Many of us remember the old Wendy's TV commercials in which actress Clara Peller grumpily complained "Where's the beef?" when handed a competitor's burger. There is a parallel phenomenon in tarot divination that takes two different paths but eventually arrives at the same place. On-line reading exchanges offer a perfect vantage point for observing this … Continue reading “Cheap Shots” #9: Where’s the Beef?
Tarot Techniques
Astrology is Your Friend
Those who prefer an entirely intuitive, visual approach to reading tarot cards are in the habit of pushing back vehemently against the use of any kind of knowledge-based occult symbolism or esoteric correspondences in their practice. In some cases a certain dismissive elitism is behind this resistance, in others it's simply a matter of being … Continue reading Astrology is Your Friend
The “Inner Life” of Tarot
There is a punch line from an old and very non-PC joke, (for which I apologize without revealing any more) and a response from John Lennon's book In His Own Write, that together neatly summarize all we think we know about the inner workings of a tarot reading. Q: “How do it know?” A: “You … Continue reading The “Inner Life” of Tarot
The Art of Spread Creation
In the last six years I've created over sixty complex tarot spreads and a few for the Lenormand system that I posted for community use on the Aeclectic Tarot forum (and over a dozen since). What set my spreads apart from the usual forum contribution was the full-color graphic presentation for each layout (rather than … Continue reading The Art of Spread Creation
The How – and Why – of Shuffling
Recently I've been involved in a seemingly endless on-line debate over how to shuffle a tarot deck to get the best result. Overhand shuffling, riffle shuffling faro shuffling and simply mixing the cards face-down on a tabletop all have their proponents, along with unique approaches like dealing the deck into several piles and than randomly … Continue reading The How – and Why – of Shuffling
Court and Minor Cards as Allies to the Major Arcana
The appeal of systematically aligning the cards of the Minor Arcana with the Major Arcana has engaged many thinkers on the tarot, and a number of schemes have been proposed, most with a numerical or hierarchical root. Attempts along these lines have been made by James Wanless (Voyager Tarot) and Elizabeth Hazel (The Tarot Decoded). … Continue reading Court and Minor Cards as Allies to the Major Arcana
Maxwell and Cirlot: Numbers Don’t Lie
I've been working with the numerological ideas of Joseph Maxwell and the geometric graphics of J.E. Cirlot to come up with a new model for interpreting the Tarot de Marseille pip cards. This involves Maxwell's isomorphs of the first four numbers, and Cirlot's metaphysical interpretations of the point, line, cross, triangle, square and circle. I've … Continue reading Maxwell and Cirlot: Numbers Don’t Lie
Tarot Unzipped: Fixing the Unfixable
We have all had the experience: something we take for granted that is commonplace but also absolutely essential to the performance of some action no longer works as it should. Think of a broken zipper on a jacket or pair of pants. Replacing a zipper – unless you're a talented seamstress or accept the expense … Continue reading Tarot Unzipped: Fixing the Unfixable
Aces as Significators
Since I'm luke-warm about the usefulness of court-card Significators, I came up with an approach that uses the elemental nature of the different Aces instead. I created the attached information sheet, which I show to my sitters before a reading and have them pick which of the descriptions most accurately fits their circumstances. Since I … Continue reading Aces as Significators
The “Who Goes There?” Personal Outreach Spread
This is an unusual spread aimed at zeroing in on the kind of person the querent needs to reach out to in his or her particular situation. It could be a lover, a mentor or an electrician depending on the circumstances. It uses two decks, one to lay out all 16 court cards in a … Continue reading The “Who Goes There?” Personal Outreach Spread
