AUTHOR'S NOTE: There is an old movie from the early '90s titled Eddie and the Cruisers that portrays Michal Paré as Eddie Wilson, the leader of a 1960s-era rock band, sagely advising Tom Beringer (as Frank "Wordman" Ridgeway, the group's lyricist) on the nature of the business: "It's about words and music, Wordman, words and … Continue reading “Pictures, Words and Numbers, Cardman”
General Tarot
The Lovers and The Devil: “I Double-Dare Ya!”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is the third in my series of essays examining the trump cards of the tarot as "numerological counterparts" that present "alike but different" versions of a common theme. This time I'm looking at two cards that express the number "6," those "strange bedfellows" the Lovers (VI) and the Devil (15=1+5=6). Esoterically, Six … Continue reading The Lovers and The Devil: “I Double-Dare Ya!”
The “Answer” Begs a “Question”
"Without a question, there is no answer possible" - Alejandro Jodorowsky AUTHOR'S NOTE: From time-to-time I revisit my long-standing preference for reading tarot cards without knowing the sitter's specific question in advance (something I've been doing since 1972). The above quote from The Way of Tarot has raised the subject once again and I couldn't … Continue reading The “Answer” Begs a “Question”
Only A Fool . . .
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Here I've taken another stab at creating one of my quirky "pop-culture" tarot tableaux, this time marrying Brian Williams' sly PoMo Tarot to Steely Dan's equally sly lyrics in "Only A Fool Would Say That" from their first album. It looks like a "match made in heaven" to me because the PoMo Tarot … Continue reading Only A Fool . . .
Dynamic Tarot Reading
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This certainly isn't the only way to read the tarot cards with deftness and fluency, but it came to mind while I was contemplating the raised sword in the right hand of Justice as "barring the way" of the card to the reader's left, seemingly fending off a past that is trying to … Continue reading Dynamic Tarot Reading
Reflections on Rephrasing and Repositioning
It's fair to say that many (if not most) seekers who are moved to pay for a tarot reading are dealing with anxiety (or at least unsettling reservations) about whether some action they are contemplating or some situation they're confronting will work out as desired. While it's also understandable that they want an unambiguous "Yes-or-No" … Continue reading Reflections on Rephrasing and Repositioning
Tarot as “Magic Mirror”
Although I've always viewed tarot divination as "mirroring" the current disposition of the subconscious mind via the act of shuffling and cutting the deck, I had only seen it portrayed more grandly as a "mirror of the soul" in the title of Gerd Ziegler's Thoth book, Tarot: Mirror of the Soul. As such, it implies … Continue reading Tarot as “Magic Mirror”
Legal Liability and the Risk of Error
From time to time a sensational news article appears about a fortune-telling scammer who has bilked a naive client out of a considerable sum of money by proposing to free them of an imaginary curse. Some US States have laws that restrict the practice of divination to "entertainment" status, which makes it clear that no … Continue reading Legal Liability and the Risk of Error
The Case for a Firm Foundation
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I've written in the past about the advantages and disadvantages of using secondary factors (numbers, elements, astrological correspondences, etc.) when reading tarot cards. But the more I see and hear of the current pop-culture "buzz" surrounding the practice of tarot, the more I think that applying such nuances of thoughtful study and contemplation … Continue reading The Case for a Firm Foundation
Cups Redux – A Valentine’s Day Reboot
Although I think it's just another "Hallmark holiday" now, I've begun a tradition of informally bumping my "Cups in Love" post every Valentine's Day. https://parsifalswheeldivination.wordpress.com/2018/02/06/got-love-if-you-want-it-or-love-in-its-cups/
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 