This post started out as a riff on the postulate "horror vacui" attributed to Aristotle and later restated by Francois Rabelais as "Nature abhors a vacuum," and was going to be a cautionary tale about filling blog space with miscellaneous "stuff" when nothing new presents itself to the blogger's scrutiny (in this case, me and … Continue reading Natura Abhorret Vacuum: The Fool and the Aces
Tarot Opinion
The Fool and Me
It never occurred to me that this 1974 hard-rock song from Robin Trower's Bridge of Sighs album, co-written and sung by the late, great James Dewar, most likely had its roots in the tarot; the timing was certainly right for a veiled New Age allusion. With lyrics that seem to play off the Fool's heedless … Continue reading The Fool and Me
In the Beginning . . .
. . . there was the Word, and the Word was Good. Most of us began our tarot journey with books. The more "senior" among us probably found our way to Eden Gray's The Tarot Revealed first, followed by Waite's Pictorial Key to the Tarot. I surmise that it's a rare person who picks up the … Continue reading In the Beginning . . .
The Small Pond
When I started this blog in July of 2017, I was recovering from the shock of the imminent demise of the Aeclectic Tarot forum and hoping to find (or create) another active venue for discussion of the more esoteric side of tarot and divination in general. A few upstart forums rushed in to fill the … Continue reading The Small Pond
Jodo’s Hermit: Walk this Way
I've been slowly and patiently working my way through Alejandro Jodorowsky's Tarot de Marseille book, The Way of Tarot (a full analysis of which will have to wait for another time, assuming I get to the end of it). I came to it prepared to be disappointed, convinced by previous reviews that it veers too … Continue reading Jodo’s Hermit: Walk this Way
Down to the Crossroads
American delta blues singers of the last century were literally "bedeviled" by the idea of a crossroads, where it was believed one could go to bargain with Old Scratch at midnight. Having finally come to terms with the intricacies of Temperance, I decided to turn my attention to its astrological counterpart, the Lovers, which I … Continue reading Down to the Crossroads
Mea Culpa, Baby . . . Maybe
I appreciate the expression mea culpa. It has a contrite, confessional ring to it that in this imperfect world may in fact only be, like the Tarot de Marseille stage-magician's averted glance, an attempt to deflect critical scrutiny (call it moral sleight-of-hand). Bring attention to the little sins and let the big ones go so … Continue reading Mea Culpa, Baby . . . Maybe
“All Eyes and No Sight”
Although I made my daily post for June 30 early this morning, I was sitting at my desk looking at a mug with amusing Shakespearean quotes on it given to me by my daughter-in-law when I spied the words "all eyes and no sight." This was excerpted from the line in the play Troilus and Cressida … Continue reading “All Eyes and No Sight”
So Easy a Caveman (or Any Man) Could Do It
Permit me a little latitude (at least in my terminology if not in my attitude, which is in the main sympathetic - and please forgive the unintended limerick) as I examine the demographics of the modern tarot community. Back in the early '70s social connectivity other than barroom malingering was virtually unheard of beyond one's … Continue reading So Easy a Caveman (or Any Man) Could Do It
Live the Question/Live the Answer
Many people believe that the tarot can answer any question, big or small (true, in a qualified way), and that the mere act of asking will deliver an unconditional solution to their problem, gift-wrapped and duty-free, into their anxiously waiting hands (less certain in many cases). They take the old "instant food" promise to heart … Continue reading Live the Question/Live the Answer
