AUTHOR'S NOTE: It is often said that, within its range of customary definitions, every tarot card contains all possible shades of positive and negative meaning that will invariably yield a piece of the puzzle when wisely applied to a specific question. The analysis is typically approached as a deductive exercise that first zeros in on … Continue reading The Middle Way: Finding the “Sweet Spot”
Tarot Opinion
The Pages: Impatience Rising
AUTHOR'S NOTE: In my recent readings I've been interpreting the Page of Swords as being "impatient for an answer." Today, while reading about the Page of Wands in Benebell Wens Holistic Tarot, I realized that this mild form of agitation can be applied to the Pages of all four suits. Because of their immaturity, aversion … Continue reading The Pages: Impatience Rising
The Importance of Validation: Framing the Past in a Reading
AUTHOR'S NOTE: In recent years I have moved away from the "Past/Present/Future" format in three-card tarot readings because there is little point in dwelling on "what has been" in such a brief snapshot. Instead I cut to the chase by focusing on "Present/Near Future/Longer-Range Outcome." However, in larger spreads like the ten-card Celtic Cross, there … Continue reading The Importance of Validation: Framing the Past in a Reading
The World: Final Destination or “Jumping-Off Place?”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: The World card is generally interpreted to mean successful completion of the matter at hand (although it may entail some delay). In her book Holistic Tarot, Benebell Wen describes it as showing the "final state of cosmic consciousness" for the querent's Higher Self. A few years ago I formed a slightly different opinion … Continue reading The World: Final Destination or “Jumping-Off Place?”
Digging Deeper: Creative Consulting vs. Counseling
AUTHOR'S NOTE: While all tarot reading for other people is advisory in nature, some professional diviners possess the psychoanalytical qualifications and credentials to counsel their clients in a therapeutic way, while those who don't should be careful to remain within the bounds of informal "consulting." I may bring decades of life experience, philosophical study and … Continue reading Digging Deeper: Creative Consulting vs. Counseling
“Plateauing” – The Nature of the Fours
AUTHOR'S NOTE: In esoteric number theory, Four is the number of the Square that prefigures the six-sided cube it becomes when projected into three-dimensional space, and many people relate it directly to that polyhedron. But, although it is the fourth geometric expression after the Point, the Line and the Triangle, no volume is implied since … Continue reading “Plateauing” – The Nature of the Fours
Force Over Form: Leveraging the Elements
AUTHOR'S NOTE: "Leveraging" is the act of pressing one's advantage in ways that optimize the benefit in practical terms; it's the concept behind the Biblical proverb of "moving mountains" with simple conviction and affirmation (aka "faith" but I don't subscribe to that concept, preferring to say that I'm a "man of certainty"). Here I will … Continue reading Force Over Form: Leveraging the Elements
Fusion and Reconciliation: Temperance as the “Ultimate Smoothie”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: In previous essays I've described the Temperance card as representing "the 'fine Art of Right Action' (neither too much force nor too little) when a discriminating finesse is called for." This has served me well as a practical definition over the years, but I just came across two ideas in Benebell Wen's Holistic … Continue reading Fusion and Reconciliation: Temperance as the “Ultimate Smoothie”
The “Third-Party” Reading and the Boomerang Effect
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Arguably the most common question put to the tarot after "Does my ex want to come back to me?" is "What does Joe or Mary think or feel about me?" (A bit of wry humor there: inquiries about the mental state of a prospective love interest far exceed those exploring possible reconciliation with … Continue reading The “Third-Party” Reading and the Boomerang Effect
“Squishy” Tarot Reading
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Not long ago I came across a post on one of the Facebook pages that railed against the current "state of the art" (if I may dignify it as such) in on-line tarot reading. The relevant part of the rant is worth quoting here: "I know intuition and the client's question/situation will influence … Continue reading “Squishy” Tarot Reading
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 