I'm not exactly "at war" with the narrative thrust of the Minor Arcana in the Waite-Smith (aka RWS) deck, but it often doesn't sit well with me because of my lengthy involvement with the Thoth deck and the Golden Dawn's system of esoteric symbolism. It's not just that the stories they tell are prosaic, they … Continue reading “Easy Come, Easy Go”
Tarot Opinion
Life After Intuition
I'm not a huge fan of purely intuitive tarot reading. There, I said it. It will probably be dismissed as mean-spirited literalism toward what is chiefly an elastic, visionary pursuit, but there is something too fatuously "squishy" about unmitigated intuition for my taste. I think the idea is fed to beginners as "The Way" because … Continue reading Life After Intuition
The Other “I” Words
Since I describe myself as a storyteller in the same breath that I profess to being a diviner, I often find that intuition is thin sauce with which to season my readings. It's not something that can typically be turned on and off at will like a faucet; when it's "on," it's free-flowing and insightful, … Continue reading The Other “I” Words
The Blame Game: Court Cards as People
I haven't been polishing my "curmudgeon cred" much since I ended my "Cheap Shots" series, so here is another crack at it. Late-19th-Century tarot authorities, lacking our psychological and sociological sophistication, almost unanimously considered the court cards to show other people in the querent's life, even going to the extreme of trying to describe their … Continue reading The Blame Game: Court Cards as People
Keywords: Guilty As Charged
There is no way around it, keyword memorization is one of the cornerstones of the tarot student's curriculum. It is a convenient and familiar way to acquire at least a modest vocabulary without having to think too hard about it. Keywords are "training wheels" for the wobbly novice. Most tarot writers are able to fill … Continue reading Keywords: Guilty As Charged
Multiculturalism or Cultural Appropriation?
Yesterday I came across a news article about a young woman who chose a traditional Chinese dress to wear to her high school prom because she appreciated its modesty. She posted a picture on social media and was deluged with howls of protest over such an egregious expression of "cultural appropriation." From where I sit, … Continue reading Multiculturalism or Cultural Appropriation?
Psychoactive Tarot
Every once in a while on the tarot forums, someone asks whether it's helpful (or even wise) to attempt reading the cards while under the influence of psychoactive "substances," whether drugs or alcohol. The thrust of the question usually revolves around the perceived loosening of cognitive strictures that may create a more fluid intuitive climate … Continue reading Psychoactive Tarot
Journals, Good Intentions and the Road to Hell
The aphorism I'm referring to in the title is "The road to Hell is paved with good intentions," to which, in the present context, I would append ". . . and littered with musty old tarot journals." It's a given that modern writers on "how to learn the tarot" will unanimously recommend that new students … Continue reading Journals, Good Intentions and the Road to Hell
More Thoth Musings
Since there is some interest in my view of the Thoth as an alkahest, or "universal solvent" in the world of tarot divination, I thought I would strike while the iron is hot. The best place to chase down this notion is with Frieda Harris's wonderfully evocative Minor Arcana (aka "pip") cards, and one of … Continue reading More Thoth Musings
Gilding the Weed
I'm often amused by the earnest claims of professional diviners who trumpet how "accurate" they are, as if being "right" surpasses being "helpful" in their interaction with their clientele. Since I have yet to see a workable empirical model that everyone can agree on for measuring the accuracy of our readings, much less practice in … Continue reading Gilding the Weed
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 