I frequently speak of British-born French tarot writer Joseph Maxwell in admiring terms, mainly for his numerological exploration of the Minor Arcana (despite the fact that my forum friends in France assure me that Ivor Powell's translation of Maxwell's book, The Tarot, is an inadequate one and the book is a difficult read even in … Continue reading A Maxwell Primer
Tarot Techniques
Natura Abhorret Vacuum: The Fool and the Aces
This post started out as a riff on the postulate "horror vacui" attributed to Aristotle and later restated by Francois Rabelais as "Nature abhors a vacuum," and was going to be a cautionary tale about filling blog space with miscellaneous "stuff" when nothing new presents itself to the blogger's scrutiny (in this case, me and … Continue reading Natura Abhorret Vacuum: The Fool and the Aces
Human Conflict: The Tarotscopic View
Human conflict is one of my favorite areas to explore with the tarot because it is such a target-rich environment. I don't do much with multi-party conflicts because they are much rarer than the one-on-one face-off, but here is the latest example of my current approach. Tarot is an excellent microscope through which to scrutinize … Continue reading Human Conflict: The Tarotscopic View
Down to the Crossroads
American delta blues singers of the last century were literally "bedeviled" by the idea of a crossroads, where it was believed one could go to bargain with Old Scratch at midnight. Having finally come to terms with the intricacies of Temperance, I decided to turn my attention to its astrological counterpart, the Lovers, which I … Continue reading Down to the Crossroads
The “Redneck Romantic Worthiness Scorecard”
Sometimes tarot can be just plain fun. This spread is a step up from the GEICO "caveman" shtick (although admittedly a small one). Use it at your next "Walking Dead" house party, or on your SO to reset the bar (or maybe the "scales will fall from your eyes"). I hope there aren't many thin-skinned … Continue reading The “Redneck Romantic Worthiness Scorecard”
A Cold Case Continuation: Where Is Bethany?
As mentioned in my last post, here is the second half of the reading on the fate of Tina and Bethany Sinclair. In this spread, I was looking for a Page to come up as the Significator for the 15-year-old girl. The Page of Pentacles appeared as the very first card in the draw, which … Continue reading A Cold Case Continuation: Where Is Bethany?
A Cold Case Update: Where Is Tina?
In February, 2001, Tina Sinclair and her daughter Bethany disappeared from their home in West Chesterfield, NH under suspicious circumstances. Speculation was that they were victims of domestic violence but no evidence to that effect was ever substantiated. As this link shows, investigators are still actively searching for them. http://www.wmur.com/article/divers-search-near-dam-in-sinclair-investigation/5191159 I did a previous reading … Continue reading A Cold Case Update: Where Is Tina?
Where Is Curtis? – One Cold Case, Two Readings
I promised some of my followers an example reading with my new missing person spread, and since I had already laid out the cards for this cold case using my "Train to Nowhere" spread but haven't analyzed and posted it yet, I decided to do both readings for comparative purposes. This is the case of … Continue reading Where Is Curtis? – One Cold Case, Two Readings
Hit the Road, Jack: The “World of Hurt” Missing-Person Spread
UPDATE: This spread has been modified to give a better idea of the subject's condition, both at the time of the reading and the time of discovery. In working with and discussing my current missing-person spread (the "Train to Nowhere"), I came to the conclusion that, while it offers considerable finely-tuned detail regarding the possible … Continue reading Hit the Road, Jack: The “World of Hurt” Missing-Person Spread
Where Is Brandon? – A Missing-Person Reading
UPDATE: The subject of this reading, Brandon Chicklis was recently found dead off the side of a road in Rindge, NH. His death has been ruled a homicide but no other information was provided. http://www.wmur.com/article/body-found-in-rindge-identified-as-missing-mass-man-death-ruled-homicide/22144351 This post begins with a lengthy preamble reflecting on the nature of my self-created missing-person spread and the decks I've … Continue reading Where Is Brandon? – A Missing-Person Reading
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 