The idea of summing and then numerologically reducing the values of the cards in a spread to arrive at a single Major Arcanum card as a high-level summary of the individual details serves as a kind of "capstone" on the narrative. This practice seems to have entered the modern tarot world via the books of … Continue reading The Quintessence, Sub-quintessence and Grand Quintessence
Tarot Techniques
Trump Cards for Timing
In the temporal scheme of all things tarot, the card suits and numbers work reasonably well together to create a model for estimating the timing of future events. Although it is deeply flawed (for example, no reply to a job application is likely to take "years;" the more practical answer is probably "never"), the rule-of-thumb … Continue reading Trump Cards for Timing
Rules of Engagement
I often participate in on-line debates about the legal risks inherent in reading the cards for pay in a public setting. Some localities in the US have anti-fortune-telling statutes that force readers to offer their services “for entertainment only.” But there is a broader set of considerations regarding just how much protocol and structure we … Continue reading Rules of Engagement
