AUTHOR'S NOTE: The Pythagorean and Qabalistic systems of occult numeration that I use in my metaphysical work were formed around the first nine "whole" numbers or integers, One through Nine, while Ten was an outgrowth of their progressive development. (Zero represents an absence of quantity and Ten is the first "complex" multi-digit number that the … Continue reading Degrees of Balance: Unitary and Binary Numbers in Tarot Reading
Tarot Techniques
A “Close Encounter” Triskelion Spread
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Here is a concise spread that is aimed at exploring the general characteristics, consequences and dynamics of a new human contact or other opportunity that has recently entered (or is about to enter) the seeker's life. (If it addresses a situation rather than a specific individual, those attributes will reflect the querent's own … Continue reading A “Close Encounter” Triskelion Spread
An “Overt-and-Covert” Situational Development Spread
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Here is a spread that is designed to follow the progress of an initiative, enterprise or project from its inception to the "first milestone" of self-sustaining viability. (The "story arc" is structured so it can be repeated for later phases of a strategic game plan.) It includes a public (or "overt") arc and … Continue reading An “Overt-and-Covert” Situational Development Spread
Reversal as Disconnection: “How Far Should I Stick My Neck Out?”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Here is another take on the phenomenon of reversed cards in a tarot reading, this time inspired by the interpretation of a reversed court card from Paul Fenton-Smith's Tarot Master-Class. The male subject was described as being disconnected from expressing the characteristics of the upright orientation, and the impression was of being barred … Continue reading Reversal as Disconnection: “How Far Should I Stick My Neck Out?”
Reductionism as the Tarot Reader’s Duty
"Your goal as a reader is to clarify the client's situation, so reducing the possible meanings for each card on the table is a part of this process."- Paul Fenton-Smith in Tarot Master-Class AUTHOR'S NOTE: My belief has always been that the tarot cards are infinitely flexible and adaptable to any situation, given that each … Continue reading Reductionism as the Tarot Reader’s Duty
Portraits of Immaturity: Court-Card Reversal as “Backsliding”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I was put on the scent of this topic while re-reading Paul Fenton-Smith's Tarot Master-Class. When addressing the subject of reversal in his court-card chapter, Fenton-Smith maintains the premise that the appearance of a reversed card in a reading means that something about the affairs of the previous upright card in the natural … Continue reading Portraits of Immaturity: Court-Card Reversal as “Backsliding”
“Your Own Best Friend, You Are”
"I'm a mog! Half man, half dog. I'm my own best friend!"- John Candy as "Barf" in the Mel Brook's comedy Spaceballs AUTHOR'S NOTE: Consider this a bit of skewed wisdom from "pseudo-Yoda the Tarot Guru." I was just reading a news feed that mentioned a growing "national loneliness crisis" as one of the main … Continue reading “Your Own Best Friend, You Are”
Got a Bad Case of “DDD?” – There’s Always a Way Out
"These are the days you wish your bed was already made"- from Manic Monday by The Bangles "I got stones in my passwayAnd my road seem dark as night"- from Stones in My Passway by Robert Johnson AUTHOR'S NOTE: "Discouraging daily draw," that is. Although I admit to seldom doing them unless a major event … Continue reading Got a Bad Case of “DDD?” – There’s Always a Way Out
A “Life’s Big Questions” Spread
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Here is a tarot spread that should be useful for exploring any profound existential issues confronting a seeker. In it, the analytical shares equal billing with the mystical (which is my customary approach to divination). The five-fold architecture of the layout is more philosophical than pragmatic in a "fortune-telling" sense. It is to … Continue reading A “Life’s Big Questions” Spread
A Potential-Mapping Spread in Three Parts: High Road, Low Road and Middle Way
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is a spread for the analysis of situations that offer three ways to confront the ethical choices facing the querent: a "High Road" of wisdom; a "Low Road" of folly; and a "Middle Way" of apathy. There are five factors on each path that are subject to optimization or abasement according to … Continue reading A Potential-Mapping Spread in Three Parts: High Road, Low Road and Middle Way
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 