AUTHOR'S NOTE: When I created this spread a couple of days ago, I had two "test" questions in mind. Here is the second one. Since we moved to our new home seven years ago, I've been doing at least one reading a year exploring how I might go about restarting the small tarot-reading business I … Continue reading Carpe Momentum Redux : Another “Two Sides to Every Story” Reading
Reversed Cards
A Reversed-Trump Triptych: the Devil, the Tower and Judgement
SUMMARY: I now have over twenty draft essays in my pre-publication queue, and my writing has been so prolific lately that I can't seem to whittle the population down, so I'm going to lump a few of them together when they share a theme. In this composite post the common topic is trump-card reversal shown … Continue reading A Reversed-Trump Triptych: the Devil, the Tower and Judgement
Unresolved Tension in the Waite-Smith Two of Wands
AUTHOR'S NOTE: My daily tarot reading (literature, not cards) recently presented the idea that the reversed 2 of Wands in the Waite-Smith deck conveys "tension." I've never thought of the reversal of this card as elevating the stress that is already there, only making it more insidious. In my "Tarot 101" lesson material on the … Continue reading Unresolved Tension in the Waite-Smith Two of Wands
The Aces: A State of Anticipation
AUTHOR'S NOTE: It is generally accepted in esoteric tarot circles that the Aces don't represent "the first step in a new direction," but rather the anticipatory urge to take that step, and they must be set in motion before they will do us any good. As George Carlin once said in a different context, "Ya … Continue reading The Aces: A State of Anticipation
Mischief Afoot: External Meddling in the Lovers’ Affairs
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Although morality has lost much of its grip on modern romance, I still prefer the older definition of the Lovers card as being presented with a decision that has ethical implications. The Tarot de Marseille "Lover" makes this abundantly clear. I almost always read the Lovers as a "crossroads" from which the seeker … Continue reading Mischief Afoot: External Meddling in the Lovers’ Affairs
Dysfunctional Brinkmanship On Display
UPDATE: There has been conjecture in the "court of public opinion" that Donald Trump's "calling out" of the unconscionable profits being reaped by health insurance companies from the Affordable Card Act had a net positive effect in breaking the Senate's shutdown "logjam." I'm not convinced that it wasn't just the mounting stress on the public … Continue reading Dysfunctional Brinkmanship On Display
“Not What It Seems” – Cards of Deception, Delusion, Distraction and Distortion
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Before I cover the subject of the header, I should mention the general belief that reversal of any card can redirect its upright meaning into unfamiliar byways and thus invite misapprehension. This is one of a host of related interpretations for reversal that I gathered a few years ago, specifically in the following … Continue reading “Not What It Seems” – Cards of Deception, Delusion, Distraction and Distortion
Here’s Looking at You! – Gaze as a Directional Indicator
AUTHOR'S NOTE: The concept of facing, gaze or regard has a long history of use with the Tarot de Marseille, although fans of more modern decks tend to disregard it. Here is a spread that applies the facing and orientation of one of the 16 court cards to choose which of four 3-card sets becomes … Continue reading Here’s Looking at You! – Gaze as a Directional Indicator
Cresting the Wave: A Case for Odd-Numbered Lines
AUTHOR'S NOTE: When it comes to designing line spreads for tarot reading, I typically employ an even number of cards only in situations that require a choice between two options, or when invoking the four classical elements represented by the suits. One thing I learned from Lenormand reading is that an odd-numbered line will always … Continue reading Cresting the Wave: A Case for Odd-Numbered Lines
Syncretic Card Selection: Alternatives to the “Straight Deal”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: In The Book of Thoth, Aleister Crowley discussed metaphysical syncretism as it applied to spiritual beliefs and practices across a wide range of ancient cultures, drawing parallels between them when it struck him as significant. At a more humble level, I employ syncretism ("the merging or assimilation of several originally discrete traditions") in … Continue reading Syncretic Card Selection: Alternatives to the “Straight Deal”
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 