AUTHOR NOTE: I've been reading about the universalizing thrust of individuation by which we begin to puzzle out the Cosmos from our evolving personal vantage point, eventually coming full circle to our primordial state of inborn comprehension. (The final "Star-Child" scene of a fully-conscious fetus in 2001: A Space Odyssey comes to mind.) This got … Continue reading Concept, Context and Consequences: An Incremental Reading Method
Tarot Techniques
2024 Presidential Election: An Astro-Tarotscope Forecast
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Regardless of what you think of Donald Trump (and even though I'm far from liberal in my own political views, I don't have much use for him), the Gods of Prognostication seem to prefer him on November 5th. Of all the readings I've done on the upcoming election, this one is the most … Continue reading 2024 Presidential Election: An Astro-Tarotscope Forecast
The Integrated Way: Moral Judgement in Tarot (A Self-Development Spread)
AUTHOR'S NOTE: While I prefer to "just read the cards" and typically shy away from offering moral advice in my tarot readings, use of the cards for self-analysis and self-development invites its consideration in making value-based decisions about one's life. The cards themselves are neutral on that score, so it's a context-specific call the querent … Continue reading The Integrated Way: Moral Judgement in Tarot (A Self-Development Spread)
The Heart of the Matter: Quality Over Quantity and Simplicity in Action
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Early in my re-reading of Ethan Indigo Smith's The Tao of Thoth, I once again encountered his analysis of the virtue of simplicity over complexity. He observes that "Simplicity is often a quality, whereas complexity yields mostly quantities." His premise is that "qualifying ourselves and (our) surroundings" through focused "inner work" is far … Continue reading The Heart of the Matter: Quality Over Quantity and Simplicity in Action
Mastery of Circumstances: The Triangular Pyramid Spread
AUTHOR'S NOTE: In "The Problem of the Fourth" (Part Five of A Psychological Approach to the Trinity), Carl Gustav Jung observed "There are three, but where is the fourth?" There are numerous tarot spreads that use a tripartite motif: past/present/ future; action/reaction/resolution; thesis/antithesis/synthesis; if/then/else; etc. But here I'm projecting that planar model into three dimensions … Continue reading Mastery of Circumstances: The Triangular Pyramid Spread
Of Snakes and Swallows: A Conflict-Resolution Spread
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I've had this draft in the queue for some time and decided to finish it. The subject of the example reading was on my mind when I created the spread, but it could be used in any situation where "both ends are arrayed against the middle." As described in Benebell Wen's I Ching … Continue reading Of Snakes and Swallows: A Conflict-Resolution Spread
Calling Forth Answers: A Mixed-Media Problem Solving Spread
AUTHOR'S NOTE: It's been a while since I last explored the technique of using a board-game spinner and an array of tarot cards to come up with a two-tiered approach to reading. In Benebell Wen's I Ching The Oracle: A Practical Guide to the Book of Changes, I've been learning about an abbreviated yarrow-stalk method … Continue reading Calling Forth Answers: A Mixed-Media Problem Solving Spread
Where Is Carol? – A Missing-Person Case Study
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Carol Gemmiti, a 66-year-old Florida woman with dementia, went missing from Ossipee, New Hampshire on Friday, October 27, 2024. Numerous searches were performed over the week-end but nothing was found so further efforts were temporarily suspended on Monday, October 30. I decided to tackle this case by performing a horary astrology analysis and … Continue reading Where Is Carol? – A Missing-Person Case Study
A Monthly “Astro-Tarotscope” – Harnessing Horary Astrology and Tarot Insights
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I'm not the first writer to use the term "tarotscope;" I've encountered it in various posts over the years. But here I'm applying it to a merger of horary astrology and tarot to come up with a monthly forecast that may well be unique. (I don't believe the hyphenated term in my title … Continue reading A Monthly “Astro-Tarotscope” – Harnessing Horary Astrology and Tarot Insights
Reverse-Engineering an Alternate Outcome
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Here is another novel application of the Golden Dawn's system of astrological correspondences for the tarot cards as presented in the annotated figures of the "Chaldean" zodiac. (See the diagrams below.) In this model, each card has a complementary opposite across the wheel that is of the same polarity (positive or negative) and … Continue reading Reverse-Engineering an Alternate Outcome