AUTHOR'S NOTE: I first came across the idea of "numerological counterparts" for the Major Arcana in the companion book to the Druid Craft Tarot by Philip and Stephanie Carr-Gomm. It was derived in the same way as the "quintessence" card, but here is a slightly more involved method. In The Way of Tarot, Alejandro Jodorowsky … Continue reading Jodo’s Numerical Counterparts: “VI in the Ones Place”
Numerology
The Nines: One Foot Out the Door
AUTHOR'S NOTE: My metaphysical view of the cards of the Minor Arcana has long been steeped in the numerical symbolism of the Hermetic Tree of Life, seasoned with a little Pythagorean number theory. But it can be refreshing to consider other perspectives, and in this example I'm addressing the opinions of Alejandro Jodorowsky in The … Continue reading The Nines: One Foot Out the Door
The Three-Card Quintessence: A New Twist on an Old Idea
In The Way of Tarot, Alejandro Jodorowsky points out that the second half of the Tarot de Marseille trump-card series - both in its whole numbers and in its factored integers - progresses by addition of the Roman numerals with no subtraction needed (e.g. while the Devil is 10 + 5 [or X+V] = 15, … Continue reading The Three-Card Quintessence: A New Twist on an Old Idea
“Dreams and Mystification”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I'm not a huge fan of this book but it does have its moments of lucidity. (Some may recall that Jodorowsky was a fiercely iconoclastic and surrealistic film-maker in the '70s [El Topo, The Holy Mountain, etc], which may explain his singular and often peculiar notions about the tarot.) As I begin re-reading … Continue reading “Dreams and Mystification”
A “Deep Dive” Card Selection Method and Multipurpose Spread
Here's another "new-to-me" idea, courtesy of The Grand Etteilla. In the book there is a five-card spread in which the reader creates the layout by initially pulling the fifth card from the top (Card #5), then the card five tiers below that one (Card #10), followed by the card five tiers below the tenth card … Continue reading A “Deep Dive” Card Selection Method and Multipurpose Spread
Ten as the “Hub of Insights”
"The number 10, which is complete, is the central meeting point for insights of all types." This observation by M.M. d'Odoucet in The Grand Etteilla touches obliquely on my own view of the tarot Tens: they represent awareness of the "disengagement" that must follow any closure which, in its fullness, brings either utter satisfaction or … Continue reading Ten as the “Hub of Insights”
“Turn the Page:” A Personal/Professional Development Spread
I'm always looking for new ways to use the facing of the human figures and other directional elements on the tarot cards. Here I've created a spread that takes on different forms depending on whether or not the salient features are focused "off-page" and which way they're looking or pointing (left, right or straight out). … Continue reading “Turn the Page:” A Personal/Professional Development Spread
The Lovers: Decisions, Commitments and A “Fork in the Road”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Another random insight from The Grand Etteilla. In Jean-Baptiste Alliette's Book of Thoth tarot (aka the "Grand Etteilla") there is a card titled "Marriage" that is markedly similar to modern versions of the Lovers based on the Waite-Smith design. It shows a man and a woman attended by an officiating priest, obviously engaged … Continue reading The Lovers: Decisions, Commitments and A “Fork in the Road”
Rachel Pollack: A “Best-Case Scenario” Reading
Author's Note: It may be presumptuous of me to do this without being asked, but those of us who have ever met Rachel are deeply concerned about her condition and I wanted to capture that interest in an appropriate appeal to the tarot. It seemed fortuitous that I have her Shining Tribe deck. UPDATE: This … Continue reading Rachel Pollack: A “Best-Case Scenario” Reading
An Experiment in “Symbolic Parallels”
Here is a 15-card spread that explores the notion that cards will complement one another according to the position they hold within the 78-card series, essentially creating pairs of "symbolic parallels." It is intended to show the querent's psychological orientation to the subject of the reading as it develops over time, from initial awareness to … Continue reading An Experiment in “Symbolic Parallels”
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 