AUTHOR'S NOTE: I've just encountered the "five species of dream" derived from the Oneirocritica of 3rd-Century (CE) Graeco-Roman soothsayer (professional dream interpreter) Artemidorus, whose work was admired by Sigmund Freud. I've listed them below, but only the first three are germane to this essay. Veridical Kinds (Coinciding with reality)Somnium: Truths veiled in allegorical fiction.Visio: Direct, … Continue reading Tarot Reading as Truthful Fiction
Tarot Opinion
No Man’s Land: Thoughts on the Astral Plane
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I've been reading about the work of Chalcidius, the 4th-Century CE Christian translator and commentator on Plato's Timaeus who, along with his 12th-Century interpreter, French theologian Alain de Lille (Alanus ab Insulis), subscribed to Plato's "Principle of the Triad" in concluding that God does not engage directly with Man, but solely through invisible … Continue reading No Man’s Land: Thoughts on the Astral Plane
Incompatibility of Temperament: Recidivism in the Art of Tarot
AUTHOR'S NOTE: In The Discarded Image, C.S. Lewis observed that, when first formulated, scientific theories are almost entirely conjecture (he used the word "supposal"), perhaps shored up by a few preliminary observations that foster "educated guesses." Later attempts to refine these suppositions amount to either trying to confirm their validity through experimentation (Lewis called it … Continue reading Incompatibility of Temperament: Recidivism in the Art of Tarot
“Logic Me This, Cardman!”
"Riddle me this, riddle me that" said the Riddler to the Dark Knight. AUTHOR'S NOTE: An online acquaintance recently described the tarot as a logic-based system, adding ". . . if you want to develop intuition, block off the right nostril with beeswax for twelve years and maybe carry a cobra on your head." I'm … Continue reading “Logic Me This, Cardman!”
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
Barbarians at the Gate: The Rejection of Traditional Tarot Wisdom
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I'm currently re-rereading The Discarded Image, a fascinating treatise on Medieval society in Great Britain and elsewhere by C.S. Lewis. He talks a good deal about that culture having been strongly influenced by barbarian incursions, in particular mentioning that the vestigial English language owed far more (but in a hidden and now forgotten … Continue reading Barbarians at the Gate: The Rejection of Traditional Tarot Wisdom
A Path Made by Walking
AUTHOR'S NOTE: The Chinese aphorism "A path is made by walking it" that is associated with fourth-century BC Taoist philosopher Zhuangzi is perfect advice for 21st-Century tarot readers. The premise as I'm applying it is that one must learn to crawl before walking; walk before running; and run before attempting to fly, in this way … Continue reading A Path Made by Walking
Dogmatic Entropy in Tarot
AUTHOR'S NOTE: The idea of "dogmatic entropy" as I recently encountered it proposes that entrenched attitudes and beliefs (dogma) can put a metaphorical "Denver boot" (immobilizing entropy) on the imagination and hobble creative thinking. Progress grinds to a halt as we grapple with these irrational limitations and often succumb to them. Perhaps the most egregious … Continue reading Dogmatic Entropy in Tarot
“Four Roads to Paradise” – A Tarot Paradigm
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Although I'm not too familiar with the theological hermeneutics behind it, I just discovered the concept of the "four Pardes" (i.e. PaRDeS; the four-letter Hebrew acronym PRDS) that are described as "roads to paradise" in the form of spiritual enlightenment. These avenues are presented as "literal, allegorical, comparative and secretive" paths to universal … Continue reading “Four Roads to Paradise” – A Tarot Paradigm
Qabalah, Cabala, Wherefore the Kabbalah?
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Western occultists of the late 20th Century (or at least those with no prior background in Jewish mysticism) who spent time with the Hermetic Qabalah invariably encountered its progenitor, the Hebraic Kabbalah. This typically occurred (and probably still does) through exposure to the Sefer Yetzirah (Book of Formation) and the numerology of Gematria, … Continue reading Qabalah, Cabala, Wherefore the Kabbalah?
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 