In my reading I came across the assertion that the Two in tarot always represents an incipient action arising from the potential embodied in the Ace of its suit. (It shows the "first step" or initial outbound impulse that the static, self-absorbed Ace has only been pondering up to that point.) The imputed binary state … Continue reading The Threes as “Feedback Loop”
General Tarot
The Crane and The Snake: “Hard” and “Soft” Tarot Reading
AUTHOR'S NOTE: "Reading style" is a consideration that is always at the forefront of my thinking on the most effective ways to wield the tarot when divining for other people. I was just nudged a little further along the path by my study of traditional Chinese philosophy. I recently finished a thought-provoking book, The Tao … Continue reading The Crane and The Snake: “Hard” and “Soft” Tarot Reading
Color Me “Plaid”
The more Tarot de Marseille books I read, the more weary I become of the ubiquitous (and usually anal) attempts to parse all of the bits of local color in an image into some kind of coherent meaning; when they don't drive me crazy, these exhaustive permutations soon degenerate into a monochromatic blur in the … Continue reading Color Me “Plaid”
The Unevolved Fire Signs: A Study in Vanity
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I struggled to find a polite way to say "arrogance" without actually saying it, but that would be an extreme example of my point. Also, there is an idea here regarding the reversed court cards and their Golden Dawn assignment to the Chaldean zodiac that warrants further exploration in another essay. In astrology … Continue reading The Unevolved Fire Signs: A Study in Vanity
Tarot Symbolism in Divination: Fabulism or Impressionism?
I'll clarify my terms before starting. "Fabulism" denotes the placement of fantastical elements into an everyday setting; "impressionism" refers to allusions based on subjective reactions, often loosely-stated. As an example, this distinction aptly displays the difference between the Waite-Smith 7 of Cups, which could best be described as moodily phantasmagorical, and the same card in … Continue reading Tarot Symbolism in Divination: Fabulism or Impressionism?
Contemplate the Edges
Here is an ancient adage that we all know well: "There are two sides to every coin." But in my ongoing reading of The Tao of Thoth I was intrigued by the notion that it might be more fruitful to contemplate the edge of the coin that simultaneously divides and unites the obverse and reverse … Continue reading Contemplate the Edges
A “Yin-and-Yang” Seasonal Pattern
As I continue to explore the Taijii ("Yin/Yang") symbol in combination with the Major Arcana of the tarot, I downloaded an image and inserted the semi-annual solstices and equinoxes to create a four-season cyclical pattern showing the interplay between the dark of Yin and the light of Yang over the course of a year. I … Continue reading A “Yin-and-Yang” Seasonal Pattern
“No Wrong Way” (But Maybe Better Ones)
I'm weary of hearing well-intentioned metaphysical mavens trumpet "There is no wrong way to read the tarot," which is usually appended with "Just do whatever you feel." I recently came across a quote from Aleister Crowley that I think is appropriate here: "There are only two operations possible in the Universe, Analysis and Synthesis. To … Continue reading “No Wrong Way” (But Maybe Better Ones)
A Tale of Two Wanderers
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I've always believed that - apart from their customary role in the "Fool's Journey" pageant - there is more to be said about the visual similarities between the Waite-Smith Hermit and the Fool than I've come across in the literature. Here I explore one version of it in "storytelling" guise. I've been bemused … Continue reading A Tale of Two Wanderers
Topic Is King
I've been reading tarot cards for several decades now without needing to know in advance exactly what the sitter (querent, client, etc.) is seeking. Since discovering the idea in Eden Gray's book The Tarot Revealed, I've always felt that - beside offering total privacy unless the sitter chooses to breach it - such an unstructured … Continue reading Topic Is King
