In microeconomics, economy of scale refers to the theory that average costs start falling as output increases. As I apply it to tarot spread design, it asserts that the level of effort required to read a spread decreases as the number of card positions increases. While this seems counter-intuitive, it's due to the fact that, … Continue reading Economy of Scale in Spread Design
Tarot Resources
The Ideal Study Group
Esoteric study groups of the face-to-face kind are mercurial beasts. Interest tends to wax and wane, and attendance is anything but consistent as members occasionally choose to deal with more mundane matters on meeting day. When I lived in the Hartford, CT area in the '70s, there were numerous opportunities to meet regularly with kindred … Continue reading The Ideal Study Group
The Legacy of the Golden Dawn
As I prepare to do a presentation at a regional tarot meeting tomorrow on the history of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, I've been organizing my thoughts on exactly what that organization has meant to the modern esoteric tarot. Obviously, much of the foundation comes from the system of correspondences created by Samuel … Continue reading The Legacy of the Golden Dawn
The “Powers” of the Court Cards
In The Complete Golden Dawn System of Magic, Israel Reagrdie published a version of the "tarot papers" of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, collectively titled Liber T, that has additional content - some inserted by Regardie, apparently from the Whare Ra Temple documents, some written by his publisher Christopher Hyatt, and some generated … Continue reading The “Powers” of the Court Cards
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?
Cutting-Edge Cartomancy
The Cartomancer is a glossy, elegant, high-quality and high-caliber quarterly international journal for the card-reading enthusiast, mainly focusing on Tarot, Lenormand and Oracle deck study and practice. After a distinguished turn at the helm by Jadzia deForest, the publication has now been purchased and is being published by Arwen Lynch-Poe. This is Arwen's inaugural effort, … Continue reading Cutting-Edge Cartomancy
Court Card Thumbnails: The Page/Princess of Wands
The Court Cards: The Page/Princess of Wands Titles: Earth of Fire; Princess of the Shining Flame – The Rose of the Palace of Fire Astrological Correspondence: The northwest quadrant of the zodiac, comprising the signs of Cancer, Leo and Virgo. Commentary: Golden Dawn “Liber T” (S.L. Mathers): “Brilliance, courage, beauty, force, sudden in anger or … Continue reading Court Card Thumbnails: The Page/Princess of Wands
Court Card Thumbnails: The Queen of Wands
The Court Cards: The Queen of Wands Titles: Water of Fire; The Queen of the Thrones of Flame Astrological Correspondence: 21° Pisces to 20° Aries Commentary: Golden Dawn “Liber T” (S.L. Mathers): “Adaptability, steady force applied to an object. Steady rule; great attractive power, power of command, yet liked notwithstanding. Kind and generous when not … Continue reading Court Card Thumbnails: The Queen of Wands
Court Card Thumbnails: The King of Wands
This is the first of what will be a series of daily posts on the tarot court cards. They are drawn from lesson material I created last year for a beginner's course. The quoted sections were taken from Tarot Divination: A Description of the Cards of the Tarot, Aleister Crowley's publication of the Golden Dawn's … Continue reading Court Card Thumbnails: The King of Wands
Court Card Thumbnails: An Introduction
This brief introduction sets the stage for a series of posts on the tarot court cards taken from material I developed for my "Tarot 101" beginner's course last year. The Structure of the Tarot: The Court Cards The cards representing medieval royalty are some of the most difficult to interpret for beginners and experienced readers … Continue reading Court Card Thumbnails: An Introduction
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 