AUTHOR'S NOTE: I've just begun reading Vincent Pitisci's first book, Genius of the Tarot: A Guide to Divination with the Tarot, and I'm pleasantly surprised to find that his thinking agrees on almost all points with similar opinions I've formed over 50 years of study and practice. At the time he wrote it (2013) he … Continue reading Question Quibbles
General Tarot
Flights of Vanity
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This rant certainly won't endear me to the few video-content creators of my acquaintance, so I won't be sharing it widely. While there are a handful I respect for their professionalism, I imagine they could become expert at anything they attempt; the rest seem to subscribe to the notion that "It's so simple … Continue reading Flights of Vanity
“A Cynic, a Skeptic and a Mystic Walk into a Bar . . .”
Who walks out? Me, most likely! Seriously, though, setting aside cynicism (which helps nobody) is there a place for rational skepticism in mystical practice? I'm a living example of that questioning mindset, believing implicitly in the esoteric wisdom that rewards serious metaphysical inquiry while holding a less charitable opinion of some of its modern proponents. … Continue reading “A Cynic, a Skeptic and a Mystic Walk into a Bar . . .”
Walking the Talk
For the neophyte, learning to read the tarot cards is a charming diversion that, when diligently nurtured, can soon become a mesmerizing quest for the truth. It's a bit like rabbit-hunting; we're handed a dangerous weapon, a figurative "shotgun," and set off in pursuit of the quarry, which is elusive and can lead us, like … Continue reading Walking the Talk
“A Powerful Group Effort”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: One of the problems with electronic reading devices is that they will run out of power if you forget to charge them. (I know, "Duh!") I like to read my tarot books on the Kindle while doing my morning treadmill jog, but yesterday the tablet died and I had to resort to the … Continue reading “A Powerful Group Effort”
Youngbloods in the Tarotscope
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Get Together, the utopian anthem of unconditional love and peace by the Youngbloods, is one of the most hopeful (and, in retrospect, most naive) songs to come out of the "hippie generation" (although I sense a little of the poignant introspection of Kahlil Gibran or Omar Khayyam in it). Here is my interpretation … Continue reading Youngbloods in the Tarotscope
Reading Skills: Black & White or Technicolor?
AUTHOR'S NOTE: These are entirely my own opinions about what it takes to become an effective tarot reader in a face-to-face setting, based on over five decades of practice. (Online reading doesn't count since it is not an interactive art requiring presentation skills; it falls under the "black & white" category of the title.) This … Continue reading Reading Skills: Black & White or Technicolor?
Tarot Worldview: A Matter of Perspective
AUTHOR'S NOTE: The Germans have a precise but rather fierce-sounding word for it: weltanschauung. As an esoteric thinker with Germanic roots and a decidedly rational (as well as curmudgeonly) approach to tarot matters, I've always had reservations about the metaphysical worldview that assumes everything in existence is mystically entwined in a matrix of perfect congruence, … Continue reading Tarot Worldview: A Matter of Perspective
“Movement Cards” of the Waite-Smith Tarot
AUTHOR'S NOTE: While contemplating the Waite-Smith (aka "RWS") 6 of Swords as a card of transition from one mental state to a more promising one, I decided to identify the other RWS images that signify movement as a consciously-applied force and not merely a consequence or byproduct of other factors. Some of the best examples … Continue reading “Movement Cards” of the Waite-Smith Tarot
“The Boomerang Effect” – Reversal as Denial
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I was reading Isabel Kliegman's description of the reversed 9 of Cups as indicating "denial of the need for self-care" (my words paraphrasing hers) in an alcohol-addiction scenario where the client was obviously lying to herself. Smelling another opportunity to enhance my growing appreciation for reversed-card significance, I decided to look through my … Continue reading “The Boomerang Effect” – Reversal as Denial
