AUTHOR'S NOTE: Over the years I've formulated and applied my own style of reversed-card interpretation, and I finally concluded that inversion of the image doesn't materially alter the core meaning of the upright presentation, just redirects it in various subtle ways as detailed in my nearly two dozen previous essays on the subject. The required … Continue reading Reversal as “Underdeveloped Potential”
Tarot Card Meanings
The Empress Reversed: “A Woman Scorned”
"Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned"- from The Mourning Bride by William Congreve (1697) AUTHOR'S NOTE: One of my favorite portrayals of scandalized female propriety occurred in the old Chiffon margarine TV commercial, in which a regal woman (who had been deceived by Chiffon's buttery flavor) intoned acidly over rumbling background thunder: "It's … Continue reading The Empress Reversed: “A Woman Scorned”
Status-Quo Cards (as in “Maintaining the . . . “)
AUTHOR'S NOTE: In a recent post I mentioned that the Hierophant, due to his conventional and conservative appointment, can be viewed as an example of "maintaining the status quo." (I've also called it the "don't-rock-the-boat" card.) There are a number of other cards that convey a similar sentiment. Because the Major Arcana represent an archetypal … Continue reading Status-Quo Cards (as in “Maintaining the . . . “)
The 6 of Swords: Steering by Troubled Waters
AUTHOR'S NOTE: In an old post of several years ago I mentioned a sidelight to the RWS version of this card that views the choppy surface to the right of the boat as driving it toward the calmer waters to its left and thus uneventfully on to the far shore. An interlude of "smooth sailing … Continue reading The 6 of Swords: Steering by Troubled Waters
A Reversed-Card Digest: King of Cups, 6 of Cups and 8 of Wands
AUTHOR'S NOTE: There is no connection between these cards other than the fact of reversal. They weren't part of an involved study, just the subject of three different pending essays that I compiled to clear out my backlog of unpublished posts. These vignettes are prime examples of my present approach to reversals; they were inspired … Continue reading A Reversed-Card Digest: King of Cups, 6 of Cups and 8 of Wands
“Checking Out” – Is It in the Cards?
AUTHOR'S NOTE: It's a foregone conclusion among modern diviners that attempting to predict someone's death is a forbidden topic from both an ethical and legal standpoint. But it wasn't always so. Historically, astrologers - particularly horary practitioners - routinely forecast the "time of decumbiture" at which an ailing individual retired to his or her bed, … Continue reading “Checking Out” – Is It in the Cards?
Lunar Month Look-Ahead, April-May, 2026
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I haven't done one of these in quite a while. These readings are normally based on the titles for the eight lunar sub-phases from astrologer Dane Rudhyar's Lunation Cycle, but this time I'm using astronomical notation. Each sub-phase lasts approximately 3.5 days. There are no other position meanings, it is mainly a timing … Continue reading Lunar Month Look-Ahead, April-May, 2026
The Reversed Hanged Man: Transcending Forced Idleness
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I've just encountered another instance of the reversed Hanged Man in a tarot reading, and decided to revisit my past assumptions about it. There are three ways to approach it: practical, psychological and spiritual. In divination I usually consider its practical implications first and its psychological impact next, while spiritual consequences are not … Continue reading The Reversed Hanged Man: Transcending Forced Idleness
The Twos: “Walking a Knife’s Edge”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: As the root of the binary series 2, 4 and 8, the number Two was described by French author Joseph Maxwell as representing "harmony and equilibrium;" however, compromise may also be required, and compensatory or reciprocal action that "plays both ends against the middle," enabling a poised stance that would do a tightrope-walker … Continue reading The Twos: “Walking a Knife’s Edge”
The Fives and Sevens as “Discord”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I've written in the past about the relationship between the tarot Fives, Sixes and Sevens (linked below), but my recent introduction to the art of playing-card divination brought a fresh perspective to my take on the subject. In standard cartomancy, the Fives and Sevens are eight of the most dissonant "pip" cards in … Continue reading The Fives and Sevens as “Discord”
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 