As a traditional natal and horary astrologer who typically uses only the seven planets of antiquity and their various modes of essential and accidental dignity, I don't assign zodiacal signs of exaltation to the modern (aka "trans-Saturnian) planets, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto. In fact, I barely use those planets in my work at all, but … Continue reading The “Higher Octave” Meditation
Tarot Opinion
“You’ll Fall Right In . . .” (b/w “The Beef Stew Annual Forecast Spread”)
A discussion I've been following on the "r/tarot" reddit board brought up the point that the tarot can be overused (or improperly used) in the search for personal awareness and advancement. It is a fascinating thread for what it reveals about the extremes some people will go to in overthinking their daily lives rather than … Continue reading “You’ll Fall Right In . . .” (b/w “The Beef Stew Annual Forecast Spread”)
Tarot 101 “Whys and Wherefores”
I've noticed a considerable increase in traffic on this blog lately, much of it coming from those new to tarot who are seeking beginner material. They are immediately confronted with a puzzle: why do I call my newbie stuff "Tarot 101, My Way" when what I've done is round up and judiciously condense the keywords … Continue reading Tarot 101 “Whys and Wherefores”
Chasing the Sun and Moon: The Astro-Psychology of the Major Arcana
According to the psychological astrology that had its roots in the groundbreaking work of Dane Rudhyar and Marc Edmund Jones and its initial flowering during the 1970s, the zodiacal (sign) placement of the Sun shows our Ego-center or, in more poetical terms, how we can "shine" most brightly in our personal self-expression (the house placement … Continue reading Chasing the Sun and Moon: The Astro-Psychology of the Major Arcana
A Reasonable Assumption
As regular readers of this blog know, I'm not an advocate of remote tarot reading of any kind although, with COVID keeping me away from "live" divination venues for the foreseeable future, I've been doing a few of them by email. The thought struck me that useful parallels might be drawn between the conventions of … Continue reading A Reasonable Assumption
Express Yourself
"It's not what you look likeWhen you're doin' what you're doin'It's what you're doin' when you're doin'What you look like you're doin'Express yourselfExpress yourself"- Charles Wright & the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band Before we moved across the State, I had an occasional tarot reading gig at a local esoteric shop and then, after the … Continue reading Express Yourself
“Two Roads Diverged . . .”
. . . 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 . . .”
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
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 