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
General Tarot
Flagrant Faking: Real or Imaginary?
AUTHOR'S NOTE: In a recent sub-reddit thread, someone asked whether it is possible to spot a "fake" tarot reader, and how that might be done. The person was understandably nervous about paying for a poor-quality reading by an incompetent practitioner. Many of the negative comments were aimed at YouTube readers, and I was inspired to … Continue reading Flagrant Faking: Real or Imaginary?
“Death Becomes Him” – Thoughts on Mystical Rationalism
AUTHOR'S NOTE: You may remember the old Bruce Willis-Meryl Streep-Goldie Hawn film Death Becomes Her. I'm paraphrasing the title to support my introductory premise but there is no intended plot connection. In the occult tarot lexicon, the Death card corresponds to the enigmatic and remorseless Water sign Scorpio. In a previous essay I mentioned that, … Continue reading “Death Becomes Him” – Thoughts on Mystical Rationalism
“Grow, Grow . . .”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: My title is an allusion to a quote from the Talmud mentioned by Sallie Nichols in Tarot and the Archetypal Journey: "Every blade of grass has its Angel that bends over it and whispers, 'Grow, grow!'" One of my favorite semi-truisms about the tarot is "Every time I perform a reading for another … Continue reading “Grow, Grow . . .”
“Guided Intuition”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Before the mystics and psychics among my readers get too excited, this essay is not about the participation of "spirit guides" in tarot reading, since in my estimation such entities may be nothing more than astral phantasms of subconscious origin projected by those seeking the comfort and confidence of an external spiritual authority. … Continue reading “Guided Intuition”
Why Ask “Why?”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Jungian tarot author Sallie Nichols made a strong case for why it isn't helpful to ask "Why?" of the tarot cards. I gave her a fair hearing but came away unconvinced. In her lengthy chapter on the Wheel of Fortune in Tarot and the Archetypal Journey (which I've been wading through in half-hour … Continue reading Why Ask “Why?”
Detachment, the Master Key to Objectivity
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I've yet to meet a tarot beginner who hasn't agonized over whether an emotionally unsteady state of mind will improperly bias the outcome when reading for themselves.* This can certainly happen (for example, in stressful romantic situations), but it doesn't have to. For the record, divination with the cards is an emotive storytelling … Continue reading Detachment, the Master Key to Objectivity
“The Kid-Glove Treatment:” A Soft Approach to Reversals
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This meditation on reversed cards joins more than a dozen other unconventional approaches I've already examined in past essays, while revisiting some of my earlier observations. (See my two "compendiums" [compendia?] of earlier posts on the subject elsewhere in this blog.) "Kid gloves" were made from the exceptionally supple hides of baby goats … Continue reading “The Kid-Glove Treatment:” A Soft Approach to Reversals
Jupiter’s Child: A “Tarotscape”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: While writing my recent essay about the Lover and the Chariot I had occasion to look up the words to Steppenwolf's 1969 rock song Jupiter's Child, and confirmed my recollection that its mythic tone is perfect for my approach to linking tarot cards with song lyrics. I decided to use the Anna K … Continue reading Jupiter’s Child: A “Tarotscape”
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
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 