AUTHOR'S NOTE: I just discovered a quote by an unnamed "Bacon" (it's unclear whether the writer meant Roger or Francis, but my money would be on the latter, who was a consummate linguist) that speaks loudly to my long-held opinion that the scenic (and often "folkloric") minor cards of the Waite-Smith tarot do no justice … Continue reading Bringing Home the Bacon!
Professional Tarot
“You Have No Power Over Me” – Benefic and Malefic Tarot Cards
AUTHOR'S NOTE: My title comes from the final exchange between Sarah (Jennifer Connelly) and the Goblin King (David Bowie) in the fantasy movie The Labyrinth, in which she informs him that she is no longer susceptible to his wiles. But the inspiration for what follows comes from The Discarded Image by C.S. Lewis (who knew … Continue reading “You Have No Power Over Me” – Benefic and Malefic Tarot Cards
Negotiated Settlement: A Best-Case/Worst-Case Trend Development Spread
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I like to say that I don't purposely seek "good" or "bad" answers in a tarot reading but only an indication of trending circumstances that can be brought to a head through the querent's focused engagement. Here is a spread that makes good on this paradigm. It uses a breakdown of generally auspicious, … Continue reading Negotiated Settlement: A Best-Case/Worst-Case Trend Development Spread
Therapeutic Tarot: Counseling or Healing?
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I recently came across a debate in the online tarot community that argued whether a tarot reading should be used as a form of therapy that, instead of seeking an answer to a specific question, can "work through and heal the anxiety underlying why the question is being asked in the first place." … Continue reading Therapeutic Tarot: Counseling or Healing?
Fudging, Hedging and Guessing: Random Thoughts on Timing
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Timing the occurrence of specific events or the arrival of predicted circumstances with the tarot cards is a perennial source of discussion (and frustration) in the online tarot community. Responses usually run the gamut from the traditional suit-based approach that transitions from Wands (very soon) at one end to Pentacles (very much later) … Continue reading Fudging, Hedging and Guessing: Random Thoughts on Timing
Dropping the Masks: A Shared-Dynamic Relationship Spread
AUTHOR'S NOTE: It's been a while since I created a comprehensive relationship spread. Here is one that shows the shared dynamic that can bring two parties together but also drive them apart. It sets up two "personality profiles" for the purpose of comparison, followed by a central pair that describes converging and diverging interests between … Continue reading Dropping the Masks: A Shared-Dynamic Relationship Spread
No Man’s Land: Thoughts on the Astral Plane
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I've been reading about the work of Chalcidius, the 4th-Century CE Christian translator and commentator on Plato's Timaeus who, along with his 12th-Century interpreter, French theologian Alain de Lille (Alanus ab Insulis), subscribed to Plato's "Principle of the Triad" in concluding that God does not engage directly with Man, but solely through invisible … Continue reading No Man’s Land: Thoughts on the Astral Plane
“Logic Me This, Cardman!”
"Riddle me this, riddle me that" said the Riddler to the Dark Knight. AUTHOR'S NOTE: An online acquaintance recently described the tarot as a logic-based system, adding ". . . if you want to develop intuition, block off the right nostril with beeswax for twelve years and maybe carry a cobra on your head." I'm … Continue reading “Logic Me This, Cardman!”
Barbarians at the Gate: The Rejection of Traditional Tarot Wisdom
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I'm currently re-rereading The Discarded Image, a fascinating treatise on Medieval society in Great Britain and elsewhere by C.S. Lewis. He talks a good deal about that culture having been strongly influenced by barbarian incursions, in particular mentioning that the vestigial English language owed far more (but in a hidden and now forgotten … Continue reading Barbarians at the Gate: The Rejection of Traditional Tarot Wisdom
A Path Made by Walking
AUTHOR'S NOTE: The Chinese aphorism "A path is made by walking it" that is associated with fourth-century BC Taoist philosopher Zhuangzi is perfect advice for 21st-Century tarot readers. The premise as I'm applying it is that one must learn to crawl before walking; walk before running; and run before attempting to fly, in this way … Continue reading A Path Made by Walking
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 