AUTHOR'S NOTE: While following an r/occult sub-reddit thread, I came across the concept of "excess importance." Here is the technical definition: "Excess importance is a concept from Vadim Zeland's Reality Transurfing that refers to overvaluing a person, object, or goal, which creates 'excess potential' (unbalanced energy). It manifests as desperation, fear, or obsession, often leading … Continue reading “Excess Importance” and Zero-Sum Tarot Reading
General Tarot
Subjective Bias and Objective Transparency in Tarot Reading
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I've long been a critic of the purely intuitive approach to tarot reading because I think it encourages subjective bias in the narrative, and when in a less charitable mood I've called it "subconscious navel-gazing" with no immediate objective confirmation. It's understandable that, were we to rely entirely on free-association from the images … Continue reading Subjective Bias and Objective Transparency in Tarot Reading
The Water of Cups and the Contortions of Love
AUTHOR'S NOTE: There seems to be a common misapprehension that the suit of Cups and the element of Water are predominantly about "love" rather than simply referring to the emotional aspects of a tarot reading in general. Asking about a prospective liaison doesn't guarantee receiving an answer in that vein if it isn't "in the … Continue reading The Water of Cups and the Contortions of Love
Somebody Wants Something: The Single-Minded Focus of the Court or “Face” Cards
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I just set aside the two uninspiring tarot books I've been reading and went looking for a volume on playing-card divination. A member of the online cartomancy community recommended Roger Horne's Cartomancy in Folk Witchcraft, and I was able to buy it on Kindle for a small sum. His writing style is a … Continue reading Somebody Wants Something: The Single-Minded Focus of the Court or “Face” Cards
“Coming By It Honestly”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: My Canadian forebears had a wealth of colorful Scottish and Irish folk sayings that I've treasured since the long-ago summers I spent in New Brunswick. Many of the best were preserved by my mother and my maternal grandparents over the decades before they passed. One was "He comes by it honestly" (i.e. "He … Continue reading “Coming By It Honestly”
Pattern-Recognition and Meaning-Making: Unlikely Twins of An Indifferent Mother
AUTHOR'S NOTE: The above title was adapted from the Dan Fogelberg-Tim Weisberg recording Twin Sons of Different Mothers, but the inspiration for this essay came from Joe Monteleone's Tarot Mysticism: The Psycho-Spiritual Technology of the Thoth Tarot. In his discussion of the second tarot trump (the Magus/Magician/Bateleur), Monteleone observed that this card symbolizes human consciousness … Continue reading Pattern-Recognition and Meaning-Making: Unlikely Twins of An Indifferent Mother
The “Detours and Dead-Ends” Mid-Course Correction Spread
AUTHORS NOTE: Not every journey goes smoothly. Mid-course corrections are often necessary to continue making progress toward the destination after running into roadblocks. Some - like potholes in the road - can be "toughed out" and overridden, while other require a more roundabout approach. Here is a spread that follows a developmental arc from beginning … Continue reading The “Detours and Dead-Ends” Mid-Course Correction Spread
The Disruptive Fives: A Bleak But Essential Corrective
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I've written about the tarot Fives a number of times from an esoteric perspective, and also from a pragmatic point-of-view as indicating the need to "break eggs (the stagnant Fours) to make omelettes (the harmonious Sixes)." I've often called them "can-openers" and "nutcrackers." Their disruptive nature comes from their association with the sphere … Continue reading The Disruptive Fives: A Bleak But Essential Corrective
The Story in the Cards
AUTHOR'S NOTE: In his book Tarot Mysticism, The Psycho-Spiritual Technology of the Thoth Tarot, Joe Monteleone observes that the ego "moving through time and space and acting on circumstances . . . gathers a story." In the realm of tarot divination, I submit that the story revealed by the cards in a spread serves as … Continue reading The Story in the Cards
The Maverick Cartomant, Part 4: The Waite-Smith Tarot
AUTHOR'S NOTE: As I recently told one of my online tarot groups, I've saved "the worst for last." When compared to the majority of modern diviners, I'm very far off the beaten path in my dim view of the RWS deck. While the Waite-Smith (RWS) tarot may be the most popular deck in the world, … Continue reading The Maverick Cartomant, Part 4: The Waite-Smith Tarot
