"We got to realize that ninety-nine and a half just won't doNo, got to have a hundred, oh yeah"- from the rhythm & blues song by Wilson Pickett AUTHOR'S NOTE: Today - for the third or fourth time in nine years - I've reached 100 consecutive days of posting on this blog, which is nowhere … Continue reading “Ninety-Nine and a Half (Won’t Do)”
General Divination
“Another Cup of ‘Why Bother’ . . .”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I've been following an increasingly rancorous argument in one of the online occult forums over why the esoteric community seems so toothless of late (hey, I was going to use one of the darlings of AI writing, "pusillanimous") compared to its previous vigor. Where is the bracing "bite" of old? There is certainly … Continue reading “Another Cup of ‘Why Bother’ . . .”
Deep Thoughts on Participatory Divination: People, Not Process
AUTHOR'S NOTE: There is an unusually abstract theory in speculative physics (one that is dismissed out-of-hand by the mainstream scientific community) that all objects - whether in concrete form or as massless "packets of energy" - have their origin in the primordial raw material of information that is defined as binary data-bits operating in the … Continue reading Deep Thoughts on Participatory Divination: People, Not Process
Experiential Cash-Value: The Wages of Accurate Prediction
"What, in short, is the truth's cash-value in experiential terms?"- Psychologist William James on the uncertain advantage that truth holds over falsehood "in anyone's actual life." AUTHOR'S NOTE: Many years ago I was taken to task in one of the online tarot forums for prizing accurate results in my divination. I was asked pointblank by … Continue reading Experiential Cash-Value: The Wages of Accurate Prediction
“Forsooth, ’tis Futile!” – Time-Decoupled Divination
AUTHOR'S NOTE: If we assume that human consciousness exists outside of ordinary space-time as surmised by parapsychologist Dr. Dean Radin, and that the mental contortions of most forms of divination latch onto asynchronous coincidences in multiple subconscious orbits, then we could say that a tarot reading is a "time-decoupled" artifact. Chronologically, any predicted events or … Continue reading “Forsooth, ’tis Futile!” – Time-Decoupled Divination
“Eyes That Are the Windows, Eyes That Are the View” – Tarot and Quantum Mechanics*
*Lyrics quoted are from the Dave Mason song Sad and Deep as You. AUTHOR'S NOTE: Quantum theory in modern physics holds that until an elementary quantum object is observed (by direct measurement according to mainstream scientists and in response to conscious attention in paranormal circles), it is in an "indeterminate state" and has "no definite … Continue reading “Eyes That Are the Windows, Eyes That Are the View” – Tarot and Quantum Mechanics*
Uncomfortable Questions and Hidden Variables: Tarot and Lenormand on the Witness Stand
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Although the inspiration for this essay came from reading about the design of scientific experiments in quantum physics, I identified parallels between that model and my style of cartomantic interpretation. The opinion of the experimental researcher was that mainstream physicists are typically unwilling to contemplate uncomfortable questions or probe hidden variables if those … Continue reading Uncomfortable Questions and Hidden Variables: Tarot and Lenormand on the Witness Stand
Individual Reading Style in Divination (A Recap)
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I've touched on this subject numerous times in previous essays, but almost always in passing. Here I will give it the full treatment from my personal perspective, with a small amount of unavoidable repetition. Traditional tarot decks feature a wealth of symbolic raw material that is "baked-in;" these fundamental meanings should be internalized … Continue reading Individual Reading Style in Divination (A Recap)
Distant Intention: An Alternative Approach to Remote Divination
AUTHOR'S NOTE: My long-time followers know that I'm skeptical of remote tarot reading because the querent has no direct contact with the cards for the purpose of subconscious induction, my fundamental understanding of "how tarot works." But with a little tweaking of the parameters, that attitude may be shifting. Recently, while reading about experiments in … Continue reading Distant Intention: An Alternative Approach to Remote Divination
Online Tarot Reading for Profit: An Outsider’s Perspective
AUTHOR'S NOTE: There is currently a glut of aspiring tarot readers who believe that starting up an online practice is a surefire way to make enough money to survive. Until disabused of the notion, they don't realize just how many of their peers they will be competing against, many of whom read for free or … Continue reading Online Tarot Reading for Profit: An Outsider’s Perspective
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 