Now I'm really going to have to work! This brilliant piece of mystical poetry, extracted from Algernon Charles Swinburn's epic verse drama, Atalanta at Calydon, is rife with possibilities for metaphorical correspondences to the cards of the Major Arcana. I was able to bring all 22 trumps to bear here; not all of them are a … Continue reading Swinburn and the Major Arcana
Tarot Opinion
For Lack of an Anchor . . .
In a recent Facebook dialogue we were talking about the practice of letting the cards in a spread "hijack" the reading, taking the story-line well away from the focus of the original question or topic. The usual scenario is "You asked about that but the cards are saying this, so let's go this way with the reading … Continue reading For Lack of an Anchor . . .
The “Evolving Question” Scenario
Since 1972 I've generally followed Eden Gray's advice about not asking my sitters to tell me their specific question or topic of interest in advance of a reading, instead letting the cards speak their piece with no subconscious "preconditioning" due to foreknowledge on my part. Sitters silently invest the cards with their inquiry during the shuffle and cut, and their reactions to my … Continue reading The “Evolving Question” Scenario
The $100,000 Question: Closing in on Excellence
There used to be a TV quiz show called "The $64,000 Question." Accounting for inflation and devaluation, let's up the ante and call this the "$100,000 Question:" What are the key qualities that make for an exceptionally competent and effective tarot reader, those that separate the best from the rest? (Hint: It's more than just "being … Continue reading The $100,000 Question: Closing in on Excellence
One Deck to Rule Them All
I've long believed that for every reader there is one tarot deck that fits like a glove: skin-tight and perfectly responsive to every nuance of interpretation. While we might protest that we can read effectively with any deck, there is almost certainly one that stands out from the pack. We can all recognize those that don't quite measure up; … Continue reading One Deck to Rule Them All
Spread Technician: The Artist-Philosopher-Engineer at Play
Having passed the "century" mark in self-designed tarot spread creation and presently working on my second hundred, I've been thinking (when am I not?) of what it takes to develop a truly informative and compelling layout that avoids being tiresomely trite. The most common formula in use today is to take five card positions, which seems to be the … Continue reading Spread Technician: The Artist-Philosopher-Engineer at Play
Hard and Soft, Red and Black
During my intermittent involvement with the Tarot de Marseille (I'm still waiting for that "one book to rule them all"), I've come across the opinion that Batons and Swords are the "hard" suits, while Cups and Coins are "soft." There is some logic to this: both wooden batons (also called staves) and edged metal blades … Continue reading Hard and Soft, Red and Black
Cardboard, Ink and Magic
The forum conversations used to go something like this: Question: Do tarot cards have "personalities?" Answer: Nope, they're just tools made of cardboard and ink. The human qualities they seem to exhibit are those we project onto them. The formal word for it is "anthropomorphizing" but, put more simply, it's a type of animism with roots in … Continue reading Cardboard, Ink and Magic
“A Minute Passed” – The Problem of Prediction
There is an old comedy sketch by Monty Python's Eric Idle that neatly lampoons the slippery art of predicting future circumstances and events. Although the subject of Idle's monologue is anticipatory sexual tension and not divination, the notion of waiting in vain for something to happen is all too familiar. "A minute passed. Then another. Then, another … Continue reading “A Minute Passed” – The Problem of Prediction
Tarot de Marseille: Built for Comfort, Not for Speed
"Some folk rip and roar, some folk b'lieve in signs But if you want me, you got to take your time Because I'm built for comfort, I ain't built for speed" Built for Comfort (Willie Dixon/Howling Wolf) There is something (well, actually 40 "somethings") about the Tarot de Marseill that eludes a facile approach to … Continue reading Tarot de Marseille: Built for Comfort, Not for Speed
