AUTHOR'S NOTE: Several years ago I met a kindly gentleman from Mississippi, a business colleague who told me pointblank that, when engaged in conversation with a Southerner, I shouldn't believe everything (or maybe anything) I hear; they are masters of amiable dissembling and there is almost certainly something quite different going on behind that charming … Continue reading “No Truth, No Trust” – Cautionary Advice for the Tarot Reader
Tarot Opinion
Not Milk: An Atypical Astro-Tarot Meditation Array
AUTHOR'S NOTE: There is a biblical quote that goes something like "Milk for babes, meat for strong men." Here I'm offering what might be a hard-to-swallow bit of gristle for those who are locked into the Golden Dawn's esoteric attributions for the cards of the tarot. What can I say, I've always been an iconoclast … Continue reading Not Milk: An Atypical Astro-Tarot Meditation Array
Tarot As “Mental Gymnastics”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: As I continue to create innovative tarot spreads, I decided to pause for a moment and reflect on what is driving me in this effort. Those who have been following me for a while know that I have a strong inclination toward critical analysis of the cards that I temper with a little … Continue reading Tarot As “Mental Gymnastics”
Optimistic Divination: Opportunities for “Net Gain”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Once again I'm indebted to Benebell Wen for presenting an I Ching-related concept that I can apply directly to my tarot practice: the premise that the "cycle of life" will, on balance, provide a "net gain" in one's sense of well-being and not a "net loss" (even though we all know how it … Continue reading Optimistic Divination: Opportunities for “Net Gain”
The Diviner’s Medium: Intuitive Insight or Pure Projection?
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I've always been skeptical of the widely-held opinion that the subliminal insights we tap into while reading the cards are a form of spiritual illumination coming from a mystical source of higher wisdom. Those who aspire to the practice of "secular tarot" (now there's an oxymoron for you) believe that it isn't received … Continue reading The Diviner’s Medium: Intuitive Insight or Pure Projection?
Reversal As Misapprehension: Blind to the Obvious
AUTHOR'S NOTE: The oracular commentary for Hexagram 20 (Observation) of the I Ching includes the advice "Sometimes it is not the judgement that needs observation, but the judge." I occasionally find that, rather than obliquely illuminating the matter itself, a reversed card in a reading will throw the spotlight back on the querent's mistaken view … Continue reading Reversal As Misapprehension: Blind to the Obvious
Nourishing and Enriching: A Tarot-Reading Paradigm
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hexagram 27 of the I Ching is titled "Receiving Nourishment." The oracle begins with a discussion of "nourishing language," advising that the words we use in communicating with others should be carefully chosen to nourish and enrich them rather than striving to draw personal nourishment and enrichment from them. After that it moves … Continue reading Nourishing and Enriching: A Tarot-Reading Paradigm
Inside the Box: Quaternary vs. Quinary Synthesis*
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I've been loosely using the term "quintessence" to describe the numerical conflation of any quantity of tarot cards in a spread, but traditionalists have criticized that assumption as being inconsistent with the historical meaning of the word as the symbolic fifth iteration (or "quinary essence") of a four-card "tirage on croix" (French Cross) … Continue reading Inside the Box: Quaternary vs. Quinary Synthesis*
Pre-Reading Prep – “A Moment of Silence”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Questions come up frequently in the online tarot community regarding what, if any, special preparations experienced diviners make before they embark on a reading session. This is usually focused on spiritual practices like prayers, invocations or meditation; environmental considerations like lighting, seating and music; and "props" like crystals or incense. Around the time … Continue reading Pre-Reading Prep – “A Moment of Silence”
Shouting into the Void: Intuition vs. Analysis in Divination
AUTHOR'S NOTE: My themes seem to be getting more pugnacious lately. Don't take it to heart; I'm basically respectful of diverse theories, just not too tolerant of what I see as sheer metaphysical folly. I've long maintained that, while our physical senses bring us raw input, the cognitive faculties remain the only reliable tool we … Continue reading Shouting into the Void: Intuition vs. Analysis in Divination
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 