AUTHOR'S NOTE: I believe I've found the perfect aphorism to describe the art of tarot reading. It was in a 1989 short story by science-fiction writer Bruce Sterling, of all places. According to a quote in the story, "underground" (an old cultural buzzword) cartoonist R. Crumb (he of Fritz the Cat fame although you may … Continue reading Words and Pictures
General Divination
Quantity or Quality? (The Blogger’s Challenge)
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I've decided that it's time for a recap. For the past 224 days I've written a brief essay every morning on a range of topics related to divination, typically three or four paragraphs in length but more recently running from five to eight paragraphs. At least within the narrow range of my chosen … Continue reading Quantity or Quality? (The Blogger’s Challenge)
Hope-Based Questions: “Be Careful What You Wish For”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I just read an old blog post by Bjorn Meuris that struck a chord with me. In his advice for asking a proper question of the Lenormand cards (or any cards for that matter) he said "Don't ask for what you do not hope for to be confirmed" by casting your question in … Continue reading Hope-Based Questions: “Be Careful What You Wish For”
Schrodinger and the “Fabric of Reality”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I haven't touched on this subject recently, but my involvement in the Reddit sub r/seculartarot brought it back around. I once described divination in fanciful terms as "running my mental fingers through the warp-and-woof of the fabric of reality, trying to tease out threads of truth." More recently I encountered the ideas of … Continue reading Schrodinger and the “Fabric of Reality”
The Breeding Ground
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Having come from several years of involvement in Aeclectic Tarot, a stimulating online divination forum that closed in 2017, I've been somewhat disheartened by what I see as a much more diluted discussion platform in the Facebook pages I frequent. Although I have nothing against offering advice and assistance to novices, it seems … Continue reading The Breeding Ground
The Predictive “Coddiwomple”*
*To travel purposely toward an as-yet unknown destination. AUTHOR'S NOTE: I'm indebted to my online friend Dianne DeMarco for this bit of whimsy. I can't think of a more accurate (or more peculiar) way to describe the act of diligently pursuing the advice of a tarot reading for the purpose of unlocking its uncertain promise. … Continue reading The Predictive “Coddiwomple”*
The True Power of Prediction (or “How’s the Weather?”)
AUTHOR'S NOTE: (tl;dr*) Tarot prediction is like "metaphysical weather forecasting." It can hint at the trending environment or atmosphere of future circumstances but not tell you the hour-by-hour conditions at the time of arrival. It's up to you to bring the metaphorical sunscreen or umbrella. In a certain segment of the tarot community there is … Continue reading The True Power of Prediction (or “How’s the Weather?”)
The “Ex-Partner” Dilemma: Abandonment and Avoidance
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I'm currently following an interesting sub-reddit thread in which the conversation centers on ex-partner reconciliation and the broader issue of "soulmate/twin-flame" connections, two areas of concern that are frequently brought to a diviner's attention. Then it broaches the subject of "attachment style," which I didn't realize has become an area of formal study … Continue reading The “Ex-Partner” Dilemma: Abandonment and Avoidance
Temporal Landmarks: The Problem of Timing
"Temporal Landmarks are significant points in time that promote a break from the past and a sense of renewal moving forward. As a result, they encourage a ‘fresh start’ and increased motivation towards aspirational behaviours and goals." (quoted by Michal Shum at modelthinkers.com) AUTHOR'S NOTE: Accurate "tarot timing" consists of precisely forecasting the date of occurrence … Continue reading Temporal Landmarks: The Problem of Timing
“. . . By Any Other Name . . .”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Current divination culture shuns as unethical any attempt to forecast the death of an individual, even when it is clearly imminent due to a terminal illness. (After all, it doesn't make sense for amateurs to overstep the legal and professional bounds of a medical diagnosis.) The final "moment of truth" is usually the … Continue reading “. . . By Any Other Name . . .”
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 