AUTHOR'S NOTE: The Chinese aphorism "A path is made by walking it" that is associated with fourth-century BC Taoist philosopher Zhuangzi is perfect advice for 21st-Century tarot readers. The premise as I'm applying it is that one must learn to crawl before walking; walk before running; and run before attempting to fly, in this way … Continue reading A Path Made by Walking
Tarot Teaching
“When in Doubt, Lay It Out”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Tarot beginners who are doubtful about both their predictive skills and the reliability of divination in general often ask "But is a tarot reading always accurate? Can it actually foretell my future?" I made my own peace with that conundrum long ago and thought I would share my experience. One of the main … Continue reading “When in Doubt, Lay It Out”
Learning the Tarot Cards: Assimilate, Don’t Aggregate!
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I recently came upon an alleged "ancient Egyptian proverb" that I decided to tweak for use in this essay. Here I'm revisiting a topic I previously covered in 2020 because I have so many new followers who may not have caught up to it. Original: "True teaching is not an accumulation of knowledge; … Continue reading Learning the Tarot Cards: Assimilate, Don’t Aggregate!
The Heart of the Matter: Quality Over Quantity and Simplicity in Action
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Early in my re-reading of Ethan Indigo Smith's The Tao of Thoth, I once again encountered his analysis of the virtue of simplicity over complexity. He observes that "Simplicity is often a quality, whereas complexity yields mostly quantities." His premise is that "qualifying ourselves and (our) surroundings" through focused "inner work" is far … Continue reading The Heart of the Matter: Quality Over Quantity and Simplicity in Action
Revisiting the Astrology of the Major Arcana
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Recently, someone in the r/tarot sub-reddit community voiced the opinion (for which they had been previously chastised and downvoted) that some of the astrological correspondences proposed by the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn for the Major Arcana of the tarot just don't seem to hold water. Although I don't personally agree with … Continue reading Revisiting the Astrology of the Major Arcana
Reversal As Circumvention: “Going in the Back Door”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I'm endlessly fascinated by the phenomenon of reversed cards in a tarot reading because I think it is something that is widely misunderstood and therefore mishandled. There are numerous adjectives describing its effects that go well beyond mere antithesis, although "redirection of focus" is a common theme. Here I'm using the catch-all term … Continue reading Reversal As Circumvention: “Going in the Back Door”
Grazing the Group-Chat Channels
AUTHOR'S NOTE: In August I will have been running this blog for seven years and will soon pass 2,100 divination-related posts. I try my best to throw a new twist into each of my daily essays but I catch myself repeating topics when I'm not mining a new metaphysical book that has captured my interest … Continue reading Grazing the Group-Chat Channels
General Life-Reading: A Convenient Fallback
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I often see consternation brewing among tarot neophytes over the fact that, although they want to "get serious" when it comes to divination with the cards, they are unsure how to proceed because they have no pressing questions to ask. Following is a summary of ways to offset that shortcoming through a "general … Continue reading General Life-Reading: A Convenient Fallback
“No Blame” – Between the Ideal and the Irredeemable*
*Between the ideal and the irredeemable lies the imperfect or slightly flawed that, with prompt corrective action, can still be salvaged. (A creative rewrite of Benebell Wen's I Ching text.) AUTHOR'S NOTE: I've been thinking about the often-repeated advice of the I Ching that "there is no blame," in essence meaning that, although mistakes have … Continue reading “No Blame” – Between the Ideal and the Irredeemable*
“Liberating” The Tarot Reading
AUTHOR'S NOTE: In his fictionalized biography of Michelangelo Buonarroti, Irving Stone put words in the sculptor's mouth to the effect that, in order to carve a statue of a horse from a block of marble, all he had to do was "remove everything that isn't horse." He was in effect freeing his vision from its … Continue reading “Liberating” The Tarot Reading
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 