It's likely that the song of the title (written by bluesman Slim Harpo and recorded by several '60s rockers) was talking more about the tumescent love of Crowley's Ace of Disks ("It'll last all the while") than the sweet emotion of the RWS 2 of Cups. But with the "season of love" - or at … Continue reading “Got Love If You Want It,” or Love In Its Cups
Tarot Opinion
Most Important, Influential or Innovative Recent Tarot Decks
On one of the internet tarot forums I frequent, we were discussing the Tabula Mundi Colores Arcus deck , and the question arose about what recent decks we believe are the most significant from the standpoint of stretching the envelope - both in artistic quality and symbolic importance - for a standard 78-card tarot pack. … Continue reading Most Important, Influential or Innovative Recent Tarot Decks
Are We Having Fun Yet?
I guess you could call me an "accidental professional." Will I read for the public, for pay? Sure, if the circumstances are right. Do I obsess about getting paid for my efforts? Not by a long shot. I learned to read the cards - and to cast and interpret horoscopes and geomantic charts - mainly … Continue reading Are We Having Fun Yet?
Pratchett’s Epiphany
In Hogfather, his amusingly cynical meditation on the nature of truth and belief, satirical fantasy writer Terry Pratchett depicted DEATH, who always spoke ominously IN CAPITAL LETTERS, arguing with his stubborn rationalist granddaughter Susan about the need for children to practice believing life's "little lies" (like the Hogfather - aka Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, … Continue reading Pratchett’s Epiphany
New Age Tropes and the “Theater of Tarot”
This lengthy article was rejected for publication because it was viewed as "too elitist." I'm many things, but I'm by no means an elitist. I am however highly opinionated and skeptical of what has become of the bright promise of the New Age as it continues its long, slow decline. Sometimes my "inner curmudgeon" just … Continue reading New Age Tropes and the “Theater of Tarot”
Cheap Shots #30: The Shadow Knows
Time - and, it seems, conventional wisdom - flies (maybe out the window?) when you're having fun, which in my case involved pursuing a career and helping raise a family while tarot languished for a few years. When I found my way back, the landscape had changed. I discussed this in detail in a previous … Continue reading Cheap Shots #30: The Shadow Knows
Cheap Shots #29: Faith, Hope and . . . Disparity
I sometimes wonder how those of us who practice divination - especially those for whom "faith" is not the normal mode of approach to all things spiritual - reconcile what we believe to be true about our pursuits and what we're able to confirm as truth. The gap (the "disparity" of the title) between what … Continue reading Cheap Shots #29: Faith, Hope and . . . Disparity
Cheap Shots #28: Prediction vs. Divination
We've been having a spirited and occasionally contentious debate on one of the forums I frequent regarding the difference between divination and prediction (if there even is one), and which approach is most suitable for work with the tarot. A side issue is whether the proper role of a reader in discussing difficult cards is … Continue reading Cheap Shots #28: Prediction vs. Divination
“Ars Longa, Vita Brevis”
Hippocrates was a physician who made this the opening statement in a medical text. The lines which follow: "The physician must not only be prepared to do what is right himself, but also to make the patient, the attendants, and externals cooperate." Thus in plainer language "it takes a long time to acquire and perfect … Continue reading “Ars Longa, Vita Brevis”
Wish List for 2018
I've slowed down considerably in buying new tarot and oracle decks over the last couple of years. It's not that I don't lust after the latest-and-greatest releases touted by people I trust on the cartomancy forums, it's just that - short of superlative artwork or a magnificent companion book - there just isn't much to … Continue reading Wish List for 2018
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 