Aleister Crowley said that the ideal way to become intimately acquainted with the Major Arcana of the tarot as "living beings" is meditation (although divination is the most practical way for the uninitiated). In his book The Druidry Handbook, John Michael Greer observed that the noisy Western mental machinery is not amenable to the Eastern … Continue reading An Astro-Tarot Meditation Aid
Tarot Resources
Virtue Is As Virtue Does
. . . or something like that. The uncertainty over which tarot trump card represents which of the four cardinal and three "theological" virtues is a continuing source of on-line debate. As a non-religious person I don't bother much (or at all) with the Christian virtues in a tarot reading, but I am intrigued by … Continue reading Virtue Is As Virtue Does
A “House” System for Tarot
Some time ago I created a numerical table that lays out all 78 tarot cards in an array that begins with the 22 trump cards and then follows through with the 56 minor cards, Ace through King and Wands through Pentacles. I devised this table as a way to find the "mid-point" between cards for … Continue reading A “House” System for Tarot
Odd Couples
I'm still plowing my way through Alejandro Jodorowsky's The Way of Tarot and have reached the section where he proposes a few obvious (and more than a few off-beat) "duets" between the cards of the tarot. Anyone with a shred of card sense can clearly see the logical ties between the Emperor and Empress, the … Continue reading Odd Couples
Symbolic Triptych: A Past/Present/Future Life-Reading Snapshot
This spread is an oddity for me in that it only has three cards. But I wanted to play around with geometric symbolism and someone asked me for a small-spread recommendation. The square represents stability in past circumstances (even if only in the sense that they aren't going to change) and perfectly symbolizes the "Foundation" … Continue reading Symbolic Triptych: A Past/Present/Future Life-Reading Snapshot
Rare, Medium or Well-Done: A Timing-Card Experiment
Having made a stab at identifying specific "yes, no or maybe" cards, I decided to try my hand at assigning "fast, slow or moderate" speediness to all of the tarot cards for use in answering timing questions. Although practical success with it has proven spotty, the general consensus is that Fire cards are the most … Continue reading Rare, Medium or Well-Done: A Timing-Card Experiment
The Three “R’s”
I was never much good at mathematics, being more of a literary and artistic type in my youth and on into maturity. For me, 'rithmetic never really made it into the classical mix, although I did have to pass college math to get my degree. My personal "three R's" included readin', (w)ritin' and a rotating … Continue reading The Three “R’s”
A Road Less Traveled
I've written on this topic before, but have since gained a number of fresh insights and decided that it's time for an update. My impression of modern English-speaking tarot culture is that casually curious beginners pick up one of the "easy tarot" kits (a deck and companion book such as those by Rosalind Simmons or … Continue reading A Road Less Traveled
Over Under Sideways Down
In 1966, the English rock band The Yardbirds released the song that was the inspiration for the title of this post. The image it conveys reminds me strongly of something I picked up from the Enrique Enriquez documentary, "Tarology," regarding the structural patterns that are evident in the "pip" cards of the Tarot de Marseille. … Continue reading Over Under Sideways Down
Elementary, Really
I recently did a Celtic Cross reading that strongly emphasized the importance of elemental qualities in tarot interpretation. I realize that many people don't appreciate or apply esoteric correspondences in their readings, but if there is a single method that should be in every diviner's toolbox, that would be a good grasp of the four … Continue reading Elementary, Really
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 