AUTHOR'S NOTE: As I continue to explore the premise that certain cards can convey hints of therapeutic insight when it comes to health-related matters, I decided it would be a good idea to restate my case for the performance of readings in these controversial and risky areas. There is an unwritten rule among tarot professionals … Continue reading “Wellness” Readings vs. “Illness” Readings: Innocent Until Proven Guilty
Tarot Techniques
“Cards for Surgery”
I recently performed a reading for someone who is facing surgery and wanted to know what post-operative circumstances would be like. (This is not a medical scenario involving the diagnosis of illness or the proposal of remedies so there are no immediate ethical concerns.) I used the Celtic Cross spread with reversals. I won't go … Continue reading “Cards for Surgery”
Waite’s Celtic Cross: A Critical Analysis
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Imagine that you're an experienced diviner at the beginning of the 20th Century when you first encounter Arthur Edward Waite's "Ancient Celtic Method of Divination" in The Pictorial Key to the Tarot. What would a critical assessment of its advantages and shortcomings suggest to you? (The obviously hand-drawn image below is from the … Continue reading Waite’s Celtic Cross: A Critical Analysis
Turkey-Day Football, 2022: Buffalo Bills at Detroit Lions
UPDATE: The game was closer than expected: Bills 28, Lions 25. I didn't watch the game but reviewed the final statistics. As far as I can tell from the numbers, the Bills moved the ball more effectively than the Lions, especially on the ground, even though they suffered more sacks, penalties, punt turnovers and interceptions. … Continue reading Turkey-Day Football, 2022: Buffalo Bills at Detroit Lions
The “Falling Into Conclusions” 3-Phase Process Development Spread
Here's some more fallout from my study of Etteilla; in his reading examples he talks about one card in a spread "falling into" another, and the meaning of both being modified by their interaction. This spread looks suspiciously like "Production Management 101," but I can see it being used for complex personal or group projects.
A Single-Event Predictive Approach
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I was recently answering a question on one of the tarot forums about the best way to cover pragmatic topics in a "predictive" type of tarot reading. I've always been partial to the "Five W's" of effective creative writing that were drilled into me in high school: "Who, What, Why, Where and When?" … Continue reading A Single-Event Predictive Approach
The Grand Etteilla: First Use
AUTHOR'S NOTE: For those of you familiar with Etteilla, in this reading I "went by the book" in some cases (that is, The Grand Etteilla by Orsini, Lemarchand and d'Odoucet) but in many instances (after having read both that book and Alliette's own Etteilla or the Only Way to Draw the Cards), I decided to … Continue reading The Grand Etteilla: First Use
The Archetypal Celtic Cross
AUTHOR'S NOTE: The deck in the photograph is the Waite-Smith Centennial Edition in a Tin, which is copyrighted by U.S. Games Systems Inc. of Stamford, CT, used by permission and in accordance with the provisions of Fair Use. In The Way of Tarot, Alejandro Jodorowsky characterizes the Magician as dwelling entirely in the present, and … Continue reading The Archetypal Celtic Cross
The “Mystic Gyroscope” Developmental Insight Spread
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This spread was (or is soon to be) published in the online magazine AstroLogic, although I retain all rights. The Cosmic Tarot is copyright of AGM Urania/Königsfurt-Urania Verlag GmbH, Ringstraße 32, D-24103, Kiel, and the Rohrig Tarot is copyright of U.S. Games Systems, Stamford, CT. Here is a tarot spread designed around two … Continue reading The “Mystic Gyroscope” Developmental Insight Spread
The “Crucible” Problem-Solving Spread: An Alchemical Approach
While thinking about using the Temperance card as a kind of "talisman" for my reading sessions (an adaptation of another of Alejandro Jodorowsky's ritualistic ideas), I decided to create a spread based loosely on alchemical principles, specifically Aleister Crowely's assumption that the vigorous interaction of Fire and Water release Air. The premise is that one's … Continue reading The “Crucible” Problem-Solving Spread: An Alchemical Approach
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 