Although they may prefer to deliver insights that offer a deeper psychological or metaphysical perspective, tarot readers who perform very brief readings at venues like psychic fairs must often resort to exceptionally small spreads to keep the queue moving along. I've done a few such events and quickly discovered that my favorite layout, the Celtic … Continue reading The Three-Card Draw
Tarot Opinion
“AI” Graphics: Art for Art’s Sake?
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Warning!!! Curmudgeon alert! Computer-generated "AI" artwork is a thing right now that has caused considerable buzz in the online tarot community. We might well ask (along with Barry Mann back in 1961) "Who put the bomp in the bomp bah bomp bah bomp?" I would argue that the creative "bomp" is being hijacked … Continue reading “AI” Graphics: Art for Art’s Sake?
“Don’t Break Your Head”
"Think about this but don't break your head, have fun."- Jean-Baptiste Alliette, Etteilla or the Only Way to Draw the Cards The above quote comes from "Etteilla's" meticulous coverage of the diverse combinations and correspondences that exist between the cards of the tarot (or in his case, those of the "Grand Etteilla" deck). So far … Continue reading “Don’t Break Your Head”
“Voodoo Metaphysics” or “Too Fine a Point?”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Many years ago, when President Ronald Reagan was floating his "trickle-down" theory of economic prosperity, his ideas were dismissed as "voodoo economics." Here (although it's not my main point) I'm proposing that the way we read the tarot cards can sometimes resemble "voodoo metaphysics." I won't go so far as to equate tarot … Continue reading “Voodoo Metaphysics” or “Too Fine a Point?”
A Reversal Compendium, Part 2: More Recent Posts
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Here is the second half of my population of posts on the subject of reversed cards. Since my thinking is constantly evolving, there could very well be a "Part 3." https://parsifalswheeldivination.wordpress.com/2022/01/25/lurkers-on-the-threshold/ https://parsifalswheeldivination.wordpress.com/2022/02/03/reversed-cards-as-interrogatories/ https://parsifalswheeldivination.wordpress.com/2022/03/23/two-steps-forward-one-step-back/ https://parsifalswheeldivination.wordpress.com/2022/07/20/half-measures/ https://parsifalswheeldivination.wordpress.com/2022/09/18/reversed-cards-and-night-crawler-hunting/ https://parsifalswheeldivination.wordpress.com/2022/09/26/reversal-as-reconciliation/ https://parsifalswheeldivination.wordpress.com/2022/10/01/friction-and-lubrication-chaldean-decans-as-built-in-clarifiers/
A Reversal Compendium, Part 1: “Everything Is A Sign”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I try to limit my public essays to one a day (although I'm building quite a backlog). But this is a compilation that I think will bring value (or at least a fresh perspective or two) to the everyday practice of tarot reading, so I decided to present it as a "bonus" post. … Continue reading A Reversal Compendium, Part 1: “Everything Is A Sign”
“Symbol-Sense Disambiguation”
Those who spend any time googling will have seen the term "disambiguation" in the search results. Its full definition is "word-sense disambiguation" or "text disambiguation," and it describes "the act of interpreting an author's intended use of a word that has multiple meanings or spellings." In a recent essay I touched on the idea that … Continue reading “Symbol-Sense Disambiguation”
Death: The “Bad Neighbor”
UPDATE: As expected, this pushed a lot of buttons in the online tarot world. Almost everyone missed the point that it is a radical rethinking (in this one narrow instance) of tarot divination in which I'm not interested so much in what will happen and its consequences as in actively using the cards as a … Continue reading Death: The “Bad Neighbor”
Belushi, Etteilla and Holy Water
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I'm sure you're asking yourself what on Earth the three subjects of the title could possibly have in common, even though my admitted fondness for making odd connections is no secret. Bear with me while I spin the yarn. Back in the heyday of Saturday Night Live, John Belushi occasionally did his "Samurai" … Continue reading Belushi, Etteilla and Holy Water
The Hazards of “Clumping”
I've written previously on the subject of shuffling tarot decks, both the purpose and the practice. But the topic still comes up regularly on the tarot pages and feeds, which has caused me to once again sharpen my perspective. The "how" doesn't concern me as much as the "why." The commonly-held belief that we shuffle … Continue reading The Hazards of “Clumping”
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 