AUTHOR'S NOTE: I just set aside the two uninspiring tarot books I've been reading and went looking for a volume on playing-card divination. A member of the online cartomancy community recommended Roger Horne's Cartomancy in Folk Witchcraft, and I was able to buy it on Kindle for a small sum. His writing style is a … Continue reading Somebody Wants Something: The Single-Minded Focus of the Court or “Face” Cards
Tarot Resources
The Tarot Threes: Sidling, Then Circling
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Here is a three-deck comparison of the Threes similar to the one I recently posted for the Fives. When applying esoteric number theory to the forty Minor Arcana of the tarot, the number One represents the Point and the four Aces that describe the "prelude" to the action signified by their suit but … Continue reading The Tarot Threes: Sidling, Then Circling
The Disruptive Fives: A Bleak But Essential Corrective
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I've written about the tarot Fives a number of times from an esoteric perspective, and also from a pragmatic point-of-view as indicating the need to "break eggs (the stagnant Fours) to make omelettes (the harmonious Sixes)." I've often called them "can-openers" and "nutcrackers." Their disruptive nature comes from their association with the sphere … Continue reading The Disruptive Fives: A Bleak But Essential Corrective
Sitting with Ourself: A Thoth Perspective
"If I had the chance, I'd ask the world to danceAnd I'd be dancing with myself"- from Dancing With Myself by Billy Idol AUTHOR'S NOTE: As I began reading Joe Monteleone's Tarot Mysticism: The Psycho-Spiritual Technology of the Thoth Tarot, I came upon his premise that one of the three primary uses for the tarot … Continue reading Sitting with Ourself: A Thoth Perspective
Dynamic Tension: “Secret Paths” on the Tree of Life
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I'm currently reading T. Susan Chang's Tarot Correspondences: Ancient Secrets for Everyday Readers, and I'm at the point where she talks about the indirect connections between sephiroth on the Hermetic Tree of Life that aren't joined by established "paths" along with their associated trump cards. In baseball terminology, we could say that she … Continue reading Dynamic Tension: “Secret Paths” on the Tree of Life
“Boadicea’s Tarot of Earthly Delights” Personality Profile
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Here I'm applying my "Tell Me No Lies" Personality Profile spread to the recently-purchased tarot deck shown above. (This is my version of the "new-deck interview.") This spread is designed to explore the quasi-psychological profile of a deck in twelve cards, conveying its immediate impact on the viewer ("first impressions") along with its … Continue reading “Boadicea’s Tarot of Earthly Delights” Personality Profile
The Blame Game: A “Weaponized” Relationship Spread, Rev. 1
UPDATE: In practice, the original spread did not lend itself to a clean judgment regarding the forces at work, so I created an alternate version. Each "Upper Hand" card has been changed to a "Defense Mode" indicator for the partner on that side of the layout, with the idea that it will counter the other … Continue reading The Blame Game: A “Weaponized” Relationship Spread, Rev. 1
Applied Tarot: From Anxiety to Empowerment
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I recently came across the opinion that fear as expressed in a tarot reading is not necessarily a bad thing because it keeps us sharply focused on our challenges while galvanizing us into action. In addition, fear in the form of anxiety is often the driver that brings a sitter to the reader's … Continue reading Applied Tarot: From Anxiety to Empowerment
Ceremonial Magick and the I Ching: Card Comparisons
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I realize that the title is misleading. This essay is not about the practice of ritual magic, nor is it a discussion of divination with the I Ching. I'm always looking for a reason to drag out my copy of Anthony Clark's I Ching Pack with the hexagrams on the cards, and I … Continue reading Ceremonial Magick and the I Ching: Card Comparisons
My Inner House of Cards
AUTHOR'S NOTE: In Lon Milo DuQuette's Tarot Architect, the author proposed that students build a personal "house" of knowledge and wisdom in their consciousness with the 78 cards of the tarot. I see it as a practical way to pursue Aleister Crowley's vision of "living with the cards" that is more organized than daily divination. … Continue reading My Inner House of Cards
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 