and I had to resort to the … Continue reading “A Powerful Group Effort”
The Lazy Man’s Tree-of-Life “Reality Check” Spread
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I'm calling this a "lazy man's" spread (pardon my gender exclusiveness; you can rephrase it as "lazy person's" if you like, but I was going for the "lazy-man's-lobster" allusion) because it requires only a very general knowledge of the meaning of the sephiroth on the Tree and the flow of energy thereon. An … Continue reading The Lazy Man’s Tree-of-Life “Reality Check” Spread
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 