AUTHOR'S NOTE: As I wrap up my reading of Vincent Pitisci's Genius of the Tarot, I'm struck by how much momentum it gained after I got past the slightly inane discussion of card meanings. In the last chapter he talks about having fanciful conversations with several of the cards; he is rather flippant about these … Continue reading “Imagination Gone Wild”
Tarot Opinion
“The End of the Innocence*”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: As I continue to carve a curmudgeonly swath through the "haze of woo" that modern tarot reading (and, I'm beginning to discover, a good many of the other mystical and shamanistic arts) has become, I feel a bit like an "Angel of the Apocalypse" in my clarion-call for a more disciplined (and by … Continue reading “The End of the Innocence*”
The Suit of Swords: A Matter of Execution
AUTHOR'S NOTE: As I'm using it here, "execution"" means "the precise performance of a planned action." The other premise I apply to the Swords is that they put considerable thought into the act of planning, although few of the Minor Arcana seem to benefit from it. Maybe the "planning" aspect of a Sword should be … Continue reading The Suit of Swords: A Matter of Execution
Reversed Cards and the Golden Dawn
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Every once in a while I encounter another self-anointed expert who insists that reversed-card meanings must not be used with the Thoth tarot and other Golden-Dawn-based decks, and that Elemental Dignity is the only permissible method for judging the fortunate or unfortunate complexion of the cards in a reading beyond their intrinsic stand-alone … Continue reading Reversed Cards and the Golden Dawn
Those Sexy Wands
Because the Wands are generally viewed as enthusiastic, energetic and passionate, many tarot writers accord them a sexual connotation. Here is my very brief take on the subject, which I might apply if I detect sexual implications in a reading (although it's rather far down my list of preferred interpretations for the suit of Wands). … Continue reading Those Sexy Wands
Question Quibbles
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I've just begun reading Vincent Pitisci's first book, Genius of the Tarot: A Guide to Divination with the Tarot, and I'm pleasantly surprised to find that his thinking agrees on almost all points with similar opinions I've formed over 50 years of study and practice. At the time he wrote it (2013) he … Continue reading Question Quibbles
Wherefore Intuition?
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Many (if not most) tarot writers who discuss the cards in psychological terms relate the element of Fire and the suit of Wands to Carl Gustav Jung's function of "Intuition." Here is my rebuttal. After a good deal of reading and contemplation on the subject, I've come to the conclusion that the metaphysical … Continue reading Wherefore Intuition?
Flights of Vanity
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This rant certainly won't endear me to the few video-content creators of my acquaintance, so I won't be sharing it widely. While there are a handful I respect for their professionalism, I imagine they could become expert at anything they attempt; the rest seem to subscribe to the notion that "It's so simple … Continue reading Flights of Vanity
“A Cynic, a Skeptic and a Mystic Walk into a Bar . . .”
Who walks out? Me, most likely! Seriously, though, setting aside cynicism (which helps nobody) is there a place for rational skepticism in mystical practice? I'm a living example of that questioning mindset, believing implicitly in the esoteric wisdom that rewards serious metaphysical inquiry while holding a less charitable opinion of some of its modern proponents. … Continue reading “A Cynic, a Skeptic and a Mystic Walk into a Bar . . .”
Walking the Talk
For the neophyte, learning to read the tarot cards is a charming diversion that, when diligently nurtured, can soon become a mesmerizing quest for the truth. It's a bit like rabbit-hunting; we're handed a dangerous weapon, a figurative "shotgun," and set off in pursuit of the quarry, which is elusive and can lead us, like … Continue reading Walking the Talk
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 