Much has been said about the lack of a coherent traditional system for interpreting the minor - or "pip" - cards of historical tarot decks (which, after all, were never intended for divination). The scenic minor cards of the Waite-Smith deck are basically an imaginative "work-around" designed to squeeze meaning out of these inscrutable icons … Continue reading The Stairway from Heaven
Tarot Techniques
A Table of Mirrors
If you've read my previous posts on the subject of "mirror cards," you'll know what I'm up to here. Using the astrological assignments for the cards of the tarot developed by the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, I've assembled a set of corresponding card pairs (astrologically derived counterparts) for the entire deck. In the … Continue reading A Table of Mirrors
The “Melting Pot” Decision-Making Spread
New ideas for this blog are starting to stack up; I created this spread a couple of days ago but have been trying to limit myself to one new post a day. I really should write a book (as many people have been encouraging me to do), but the "bite-size" scope of these blog posts … Continue reading The “Melting Pot” Decision-Making Spread
The “Marchetti Mash-up” 3-Deck Interview
This is an example reading for the "Three-Deck Triathlon" spread I posted yesterday. It is my first use of the spread, so I will be learning as I go along. I don't use reversals in deck interview readings. Note that, although I don't think tarot decks have "personalities," speaking of them as if they do … Continue reading The “Marchetti Mash-up” 3-Deck Interview
The “Three-Deck Triathlon” Spread
As I accumulate more decks in a similar style (for example, Thoth and RWS clones, Tarot de Marseille variants, pagan-themed decks, and so forth), I encounter the need to decide which deck of the type is the most effective for everyday use, and which is the most worthy to become a mainstay in my practice. … Continue reading The “Three-Deck Triathlon” Spread
The “Better Mousetrap” Disorder
Human beings (and to some extent their simian cousins) are afflicted with a malady that is unique in the animal kingdom: intellectual curiosity. Most creatures operate at the level of survival instinct, with "fight-or-flight" the main theme of their decision-making and mating, eating or self-defense their chief preoccupation at various times. (Come to think of … Continue reading The “Better Mousetrap” Disorder
“Parsifal’s Microscope” In-Depth Analysis Spread
As is no doubt self-evident from my previous posts here, I love complex spreads with lots of working parts to coordinate. This spread is a substitute for the Celtic Cross and covers much the same ground, but is entirely situational in content with no overt psychological assumptions other than the inferred attributes of the Significator … Continue reading “Parsifal’s Microscope” In-Depth Analysis Spread
The Druid Craft Tarot Deck Interview
A conversation on one of the tarot forums about whether the Druid Craft Tarot is "mean" prompted me to run it through my "Tell Me No Lies" personality-profile deck interview. https://www.dropbox.com/s/wsz2m38qfzgh9p1/Expanded%20New%20Deck%20Challenge%20Spread.pdf?raw=1 The top row is the Wands row, indicative of the deck’s vitality and spirit; the second row is the Cups row, showing the deck’s … Continue reading The Druid Craft Tarot Deck Interview
The “Twist of Fate” Course-Correction Spread
Any enterprise or project can reach a point where it becomes vulnerable to external meddling, especially when someone on the outside sees an opportunity to gain some kind of advantage, whether that individual is a corporate raider, a wealthy investor, a wheeling-and-dealing venture capitalist, a conniving co-worker or a pushy mother-in-law. This is the stuff … Continue reading The “Twist of Fate” Course-Correction Spread
Tarot of the Old Path Deck Interview
In doing my "courts and trumps" series of posts, I used one of my long-neglected decks, the Tarot of the Old Path. (I didn't realize it at the time, but there is a good reason those court cards all look so haughty!) I had always felt that the courts in this deck are kind of … Continue reading Tarot of the Old Path Deck Interview
