Folk singer Pete Seeger once wrote a poignant song titled "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?" that lamented the transitory flowering and fading of youth and also, obliquely, the folly of war. In contemplating the unfortunate demise of the stimulating forum that was Aeclectic Tarot in 2017, I often wonder where the council of highly … Continue reading Where Have All the Masters Gone?
Professional Tarot
The Fives and Sevens: Transition and Improvement
In modern tarot practice, the Fives and Sevens are generally interpreted as difficult cards. But Paul Marteau, writing about the Tarot de Marseille in 1949, gave me a different perspective. It became apparent as I read his book that Marteau was heavily influenced by the numerological thinking of fellow Frenchman Joseph Maxwell in the latter's … Continue reading The Fives and Sevens: Transition and Improvement
Tarot Principles & Practices: A Deep Dive into the Tarot Reader’s Art
This is the final book in my series of blog compilations (at least until I write some more stuff). It's a book of divination principles and practices (including basic and advanced techniques, tactics, strategies and resources) for the tarot reader who intends to work publicly with the Waite-Smith deck or one of its numerous “clones.” … Continue reading Tarot Principles & Practices: A Deep Dive into the Tarot Reader’s Art
The Literal Tarot: 266 Unique Tarot Spreads and Commentary
Some of you have been after me for years to do it, so I finally did: published my book of tarot spreads. These spreads were created over an 11-year period; most of them have been shared in the online community (Aeclectic Tarot, Tarot Professionals, this blog, etc.) over the years and a few were published … Continue reading The Literal Tarot: 266 Unique Tarot Spreads and Commentary
Pips, Courts and Trumps: A Short, Simple Guide to the Tarot de Marseille
UPDATE: Success! I was finally able to publish my book on Lulu, the only platform I could find that will accept OpenOffice "ODT" documents without a lot of reformatting effort. I should mention that this is not a work for the absolute beginner since it's aimed it at the "experienced TdM generalist and serious student" … Continue reading Pips, Courts and Trumps: A Short, Simple Guide to the Tarot de Marseille
The Tarot Professional’s Dilemma
Along with much of the professional tarot community, I've been shut out of the local face-to-face market by Covid-19, Delta, Omnicron, et al, and have moved tentatively into online consulting, which I'm more than a little lukewarm about since my firm belief is that a tarot reading should be an interactive event, a dialogue rather … Continue reading The Tarot Professional’s Dilemma
The Eyes Have It (The Nose Follows)
While reading Jonathan Dee's Fortune Telling Using Playing Cards, I came across a face-to-face reading technique that hadn't occurred to me before. I seldom look closely at my clients before or during a session because I want to avoid the impression that I'm "cold-reading" them to gather clues that I can then pretend I got … Continue reading The Eyes Have It (The Nose Follows)
First Things First: Preliminary Courtesies
"We're all here just to have a little fun Fred'll play the fiddle, now we'll begun" (from "The Corn Won't Grow So Rock-and-Roll" by Goose Creek Symphony) Most face-to-face tarot readers have certain protocols and courtesies they go through between the time a sitter "sits" and the moment the diviner "starts the clock" on the … Continue reading First Things First: Preliminary Courtesies
“Oh, the Shame . . . “
I had a novel experience yesterday. I was bounced from a Facebook group for being too forthcoming with my knowledge. I won't name it, but it's a very popular tarot students' site. The convenient excuse was that I was promoting my divination business, but I never did. The real reason was that I didn't fit … Continue reading “Oh, the Shame . . . “
The Name of the Game
A question frequently asked by what we might call "journeyman" tarot readers is "How can I break into professional practice on a full-time basis?" In my case, I backed into it part-time through the patronage of a metaphysical shop owner who, when she learned that I was a local diviner, invited me to work out … Continue reading The Name of the Game
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 