AUTHOR'S NOTE: I hate to say it, but far too many of the tarot readers I encounter online are convinced they've attained the pinnacle of tarot mastery and make sage pronouncements based on that assumption, when it's clear to this seasoned observer that they're still finding their way and may in fact be going in … Continue reading The Delusion of Perfection
Tarot Teaching
The Reversed Seven of Wands: “Kneecapping the Enemy”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: When upright, the 7 of Wands represents "Valour" or extraordinary courage in the face of daunting odds. This is clearly reflected in the Waite-Smith version, which shows a harried warrior being set upon by six adversaries who have crowded him into a corner. At that moment in time he has yet to give … Continue reading The Reversed Seven of Wands: “Kneecapping the Enemy”
Unresolved Tension in the Waite-Smith Two of Wands
AUTHOR'S NOTE: My daily tarot reading (literature, not cards) recently presented the idea that the reversed 2 of Wands in the Waite-Smith deck conveys "tension." I've never thought of the reversal of this card as elevating the stress that is already there, only making it more insidious. In my "Tarot 101" lesson material on the … Continue reading Unresolved Tension in the Waite-Smith Two of Wands
“He’s Gone to Plaid!”- The Danger of Over-Analyzing
"They've gone to plaid!" - Barf (John Candy) to Lone Star (Bill Pullman) as Spaceballs One overshoots their interstellar Winnebago in Mel Brook's Star Wars parody, Spaceballs. AUTHOR'S NOTE: An author I'm presently re-reading holds the opinion that sticking with one or two definitions for a tarot card is "lazy" when a wide range of … Continue reading “He’s Gone to Plaid!”- The Danger of Over-Analyzing
Elemental Correspondences: Keys to the Kingdom
AUTHOR'S NOTE: If asked by a tarot beginner to identify the least tedious way to become more familiar with reading the cards, my advice (other than "practice, practice, practice") would be to acquire a fundamental understanding of each card (no more than one or two keywords similar to the way Lenormand cards are read) and … Continue reading Elemental Correspondences: Keys to the Kingdom
Court-Card Competence
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Conventional wisdom regarding the level of competence exhibited by the members of the tarot court is that the Kings have mastered their element while the Pages are utterly inexperienced, with the Knights and Queens falling somewhere in the middle. The progression is assumed to be linear, but I just came across the idea … Continue reading Court-Card Competence
Cards of Momentum and Metamorphosis
AUTHOR'S NOTE: "Movement" and "change" are recurring themes in tarot reading and some cards express it more eloquently than others. Aleister Crowley believed that any request for divination means that something needs to change for the better, so the message in these cards is one of encouragement for the seeker. (There are other cards to … Continue reading Cards of Momentum and Metamorphosis
The Colors of Compromise
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Along with pictorial iconography and suit-and-number theory, color symbolism plays a major role in our interpretation of the Tarot de Marseille cards, and some TdM authors have gone on at length about the significance of the different pigments used by 17th Century printers. I decided to stick my oar in the water. The … Continue reading The Colors of Compromise
The Less-Traveled Byways of Tarot: Knowledge and Inspiration Meet Insight and Wisdom
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Whenever I contemplate the unstructured psychic or purely intuitive approach to tarot reading as currently practiced in "live" settings, on internet platforms and via telephone-hotline "prediction mills," my skeptical nature goes into overdrive. I summon a fanciful vision of a youngish mystical diviner (who is largely untutored and inexperienced in the historical roots … Continue reading The Less-Traveled Byways of Tarot: Knowledge and Inspiration Meet Insight and Wisdom
Personalizing the Tarot
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I recently posted on the subject of creating a unique, hand-made tarot deck for independent study and practice, noting that someone (like me) who has accumulated several decades of esoteric experience with traditional decks probably won't benefit much from doing so. But that does not mean one shouldn't try to "personalize" the chosen … Continue reading Personalizing the Tarot
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 