AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is the second essay in what may become a series where I take a structured look at "numerological counterparts" among the trump cards as "alike but different" expressions of a common theme. Here I'm tackling The Chariot (7) and its counterpart, The Tower (16=1+6=7). In approaching this subject, I recognized that both … Continue reading The Chariot and The Tower: “Risky Business”
Golden Dawn
“Crisis at the Crossroads” – A Problem-Solving Spread
This spread uses elemental affinity and reversal to arrive at one of three possible outcomes for problem resolution: "Accept and Support;" "Try Everything" or "Do Nothing." In each case it creates a five-card reading with the "Crossroads" card as the "turning point" in the matter. Shuffle the deck to allow for reversals.
“Six-ness” and the Sextile
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I recently came across two online questions that I've merged into a single essay. The first involved the blending of astrology with tarot, and the second inquired whether the 6 of Swords is a favorable card. In thinking about this topic, it struck me that in astrology the sextile aspect (60 degrees of … Continue reading “Six-ness” and the Sextile
A Fish Out of Water
"The fish in the water, the bird in the sky . . ." AUTHOR'S NOTE: When I encountered the above truncated haiku (which is apparently a fragment and maybe only a loose translation of a "traditional Japanese poem"), it brought me back to contemplation of the value of Elemental Dignity in tarot reading. This time … Continue reading A Fish Out of Water
The Tree of Life in the Abstract
As I understand it after many years of study, there are two ways to look at the Qabalistic Tree of Life. There is the traditional viewpoint of Hebraic mysticism involving what I term the "rabbinical" Tree, perhaps best exemplified by the work of Rabbi Isaac Luria (which I admit to not having studied in depth … Continue reading The Tree of Life in the Abstract
The Twos As “Accumulation and Incubation”
I've always considered the number Two in the Minor Arcana of the tarot to signify "centrifugal" oscillation like that of a swinging pendulum. It reaches the outermost limit of its travel before being pulled (very briefly) back to center by gravity, and then departs once again to the end of its tether in the opposite … Continue reading The Twos As “Accumulation and Incubation”
The “Keynote Series” Developmental Insight Spread
Here is a concept that uses three brief "mini-readings" (Past/Present/Future) to derive a fourth "keynote" spread showing a condensed developmental path for the situation. It applies Elemental Dignities to the "Present" line, which is read from the outside-in according to standard ED practice. (The center, or "principal," card is the focus; the others feed into … Continue reading The “Keynote Series” Developmental Insight Spread
Off-Center and Off-Balance or Completely Off-the-Page?
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I've begun reading the second (1773) edition of Jean-Baptise Alliette's seminal book on divination, Etteilla or The Only Way to Read the Cards. In an example reading he mentions that failure of the card representing the querent to appear in the draw meant that she was not "at the center of her affairs." … Continue reading Off-Center and Off-Balance or Completely Off-the-Page?
A “Chaldean Vertical Slice” Situational Development Spread
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Although the Chaldean decans are a useful symbolic tool on a card-by-card basis, I'm always seeking ways to press the model into wider service. Here's another attempt that treats the attached Golden Dawn "wheels" as more than reference works. I decided to turn the diagrams of Chaldean decan and tarot card correspondences into … Continue reading A “Chaldean Vertical Slice” Situational Development Spread
The Magician and “Imposter Syndrome”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Sometimes the Magician gets a well-deserved "rap on the knuckles." In all his sly cleverness, the Magician can come across as insincere; there may be disarming assurances of proficiency or protestations of virtue where no such qualities exist. I'm reminded of the "Imposter Syndrome" in which we find ourselves in an uncomfortable position … Continue reading The Magician and “Imposter Syndrome”
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 