The Waite-Smith (aka "RWS") tarot deck, which modern revisionist thinking has insisted on renaming the Smith-Waite Tarot (nearly as much of a misnomer as calling the Thoth deck the "Harris-Crowley Tarot"), does indeed cast a long shadow (or pall, depending upon your opinion) over the world of exoteric tarot, and specifically over the art of … Continue reading A Long Shadow
Professional Tarot
“The Nature of the Evidence”
I stole a sub-title from the "Theory of the Tarot" section of Aleister Crowley's Book of Thoth for this post because I'm going to revisit the subject of "how tarot works" based on recent forum discussions (which frankly didn't change my mind on anything, just tweaked it). Premise #1: The tarot cards communicate knowledge of … Continue reading “The Nature of the Evidence”
“Tell Me Something I Don’t Know”
I've heard those words, preceded by a slightly petulant "I already knew that," out of my sitters' mouths more times than I care to remember. I'm always baffled by people who, seeing plainly that the tarot is capable of accurately describing a past that is unknown to the reader, can be so unenthusiastic about giving … Continue reading “Tell Me Something I Don’t Know”
Bursting the Bubble
The bubble I'm talking about isn't the thin membrane of false assumptions and wishful thinking that begs to be pierced by way of earnest but unsolicited advice ("I hate to burst your bubble, but . . .), it's the veil of semi-secrecy that many of us as diviners operate behind for most of our days. … Continue reading Bursting the Bubble
Adaptive Reading
I recently came across a new wrinkle in the lexicon of political correctness: adaptive sports. What used to be called disabled and before that handicapped has now been scrubbed of any negative connotation. While I applaud the objective, I sense a whiff of sanctimony in the execution. But that's not what I came to write about. Back in … Continue reading Adaptive Reading
An Inevitable Conclusion
As much as I would love to be a highly successful tarot reader in a face-to-face professional environment (it's where I do my best work and offer the most value), I've come to realize that my true calling is undoubtedly as a writer. In all modesty, I haven't come across much modern writing on cartomantic … Continue reading An Inevitable Conclusion
So You’re a Professional Tarot Reader?
In a local "commerce-and-culture" magazine, I came across an interview with a professional "Certified Life Coach" and began pondering how I would respond to such questions if they are ever presented to me as a tarot reader. Here is my version of a hypothetical interview that aligns more closely with the practice of divination. What is … Continue reading So You’re a Professional Tarot Reader?
The Sitter’s Intent
In his abbreviated commentary on the Major Arcana at the end of The Book of Thoth, Aleister Crowley observed that the Wheel of Fortune describes "Change of fortune. (This generally means good fortune because the fact of consultation implies anxiety or discontent.)" His point is that people who seek the advice of a diviner usually … Continue reading The Sitter’s Intent
The “No BS” Deck’s Agenda Spread
Every once in a while (and without a doubt more often than we would like), a reading begs the question "I know what was asked, but what does the seeker really want?" And the cards proceed to impose their own agenda on the story to the bemusement and bafflement of both reader and querent. Grappling with this situation can test the … Continue reading The “No BS” Deck’s Agenda Spread
Paper Tiger
Those of us who post regularly (critics might say interminably) in online blogs run the risk of self-parody, becoming mere "cardboard cut-outs" of our formerly ferocious literary personae. Conventional wisdom asserts that a blogger must publish frequently to maintain an interested and engaged following, but this can sometimes mean unintentionally plowing (or, if you're British, … Continue reading Paper Tiger
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 