Writers who care about originality love the synonym. It lets us repeat the same idea (sometimes ad nauseum) without seeming overly redundant or hackneyed. You may have noticed that I try not to use the word "shows" to describe the import of the cards in a reading more than once in the same piece of … Continue reading Down with the Synonym! – Variations on a Theme
General Tarot
Pseudoscience: Mystics vs. Statistics
Tarot of Dreams by Ciro Marchetti Once in a while, as I mine public information sources like Wikipedia, I bump into the term "pseudoscience" used to describe the esoteric arts, and especially astrology. Even in supposedly unbiased academic circles, the implication of this epithet is that what we do is invalid or "fake" and … Continue reading Pseudoscience: Mystics vs. Statistics
Hazardous to Your Wealth?
Today I was thinking that, with the inordinate number of tarot decks being purchased as a result of the pandemic lock-down, it might be appropriate to have a "Surgeon General's Warning" on the boxes, something like "Warning! Excessive consumption of this type of product can be hazardous to your wealth." I've pretty much immunized myself … Continue reading Hazardous to Your Wealth?
“Oh, the Shame . . . “
I had a novel experience yesterday. I was bounced from a Facebook group for being too forthcoming with my knowledge. I won't name it, but it's a very popular tarot students' site. The convenient excuse was that I was promoting my divination business, but I never did. The real reason was that I didn't fit … Continue reading “Oh, the Shame . . . “
Card-Learning Tricks: “Sensory Complexion”
The title is a misnomer. There are no "tricks" or reliable shortcuts for instantly absorbing and retaining the gist of the 78 cards of the tarot, but there are some convenient alternatives to memorizing reams of keyword text. This fanciful method was brought to my attention yesterday, and I thought I would elaborate on the … Continue reading Card-Learning Tricks: “Sensory Complexion”
“You Do You”
I was looking up the phrase "You do you" for this post on self-reading and found that its origin may be older than we think, although I believe the emphasis here was on the "do" and not the "you" in this antique usage; "Do enjoy yourself" was the intent and the comma was only to … Continue reading “You Do You”
Carpe Momentum!
Recently, on the Tarot Professionals Facebook page, Marcus Katz mentioned the aphorism "The oracular moment is sacrosanct." This got me thinking about the instant in time when each tarot card is randomly drawn from the deck to populate a spread. These linked cards are imprinted with the subtle influences inherent in that temporal interval, whether … Continue reading Carpe Momentum!
“No Way, No How?” – A Card-by-Card Event-Timing Table
UPDATE: I revised the table to reflect that certain cards in combination can indicate that the anticipated event won't happen without extra effort on the part of the querent. https://memes.getyarn.io/yarn-clip/53119a42-5ef5-4011-a985-1d8d93234f37#o9i6Ao7uhZ.copy Timing of events with the tarot is the proverbial "tough nut to crack." None of the various methods I've explored (and some of those I've … Continue reading “No Way, No How?” – A Card-by-Card Event-Timing Table
Who’s Driving Here?
I find it curious how much hand-wringing goes on in the tarot community over how the client sees the physical arrangement of the cards on the table. Should the cards appear upright or reversed to the reader or to the sitter? Should the cards be read from left to right according to the perspective of … Continue reading Who’s Driving Here?
Favorite Things
I was recently talking to someone about "reading style." It's a subject worth examining in more detail. Although I can be a bit flippant in calling myself "half mad scientist and half mystic," what it boils down to is that my own mode of reading the cards partakes slightly more of the analytical than the … Continue reading Favorite Things
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 