AUTHOR'S NOTE: As an astrologer I spent a lot of time in my early years exploring the importance of the "midpoint" between two planetary positions as another sensitive degree in the horoscope that can`become a "trigger" for predictive transits or directions. For the last decade I've been applying the same theory to tarot cards by … Continue reading “Midpoint Numerology” – A New Name for an Old Idea*
Esoteric Tarot
The Chariot and The Tower: “Risky Business”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is the second essay in what may become a series where I take a structured look at "numerological counterparts" among the trump cards as "alike but different" expressions of a common theme. Here I'm tackling The Chariot (7) and its counterpart, The Tower (16=1+6=7). In approaching this subject, I recognized that both … Continue reading The Chariot and The Tower: “Risky Business”
“Crisis at the Crossroads” – A Problem-Solving Spread
This spread uses elemental affinity and reversal to arrive at one of three possible outcomes for problem resolution: "Accept and Support;" "Try Everything" or "Do Nothing." In each case it creates a five-card reading with the "Crossroads" card as the "turning point" in the matter. Shuffle the deck to allow for reversals.
High Priestess and Justice: The Quest for Perfection
AUTHOR'S NOTE: During my studies I often come across the opinion that the High Priestess and Justice display two faces of perfection, one natural and the other imposed. Although I'm mainly a Thoth and Tarot de Marseille guy, here I'm using the numerological structure of the Waite-Smith Major Arcana, which places Justice in the eleventh … Continue reading High Priestess and Justice: The Quest for Perfection
Deconstructing the Quintessence Calculation
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Although I have always preferred to perform the "quintessence" calculation in a way that rolls up the numerical values of all the cards on the table (including the court cards) to generate a single trump card as a condensed overview of the situation and the outcome, I have in the past "parceled out" … Continue reading Deconstructing the Quintessence Calculation
Why Healing?
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Once again, while reading the tarot literature I've encountered the opinion that the Temperance card relates to "healing." I've unloaded on this notion in the past, but I've had a few more insights since then. The premise that there must be a "healing" card among the tarot trumps presumes that the other cards … Continue reading Why Healing?
Releasing The “Daemon*”
*Daemon (n): originally a lesser divinity or spirit; the word is derived from the Proto-Indo-European daimon, meaning "provider, divider (of fortunes or destinies). AUTHOR'S NOTE: I vaguely remember an old animated cartoon that portrays one of the genre's iconic characters (I think it was Daffy Duck but it could have been Donald; others may recall … Continue reading Releasing The “Daemon*”
“This Is The Way:” A “Middle-Ground” Approach to Life-Reading
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I'm always looking for new ways to bring elemental attributes into tarot spread creation. This experimental layout uses both elemental attunement and midpoint numerology to arrive at an adjusted conclusion that does not end with a lopsided "best case" or "worst case" outlook but rather a compromise position that should ideally be more … Continue reading “This Is The Way:” A “Middle-Ground” Approach to Life-Reading
The Elemental Divide: A “Temporal Shift” Decision-Making Spread
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Here is another spread that employs four randomly-selected "elemental" cards to offer guidance in making a well-informed decision. The card that presents the most favorable alignment with the central "Focus" (aka "Decision") card, as determined by elemental alignment and/or cooperative polarity, number, rank and inherent nature, becomes the preferred incentive for driving the … Continue reading The Elemental Divide: A “Temporal Shift” Decision-Making Spread
“The Light’s On But Nobody’s Home”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is a brief meditation on the Hanged Man. The title of the post comes from the halo around the head of the figure in the Waite-Smith version. Albano-Waite Tarot, copyright of U.S. Games Systems Inc, Stamford, CT While reading The Way of Tarot, I came across Alejandro Jodorowsky's observation that the suspended … Continue reading “The Light’s On But Nobody’s Home”
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 