AUTHOR'S NOTE: While reading about the "hierarchies of angels" postulated by the 6th-Century (CE) "pseudo-Dyonisius" as discussed in The Discarded Image by C.S. Lewis, I came across the following quote regarding the second hierarchy of Powers and Virtues that started me thinking about the Thoth 3 of Wands and its title of "Virtue" ("Established Strength" … Continue reading The Thoth 3 of Wands: Virtue as “Efficacy”
Tarot Card Meanings
The Twos and the Principle of the Triad
AUTHOR'S NOTE: In yesterday's post I used a quote from Plato's Timaeus that has a bearing on how I interpret the tarot Twos. In any reading involving two parties, there are generally three factions that must be accommodated: the two individuals or collective entities and the relationship between them, which will sometimes take on a … Continue reading The Twos and the Principle of the Triad
Redeeming Reversed Cards Through Coping
AUTHOR'S NOTE: In a recent reddit conversation about reversed cards, the OP asked "Can it be said that the aim is to do something that will turn the card upright again? But how does this work for cards such as the Devil rx or the Seven of Cups rx? I'd assume having them rx is … Continue reading Redeeming Reversed Cards Through Coping
The “Side-Eye” – Looking Askance at Card Meanings
AUTHOR'S NOTE: In one of my online tarot conversations I've once again fielded the perennial question about the need to use reversals in divination. My response was: "Many people insist that - depending on the context of the reading - they can squeeze contradictory intent out of the upright meaning of any favorable tarot card … Continue reading The “Side-Eye” – Looking Askance at Card Meanings
The 3 of Swords as “Patience”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is one I didn't see coming, and I wasn't quite sure where to go with it. But I think I got there in reasonable fashion. I was reading about the Taiji concept of "patience" recently and unearthed an interesting fact: the two pictographs (aka "radicals") that make up the Chinese logogram naixin, … Continue reading The 3 of Swords as “Patience”
The Eighth Nature: Beyond Patience
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This essay quickly became dense as I continue to draw inspiration from The Tao of Thoth, but it winds up with an exercise that you may find intriguing. Although there are seven tenets in Hermetic philosophy as presented in The Kybalion, an eighth metaphysical precept has been proposed that unifies them. One school … Continue reading The Eighth Nature: Beyond Patience
Learning the Tarot Cards: Assimilate, Don’t Aggregate!
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I recently came upon an alleged "ancient Egyptian proverb" that I decided to tweak for use in this essay. Here I'm revisiting a topic I previously covered in 2020 because I have so many new followers who may not have caught up to it. Original: "True teaching is not an accumulation of knowledge; … Continue reading Learning the Tarot Cards: Assimilate, Don’t Aggregate!
Going Off-Script: Reversed Cards as “Gradients”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I've been involved in another online discussion about the use of reversed (upside-down) cards in tarot reading. The comment I offered was my standard response reflecting over fifty years of working with reversals, but the dialogue provided some fresh insights that I will explore here. I've been reading reversals since I started practicing … Continue reading Going Off-Script: Reversed Cards as “Gradients”
“So Many Different People To Be” – Personalizing the Court Cards*
"And when I look in my window/So many different people to be"- Donovan Leitch, from Season of the Witch AUTHOR'S NOTE: Correct interpretation of the court cards is a recurring topic of debate in the online tarot community and a thorn in the side of novice readers, who don't know whether to approach them as … Continue reading “So Many Different People To Be” – Personalizing the Court Cards*
“What is Dead May Never Die” – An Alternate Take on Death
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I should mention in advance that nothing you see here (or in any of my essays) is AI-generated because I believe resorting to AI "web-scraping" - when it isn't outright theft - depreciates the original contribution of creative artists and writers. (But artificial intelligence - isn't there an oxymoron in there somewhere? - … Continue reading “What is Dead May Never Die” – An Alternate Take on Death
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 