Aleister Crowley said he pursued the "Aim of Religion" (by which I assume he meant spiritual enlightenment and not sacerdotal hegemony) using the "Method of Science" (he was clearly enamored of the scientific advances of his time, and much of the latter is on display in the Book of Thoth). Those tarot readers who don't … Continue reading The “Science” of Tarot
Tarot Techniques
The “Time Capsules” Event Timing Spread
Tarot master Enrique Enriquez once said that reading the cards is an "irrational" act, and this is nowhere more evident than in our attempts to perform timing of future events using the tarot. In the past I've taken several shots at coming up with a more sensible approach that doesn't produce ludicrous results, and this … Continue reading The “Time Capsules” Event Timing Spread
The “End Game” Spread (aka “Life’s Big Questions”)
Few tarot readers will attempt to answer "Life's Big Questions." Either they're spooked by the possible outcome or they feel it's unethical to delve into such matters. I don't think any of us would say to a client "This is the Death card. Better update your will." It reminds me of the old, faintly vulgar … Continue reading The “End Game” Spread (aka “Life’s Big Questions”)
The Power of Vibration
Many years ago (in the Spring of 1967, to be exact), while attending art school in New York City, I participated in an anti-Vietnam-War "peace" march. I wasn't part of a group, just a solitary marcher, and I fell in with a large contingent of "Hare Krishna" people with their shaved pates and saffron robes. … Continue reading The Power of Vibration
A Mixed-Media Situational Posture Spread
Here is a spread that uses dominoes and tarot cards to project the best posture to adopt in any situation. It is based on the assumption that odd numbers are "active" while even numbers are "passive."
“Reading by Intention”
There is a common belief that "good intentions" are all that is necessary to obtain constructive insights from a tarot reading. Learning and experience are optional as long as the reader's heart is in the right place, a manifestation of what I think of as the "It's all good" mode of prophecy in which no … Continue reading “Reading by Intention”
The “War or Peace” Conflict-Resolution Spread
Here is a spread that can serve as a "first cut" to assess the advisability of taking a contemplated course of action in a conflict scenario. It's one of my "mixed-media" spreads that uses both tarot cards and dice. The outcome will either strengthen or weaken the initial urge to adopt a particular stance in … Continue reading The “War or Peace” Conflict-Resolution Spread
Best Served Cold
"Two Ways to Ask the Question: The first way of proceeding is to let the Seeker state his question aloud. In this case I feel that the Reader may be influenced in his interpretation by the knowledge of what he has been asked, and is therefore less likely to give an impartial reading. The second … Continue reading Best Served Cold
The “Flying Wedge” Redirection Spread
I've created spreads in the past based on the idea that the appearance of reversed cards in the sequence will cause a shift in the overall focus of the reading from an overt perspective to a more covert or indirect one. But the draw always proceeded from the top of the deck, which meant that … Continue reading The “Flying Wedge” Redirection Spread
A Storyteller’s Perspective
I'm fond of saying that I much prefer face-to-face sessions to online tarot reading and have written a number of essays about it in the past, but I haven't fully explained why I feel that way. Obviously, it's about the stimulus of spoken communication and the need to think on my feet as I do … Continue reading A Storyteller’s Perspective
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 