. . . and, like poet Robert Frost, I chose the one that impressed me as "less traveled by," at least in the annals of 21st Century tarot. There is an increasingly contentious "fork in the road" regarding the proper use of the tarot cards for individual edification and enlightenment. There are the very vocal … Continue reading “Two Roads Diverged . . .”
Tarot Opinion
A Simple Oracle: Yes/No/Maybe
It's common for those who consider themselves wise in the ways of tarot to say loudly (and, in my opinion a bit smugly) "There are no bad cards!" (This attitude strikes me as just a convenient excuse for dodging profound contemplation of the possibility). The more thoughtful among them will allow that "Their fortunate or … Continue reading A Simple Oracle: Yes/No/Maybe
Why I Do It
. . . create complex and challenging tarot spreads, that is. In general, when reading the cards I prefer five-to-ten-card arrays that have explicit milestones or "signposts" for interpretation (aka step-wise position meanings), and an orderly, sensible progression between them (my "tweaked" version of the Celtic Cross is the best example of this: https://parsifalswheeldivination.wordpress.com/2017/08/02/parsifals-wheel-a-celtic-cross-variation/ ). … Continue reading Why I Do It
Going for the Gold
I now have a handful of tarot decks with gold-foil highlights and in some cases complete backgrounds. I also have the Golden Lenormand but I'm not including it here, and the Dali Tarot but it only has gold on the upper and lower borders. Kat Black's Golden Tarot and Eric Dunne's Illuminati Tarot didn't make … Continue reading Going for the Gold
In Defense of Positional Tarot Spreads
I often wonder why there is such vehement opposition in modern tarot circles to the use of formal tarot spreads (those with defined positional meanings). It seems that self-styled "intuitive" readers feel stifled by any hint of structure and simply want to free-wheel their way through a reading using mystical "received" knowledge. It may be … Continue reading In Defense of Positional Tarot Spreads
Is the Practice of Divination Irrelevant or Dishonest?
As I continue to explore the sketchy written history of the early tarot, I frequently encounter the observation that the tarot cards, prior to the appearance of Jean-Baptiste Alliette (aka "Etteilla") as their original occult proponent in mid-18th-Century France, were not used in the practice of fortune-telling (presently dignified with the term "divination"); instead, they … Continue reading Is the Practice of Divination Irrelevant or Dishonest?
The Threshold of Effectiveness
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This isn't a new topic for me, but I think it deserves revisiting given the ongoing influx of younger people into the art who may not be well-served by the current "anything goes" mentality among some modern tarot writers and practitioners. Having worked with the tarot for almost 50 years now, I've come … Continue reading The Threshold of Effectiveness
Garbage In, Garbage Out
This is likely to be a controversial subject. There is an old tenet from computer science that goes: "Garbage in, garbage out (GIGO) is the concept that flawed, or nonsense input data produces nonsense output or 'garbage.' The principle also applies more generally to all analysis and logic, in that arguments are unsound if their … Continue reading Garbage In, Garbage Out
The Virtue of Simplicity
As time goes on I find myself drawn more and more to working with only the 56 Minor Arcana cards in divination. Granted, the 22 Major Arcana are where most of the philosophical "meat" lies in the tarot, but very few of my readings rise to that level of metaphysical complexity and intensity. Most of … Continue reading The Virtue of Simplicity
TURN OFF THE CAPS! (Majors-Only Tarot Reading)
It seems to be popular in Europe to read with only the 22 trump cards and leave the pip and court cards aside. This is surely a pre-20th-Century form of cartomancy that antedates the lofty assumptions of Jungian thought and its psychological archetypes. I'm not familiar enough with Joseph Campbell to say so conclusively, but … Continue reading TURN OFF THE CAPS! (Majors-Only Tarot Reading)
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 