AUTHOR'S NOTES: Since the rise of the Jungian approach to tarot during the early days of the "New Age" era, a sea of literary ink (both physical and digital) has been spent on explanation of the "Fool's Journey" as it applies to the Major Arcana. Here I'm proposing a similar concept for the Minor Arcana. … Continue reading Small Steps: The Wise Man’s Journey Through the Minor Arcana
Tarot and Psychology
Tarot Scholars vs. Tarot Mystics: A Lopsided Showdown
AUTHOR'S NOTE: As a long-time student of the esoteric tarot and a committed practitioner of divination with the cards, I've always had a foot in both the scholarly and mystical camps. But my interaction with the online tarot community demonstrates that the academic perspective is far outweighed by the psychological navel-gazing, psychic mind-reading and intuitive … Continue reading Tarot Scholars vs. Tarot Mystics: A Lopsided Showdown
The Psycho-Spiritual Approach to Tarot Reading
"Deal them down and deal them dirtyLife's a wheezing hurdy-gurdyDeal them up and deal them cleanMan is just a soft machine"-from Dame Fortune by the Holy Modal Rounders AUTHOR'S NOTE: This essay gave me another opportunity to trot out the card-playing trope from the Holy Modal Rounder's song Dame Fortune, which alludes to the fact … Continue reading The Psycho-Spiritual Approach to Tarot Reading
The Mirror of Identity: An Astro-Tarot Self-Appraisal Spread
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Here I'm merging astrological principles (natal planets and rising sign) with tarot cards and insights from the casebook of psycho-spiritual mind/body awareness to create a self-appraisal tool that is intended to identify any strengths and weaknesses in one's personality that may not stand out clearly from horoscopic delineation or cartomantic examination alone. While … Continue reading The Mirror of Identity: An Astro-Tarot Self-Appraisal Spread
The “Pendulum of Revealing” Positional Yes-or-No Spread
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is the fourth in my series of "Revealing" spreads: I've done a "Mandala," a "Pentacle" and an "Onion" of Revealing in the past. I'm using the pendulum motif for this one to answer the perennial yes-or-no question, with a nod toward "maybe" and any contrary trends that might occur as shown by … Continue reading The “Pendulum of Revealing” Positional Yes-or-No Spread
Court Cards As “Loss of Control”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I've almost always viewed court cards in a reading as describing potential interaction with other people who have an interest in the matter, or as attitudes and behaviors the seeker should either adopt or avoid. But I just encountered another possibility in a sub-reddit thread. Suppose that numerous court cards in a spread … Continue reading Court Cards As “Loss of Control”
Astrological Modalities and the Minor Arcana
AUTHOR'S NOTE: In astrology there are three modalities (aka quadruplicities*) of four signs each, Cardinal, Fixed and Mutable, with one set of three in each of the four quadrants of the "natural" (or Aries-rising) horoscope. In one model, the Cardinal signs at the beginning of the quadrants convey "initiation," the Fixed signs in the middle … Continue reading Astrological Modalities and the Minor Arcana
Talking in Tongues: The Many Voices of the Tarot
AUTHOR'S NOTE: The more time I spend with the tarot, the more appreciative I become of the numerous layers of intelligent and meaningful commentary that can be found within its often obscure symbolism. It's said with justification that tarot talks to us in its own tongue. This is an easy assumption to make but I … Continue reading Talking in Tongues: The Many Voices of the Tarot
The “Scream of the Butterfly:” Squeezing the Bad from the Good
"Before I sinkInto the big sleepI want to hearI want to hearThe scream of the butterfly"- from "When the Music's Over" by Jim Morrison of The Doors AUTHOR'S NOTE: We can only guess whether Jim Morrison achieved his goal before he sank into his final "one-way" encounter with drugs, alcohol and heart failure (but given … Continue reading The “Scream of the Butterfly:” Squeezing the Bad from the Good
The “Ship-to-Ship” Interest-Signaling Spread
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Here is a relationship spread that uses the "ships that pass in the night" metaphor to explore how meaningful "signals" might be sent between the two parties to the encounter. The idea is that interest and intent will be expressed openly or obliquely by both individuals, accompanied by direct or indirect actions and … Continue reading The “Ship-to-Ship” Interest-Signaling Spread
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 