AUTHOR'S NOTE: When I first compared the Waite-Smith version of the Strength card to the traditional Tarot de Marseille "Force" or "Fortitude" image, it became obvious that Waite and Smith had taken some "liberties" with the earlier iconography. While reading Alejandro Jodorowsky's The Way of Tarot, I put my finger a little more precisely on … Continue reading Revisiting Strength/Force: Honoring the Ego
Tarot Opinion
The Case for a Firm Foundation
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I've written in the past about the advantages and disadvantages of using secondary factors (numbers, elements, astrological correspondences, etc.) when reading tarot cards. But the more I see and hear of the current pop-culture "buzz" surrounding the practice of tarot, the more I think that applying such nuances of thoughtful study and contemplation … Continue reading The Case for a Firm Foundation
The Diviner’s Duty
Although I frequently encounter the sentiment in online discussions, nowhere have I read that it is the solemn duty of a diviner to make a querent "feel good" about the outcome of a reading. Empowered? Hopefully. "Forewarned and forearmed?" Whenever warranted. Enlightened? Absolutely. But not necessarily cheered or encouraged by the prospects described in the … Continue reading The Diviner’s Duty
The “Landscape” As We Know It
AUTHOR'S NOTE: You knew I would get back to the topic of "landscape," just not in the way I originally envisioned. I've written in the past about the enormous outpouring of new tarot decks (apparently due to the advent of self-publishing where their worthiness to see the light of day doesn't have to be demonstrated … Continue reading The “Landscape” As We Know It
What We Believe
It goes without saying that belief in the validity of divination is key to being able to do it with conviction. But what, exactly, is the object of our faith? Does our certainty have to be unalloyed and unsalted with skepticism or is there room for healthy doubt? I often contemplate what it means to … Continue reading What We Believe
A Matter of Presentation
Questions are often posed in online tarot discussion groups regarding the various ways that readings can be presented to clients. I thought I would take some time to enumerate them along with what I perceive to be their strengths and weaknesses. Face-to-Face Reading: This is the ancestor of all delivery methods and in my estimation … Continue reading A Matter of Presentation
Divination As Self-Sabotage
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Although I'm unimpressed by much that passes for tarot wisdom on the YouTube channels, I believe I've found a kindred spirit in "Balthazar" at the Balthazar's Conjure site (https://www.balthazarconjure.com/). While most of his recent output is focused on practical magic and related occult disciplines rather than exclusively on divination, his historical content is … Continue reading Divination As Self-Sabotage
The Art and Science of Precise Tarot Reading
AUTHOR'S NOTE: It's no secret that I'm both an esoteric theorist and a conceptual minimalist in my approach to tarot card interpretation, although as a reader I consider myself first-and-foremost a creative storyteller with a flair for inspiration, imagination and ingenuity in my narrative output. The purpose of this essay is to explore ways to … Continue reading The Art and Science of Precise Tarot Reading
Aleister Crowley: “Hierophant” or “Devil?”
I'm now reading Alejandro Jodorowsky's commentary in The Way of Tarot about the number Five and its "decimal equivalency" in the Pope (Hierophant) and the Devil. One passage struck me as an accidental portrait of Aleister Crowley as an exemplar of what Jodo is talking about: "The Five of Wands represents two temptations: sublimating the … Continue reading Aleister Crowley: “Hierophant” or “Devil?”
The Court Cards as “Decimal Equivalents”
I've been working with the concept of "Theosophical reduction" (adding together and reducing the digits of a composite number to produce a simple, one-factor sum) for so long that I've been more than a little skeptical of Alejandro Jodorowsky's notion of "decimal equivalency" between the double-digit and single-digit cards of the Major Arcana. His premise … Continue reading The Court Cards as “Decimal Equivalents”
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 