AUTHOR'S NOTE: Querents often sit for a tarot reading when they are completely in the dark about what to do next in their current situation. At its best a forecast will illuminate the path ahead and give the sitter something to shoot for in the way of self-directed effort. But all too often the vista … Continue reading Illuminating the Path: A Hopeful Light in the Darkness or Dim Prospects Ahead?
Professional Tarot
The Reversed Hanged Man: Transcending Forced Idleness
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I've just encountered another instance of the reversed Hanged Man in a tarot reading, and decided to revisit my past assumptions about it. There are three ways to approach it: practical, psychological and spiritual. In divination I usually consider its practical implications first and its psychological impact next, while spiritual consequences are not … Continue reading The Reversed Hanged Man: Transcending Forced Idleness
Public Figures and Personal Privacy in Divination
AUTHOR'S NOTE: In his book Tarot Reading Explained, James Ricklef mentioned that, when he began practicing tarot divination on prominent public figures in support of his American Tarot Association column, he chose not to read about those who were still living, under the assumption that it would constitute an invasion of privacy and could result … Continue reading Public Figures and Personal Privacy in Divination
Parsing* the Three-Card Reading
*Parse: To analyze a complex set of information—such as a sentence, data, or code—by breaking it into smaller parts to understand its structure and meaning, or to process it, AUTHOR'S NOTE: Right off the top I should mention that the three-card reading finds little favor in my own work because there can be a glaring … Continue reading Parsing* the Three-Card Reading
Aligning with Circumstances: “What If I . . . ?” Rather Than “Will I, Can I, Should I . . . ?”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: It's acknowledged wisdom in the tarot community that any question posed solely for the purpose of discovering whether a hoped-for event will occur in the near future should be rephrased in the form of "What can I do to encourage the outcome I want?" This approach does away with the rigid "yes-or-no" structure … Continue reading Aligning with Circumstances: “What If I . . . ?” Rather Than “Will I, Can I, Should I . . . ?”
An Inevitable Transition
AUTHOR'S NOTE: When I started this blog in the summer of 2017, I made it abundantly clear that I would be writing primarily for myself, not the public, and I would not monetize it, instead paying for the privilege of saying whatever I want to say on the subject of divination, which I - as … Continue reading An Inevitable Transition
Anecdotal vs. Empirical: The Rational Diviner’s Dilemma
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I was recently engaged in an online conversation with an avowed skeptic who wants to delve into the occult but can't overcome the perception that there is no objective evidence of its legitimacy, while also acknowledging that he hasn't actually made an attempt to prove otherwise to his own satisfaction. This was my … Continue reading Anecdotal vs. Empirical: The Rational Diviner’s Dilemma
“Diviner, Know Thy Stuff”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I recently had cause to go back and look at a post from 2018 in which I gave my opinion about what a beginning tarot reader needs to know concerning the art of divination. The second "diviner's maxim" I presented after mentioning the advice of Socrates to "Know thyself" was "Know thy stuff." … Continue reading “Diviner, Know Thy Stuff”
Another “Tweaked” French Cross Model: A Situational and Positional Profile Spread
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Here is another adaptation of my "tweaked" version of the French Cross spread, this time to address a client's specific relationship matter. It features a horizontal, four-card "situational" axis, the middle pair of which I'm calling "adaptive response" cards that suggest necessary adjustments to the querent's behaviors and attitudes. (They should be interpreted … Continue reading Another “Tweaked” French Cross Model: A Situational and Positional Profile Spread
The Mystical Tide: Rising or Falling?
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Between the ages of 18 and 30, I lived through the 12-year period that saw the hippie zeitgeist reach its brief zenith and then fade. It was a heady time of boundless "New Age" enthusiasm for all things exotic in the realm of metaphysics, as well as the burgeoning of unique psychological and … Continue reading The Mystical Tide: Rising or Falling?
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 