I'm mildly amused by people who say "Tarot isn't meant for yes-or-no questions." I suspect that back in the 18th and 19th Centuries (before we went "all psychological and spiritual" with it) tarot wasn't used for much else but binary questions. The cards will basically do anything we require of them as long as we … Continue reading The “Environmental” Yes-or-No Answer
General Tarot
The “Opportunity Spotter”
There is a certain queasiness in tarot circles about use of the term "fortune-teller" to describe what we do, as if we're contemplating the commission of a scurrilous or unclean act. The rational-sounding "psychological" approach to the tarot is usually trotted out to dispel any taint of moral impropriety that the mere mention of prognostication … Continue reading The “Opportunity Spotter”
The Tyranny of the Familiar
I presently own just over 70 tarot, Lenormand and and oracle decks and, although I've made great strides in my battle with "Deck Acquisition Syndrome," I despair of ever completely conquering it. But I just had an epiphany regarding the nature of my addiction. I've come to realize that, at least in the realm of … Continue reading The Tyranny of the Familiar
Another Milestone
Just a brief aside before I finish the daily essay I started working on last night. Yesterday I finally passed 1,500 posts on this blog that I launched in August of 2017. I took the better part of a year off, so it seems I've come fairly close to my original goal of writing something … Continue reading Another Milestone
The Long Shadow of Jung
AUTHOR'S NOTE: In retrospect, I probably should have titled this essay "Saving Tarot from Psychology" as mentioned in the last paragraph, but I decided to let the original title stand as more representative of the overall thrust. More to the point, I already have an earlier essay with that title. I'm greatly amused (I used … Continue reading The Long Shadow of Jung
Tone vs. Substance: “Soft Focus” and the Art of Simplification
Sometimes (well, actually, more often than not) I think people just starting into the practice of tarot reading expect far too much from it in the way of precision. I was talking to a frustrated individual online who admitted to being extremely analytical and receiving little encouragement from the persistent lack of congruity between his … Continue reading Tone vs. Substance: “Soft Focus” and the Art of Simplification
Timing of Events: Linear, Rotational and “Scatter” Spreads
The subject of time is a fascinating one. In some quarters it is believed that time is not linear (if I recall correctly, some theoretical physicists say "curved" as a kind of wave-form, some say "cyclical," some say "synchronistic"); in the last one, any conceivable event is likely to occur (or may even be occurring … Continue reading Timing of Events: Linear, Rotational and “Scatter” Spreads
“Adjectivitis” – The Tarot Writer’s (and Reader’s) Albatross
I have to confess that the comma is my enemy, particularly when it is used to link an endless array of modifiers that would be best boiled down into a single compelling noun or trenchant adjective (for that matter, the more sophisticated semi-colon is at most a "friend with benefits" and not a faithful consort … Continue reading “Adjectivitis” – The Tarot Writer’s (and Reader’s) Albatross
Half-Measures
Here's another tidbit from Paul Marteau's Tarot de Marseille book. In describing the "inverted" or reversed image of the Knight of Cups, he says "The power of the card is only reduced in half, being too active for the effects to be extinguished; there are delays or impediments." One popular assumption about reversed cards in … Continue reading Half-Measures
The “Science” of Tarot
Aleister Crowley said he pursued the "Aim of Religion" (by which I assume he meant spiritual enlightenment and not sacerdotal hegemony) using the "Method of Science" (he was clearly enamored of the scientific advances of his time, and much of the latter is on display in the Book of Thoth). Those tarot readers who don't … Continue reading The “Science” of Tarot
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 