AUTHOR'S NOTE: I was recently accused by someone in the online tarot community of being an elitist gatekeeper when I voiced my doubts about the mystical drivel that too often passes for professional guidance in the social-media marketplace. I'm too thick-skinned to feel the urge to wage war against those who take it upon themselves … Continue reading A Skeptic’s View of Mystical Pretenders
General Tarot
A Reversal Miscellany – Variations on a Theme
SUMMARY: Let it be said that nothing is certain in life except death, taxes and more essays from me on the subject of reversed cards in tarot reading. Here is another composite post based on the new "shared theme" model that I debuted recently, this time taking a more general look at reversals. The "Bubble … Continue reading A Reversal Miscellany – Variations on a Theme
Noise Pollution: Unpacking the Ambiguous Reading
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Lately I've been using the analogy of "white noise" when discussing the lack of a cohesive (it doesn't hang together) and coherent (it isn't intelligible) message in the cards of a tarot reading. All too often, when diviners are confronted with such ambiguity in a spread, the sound coming out of them (myself … Continue reading Noise Pollution: Unpacking the Ambiguous Reading
The AI Assault on the Art of Divination
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I can't quite fathom why anyone would think that the intrusion of AI (artificial intelligence) technology into the art of divination is desirable. Regarding the entire phenomenon, we might well substitute "AI" for "America" in the old Funkadelic album title "America Eats Its Young." I'm disturbed (although I can't say shocked) by the … Continue reading The AI Assault on the Art of Divination
“Tell Me What’s Going to Happen, Percy!”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I was just reading an online comment that stated in part "Tarot isn't meant to give you answers (about the future) per se . . . " I looked up the current definition of that phrase, which is "by or in itself; intrinsically." For the purpose of this essay I decided to transmute … Continue reading “Tell Me What’s Going to Happen, Percy!”
Rank Has Its Prerogatives – A Departure from the Norm
AUTHOR'S NOTE: As I understand it, those diviners who use only the 22 trump cards in their readings frequently assign all of the cards equal weight in the same way that Lenormand cards are interpreted. I've also been told by some in Europe that they accord the trumps no more significance than they would any … Continue reading Rank Has Its Prerogatives – A Departure from the Norm
The Middle Way: Finding the “Sweet Spot”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: It is often said that, within its range of customary definitions, every tarot card contains all possible shades of positive and negative meaning that will invariably yield a piece of the puzzle when wisely applied to a specific question. The analysis is typically approached as a deductive exercise that first zeros in on … Continue reading The Middle Way: Finding the “Sweet Spot”
Cards of “Accelerated Circumstances”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: In a previous post I explored the cards of the Waite-Smith deck that generally indicate "movement" in the matter at hand. I cast a fairly wide net in assembling that population, but here I'm sharpening the focus to identify only those cards that create a propulsive "push" to get on with business. In … Continue reading Cards of “Accelerated Circumstances”
The Pages: Impatience Rising
AUTHOR'S NOTE: In my recent readings I've been interpreting the Page of Swords as being "impatient for an answer." Today, while reading about the Page of Wands in Benebell Wens Holistic Tarot, I realized that this mild form of agitation can be applied to the Pages of all four suits. Because of their immaturity, aversion … Continue reading The Pages: Impatience Rising
The Importance of Validation: Framing the Past in a Reading
AUTHOR'S NOTE: In recent years I have moved away from the "Past/Present/Future" format in three-card tarot readings because there is little point in dwelling on "what has been" in such a brief snapshot. Instead I cut to the chase by focusing on "Present/Near Future/Longer-Range Outcome." However, in larger spreads like the ten-card Celtic Cross, there … Continue reading The Importance of Validation: Framing the Past in a Reading
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 