Radiant Rider-Waite-Smith, © U.S. Games Systems, Inc. One of the greatest challenges for a tarot reader is fashioning constructive advice out of what are patently difficult cards. As I'm fond of saying, I'm no fan of the insipid - and untrue - platitude "It's all good" since, the last time I looked, "bad things" still … Continue reading The Suit of Swords as “Opportunity” – 8 of Swords
Tarot Card Meanings
A Study in Facing, Part 3: Pip Cards
The Minor Arcana, or "pip" cards, of the RWS deck are by far the most diverse population from a directional standpoint, since there are more cards that I would classify as "ambiguous." This includes cards with posture/gaze misalignment and cards with multiple figures that give no clear sense of facing or "visual flow." There are … Continue reading A Study in Facing, Part 3: Pip Cards
A Study in Facing, Part 2: Trump Cards
I separated the Major Arcana cards of the RWS deck into three subgroups: those cards that have either a pronounced or insinuated "lean" to the left (the past), those that are gazing or aligned straight out of the card, facing the observer (the present), and those that favor the right side (the future). The key … Continue reading A Study in Facing, Part 2: Trump Cards
A Study in Facing, Part 1: Court Cards
Facing or directionality in the cards of the tarot has always intrigued those who use the cards for divination. One convention that takes advantage of this phenomenon is the assumption that the cards to the left in a line reading represent the past, the focus card in the center shows the present, and the cards … Continue reading A Study in Facing, Part 1: Court Cards
Court Card Thumbnails: The Page/Princess of Cups
The Minor Arcana: The Page/Princess of Cups Titles: Earth of Water; The Princess of the Waters; the Lotus of the Palace of the Floods Astrological Correspondence: The southwest quadrant of the zodiac, comprising the signs of Libra, Scorpio and Sagittarius. Commentary: Golden Dawn “Liber T” (S.L. Mathers): "Sweetness, poetry, gentleness and kindness. Imaginative, dreamy at … Continue reading Court Card Thumbnails: The Page/Princess of Cups
Winds of Change
Question: When does Death mean physical demise? Answer: Almost never. With this card, conventional wisdom informs us that an important change is "in the wind" - or if you prefer $2 words to the 50⊄ variety - a "major transformation" is coming (although not necessarily a traumatic one; look to the Tower for that). This … Continue reading Winds of Change
“Got Love If You Want It,” or Love In Its Cups
It's likely that the song of the title (written by bluesman Slim Harpo and recorded by several '60s rockers) was talking more about the tumescent love of Crowley's Ace of Disks ("It'll last all the while") than the sweet emotion of the RWS 2 of Cups. But with the "season of love" - or at … Continue reading “Got Love If You Want It,” or Love In Its Cups
Court Card Thumbnails: The Knight/Prince of Cups
The Minor Arcana: The Knight/Prince of Cups Titles: Air of Water; the Prince of the Chariot of the Waters Astrological Correspondence: 21° Libra to 20° Scorpio Commentary: Golden Dawn “Liber T” (S.L. Mathers): "He is subtle, crafty and artistic; a fierce nature with calm exterior. Powerful for good or evil, but more attracted by the … Continue reading Court Card Thumbnails: The Knight/Prince of Cups
Further Musings on Temperance
Tarot author Tony Willis just posted a new article on auntietarot about the 14th trump card, Temperance. (https://auntietarot.wordpress.com/) Most of it is an exhaustive and well-written recapitulation of ideas that I've come across before, but I took one entirely new concept away from my reading of his observations: that of "reversibility." The thought is that … Continue reading Further Musings on Temperance
They Loves Me, They Loves Me Not*
*My grammatically absurd title is an intentional poke at the current practice of substituting a plural pronoun in situations demanding a singular one as a way to avoid gender specificity. While there may be a place for gender-neutral pronouns in the English language, this clumsy abomination most definitely ain't it; we clearly need a new … Continue reading They Loves Me, They Loves Me Not*
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 