Country singer Hank Williams once wrote a country blues song called "Long Gone Lonesome Blues" that contained the verse: "And then I jumped in the river, but the doggone river was dry." Funny thing about trying to read for oneself on a daily basis, especially after doing it for years on end. Eventually it can … Continue reading The River Was Dry
Tarot Opinion
The Art of the Draw
There is a old phrase used in card-playing circles that has made its way into general usage as an expression of the fickleness of life: "the luck of the draw." It's a philosophical bookend to the related sentiment "Play the hand you're dealt." There is a fated quality to both that doesn't sit well with … Continue reading The Art of the Draw
The Book of Thoth – An Appreciation
One doesn't really review Aleister Crowley's Book of Thoth (BoT), his exquisitely (and often excruciatingly) erudite companion volume to the magnificent deck of tarot cards he and Freida Harris bestowed upon the world. One stands back at a safe distance, squints sagely at it, maybe scratches one's addled pate, and tries to think of something … Continue reading The Book of Thoth – An Appreciation
The Three-Card Carousel
"Round and round she goes, and where she stops nobody knows." I'm pinching those words from the old Ted Mack Amateur Hour TV show to illustrate one method of reading a three-card spread in tarot divination. There are differing opinions on this: some always read in a line from left-to-right, with the Past on the … Continue reading The Three-Card Carousel
A King is a King is . . . a Knight?
I'm going to tackle one of the most confusing and contentious issues in the annals of esoteric tarot: Samuel Liddell "Macgregor" Mathers tinkering with the traditional order of the court cards in his Golden Dawn instructional material, Liber T. At the heart of the issue is the assignment of the four classical elements, and by … Continue reading A King is a King is . . . a Knight?
The Pips and the 10 Points of Light
As many of you know, the 78 cards of the tarot were assigned to the 32 paths on the qabalistic Tree of Life by the esoteric thinkers of the 19th Century, beginning in earnest with Eliphas Levi and culminating with the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn and several of its alumni at the end … Continue reading The Pips and the 10 Points of Light
“Got Love If You Want It,” or Love In Its Cups
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
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
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 