Back when I was an active member of American Mensa, I was what was known as an "Isolated M," which meant that I lived so far out in "God's Country" (aka "the Middle of Nowhere") that I derived zero benefit from my paid membership (to add insult to injury, they refused to send me a … Continue reading The Solitary Path
Esoteric Tarot
The Moon, Pisces and the High Priestess
Since we've been having an interesting discussion about the nature of the High Priestess, I thought I would refresh a debate we once had on the Aeclectic Tarot forum about its astrological assignment and that of the tarot Moon. First some background that will bring this into focus. Someone asked about the difference between the … Continue reading The Moon, Pisces and the High Priestess
The High Priestess: Good, Bad or Indifferent?
The High Priestess is one card that idealists and advocates for a benign (or at least neutral) view of the tarot archetypes love to put on a pedestal as a lofty example of purity and virtue. She is obviously as pristine as the driven snow, never mind that she is also as crystalline as an … Continue reading The High Priestess: Good, Bad or Indifferent?
Death, Be Not Loud
Few writers have had as much fun with the personification of Death as Terry Pratchett. Pratchett's stiff-necked Death always spoke in CAPITAL LETTERS and was pompous and portentous to the point of clueless self-ridicule (which was of course the idea). I especially liked the bit where Death wanted to take a holiday and asked his … Continue reading Death, Be Not Loud
The Lover or the Lovers?
Although many modern deck creators fall all over themselves in trying to display The Lovers as two people - usually male and female but that's no longer a given - in a euphoric state of amorous bliss, more often than not naked. In contrast, the Tarot de Marseille version, titled "the Lover" and not "The … Continue reading The Lover or the Lovers?
File Under: “Why Bother?”
Here is a well-reasoned 2003 editorial by "Frater P.A.L." from the Journal of the Western Mystery Tradition, No. 4. Vol. 1 titled "Why Study the Divinatory Arts?" (Forgive me if I've posted this article before, either here or in the tarot forums, but I wanted to expand upon its subject matter with a few personal … Continue reading File Under: “Why Bother?”
“Hard” and “Soft” Suits
One concept from the Tarot de Marseille "school" of interpretation - which has a meager divinatory legacy unless one can read French - that is worth carrying forward into general use is that of "hard" and "soft" suits. The former are comprised of the Wands and Swords cards, while the latter encompass the Cups and … Continue reading “Hard” and “Soft” Suits
Coming or Going?
In the Golden Dawn tarot papers, MacGregor Mathers made an observation regarding the facing or directionality of the Kings and Pages when placed in a spread: "The Kings, if looking against the direction of the reading, or if meeting it, represent the coming of a person or event, or phase of an event, but if … Continue reading Coming or Going?
Number Theory in Action
Occult number theory - whether Pythagorean or qabalistic - is one of my favorite ways to extract additional information from the cards in a spread. The geometric axioms of Pythagoras evolve from the Monad (the Point, or Number One) to the Decad (the Decahedron, or Number Ten), while the qabalistic approach follows the descending flow … Continue reading Number Theory in Action
“One Star in Sight”
In his masterful poem One Star in Sight, Aleister Crowley tossed out a few hints about the true meaning of the Star. Here is a non-contiguous fragment: "One star can summon them to wake To self; star-souls serene that gleam On life's calm lake. Behold within and not above, One star in sight!" The traditional … Continue reading “One Star in Sight”
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 