AUTHOR'S NOTE: I've been using a combination of Pythagorean and Qabalistic number theory with the minor (or "pip") cards over the entire span of my five-decade tarot journey, but more recently I came across a new model (which is not all that different from my old one) in playing-card divination. I thought it would be … Continue reading A Multi-Path Progression: Occult, Cartomantic and Numerological Number Theory
Playing-Card Cartomancy
“Three Sizes Too Small:” My RWS Apostasy
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I've worked with the Thoth deck for over 50 years because I think it cuts much deeper than the rest. I'm also fond of the Tarot de Marseille (TdM) and the Lenormand cards, and I'm chipping away at playing-card divination, the I Ching and geomancy. The Waite-Smith (RWS) deck is far down in … Continue reading “Three Sizes Too Small:” My RWS Apostasy
A “Royal Disconnect”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Any historian who writes about the development of cartomancy in the West will eventually have to deal with the fact that there are three "royal" or face cards - King, Queen and Jack - in a standard playing-card deck and four "court" cards - King, Queen, Knight and Valet or Knave - in … Continue reading A “Royal Disconnect”
Numerical Rectification of the Minor Arcana
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Even when divining with tarot decks that include scenic or semi-scenic Minor Arcana (specifically the Waite-Smith, the Thoth and their numerous clones), I'm prone to rely on suit-and-number theory for much of my improvisational content. When interpreting the cards, I pay little attention to the images after I've identified their presence in a … Continue reading Numerical Rectification of the Minor Arcana
Six Is the Way!
AUTHOR'S NOTE: In the late Dawn Jackson's "hedgewhytchery" system of playing-card divination, the number Six is considered to represent a "path" that is revealed to the seeker. Although I'm on vacation and don't have my reference material at hand, we can assume that the path's origin and terminus are indicated by the pair of cards … Continue reading Six Is the Way!
Harmony and Discord in Cartomancy
AUTHOR’S NOTE: According to Wiccan author Roger Horne, the Threes, Sixes and Nines in playing-card divination are the “three harmonies” of the deck in that their influence is typically agreeable (except in the suit of Spades). Conversely, the Fives and Sevens are the two "discords" (the latter more debilitating than the former), bringing disarray into … Continue reading Harmony and Discord in Cartomancy
Driving to Florida: Last Leg and Arrival
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Saturday night in Savannah, GA I pulled the cards below for the final leg of our road trip to Daytona Beach, FL. We arrived without further incident around 1:30 PM Sunday, March 1st. Overview: The three adjacent face cards seemed to have the potential for lively interaction, but beyond the King of Clubs … Continue reading Driving to Florida: Last Leg and Arrival
Driving to Florida: Third Leg
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I pulled these cards last night for today's 7-hour trip from Emporia, VA to Savannah, GA. As I write this, we're at a hotel in Savannah Gateway, so the narrative in the cards proved to be accurate. Once again, I adapted the traditional meanings for the suits that appeared in the draw to … Continue reading Driving to Florida: Third Leg
Driving to Florida: Second Leg
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I threw the cards for this reading last night, but right now I'm sitting in Emporia, Virginia at the end of the second leg of our trip, so this is a validation of yesterday's prediction rather than a new forecast. Since the subject is a road trip, I adapted the usual suit meanings … Continue reading Driving to Florida: Second Leg
Driving to Florida: First Leg
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Every year around this time we drive from New Hampshire to Florida for a month-long stay during the worst of the New England winter. February in Daytona Beach has been too cold for the last few years so we pushed it out a month into March. I normally perform a trip forecast with … Continue reading Driving to Florida: First Leg
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 