AUTHOR'S NOTE: "You're missing half the fun" is one of my favorite rebuttals for those who avoid reading reversals because they find the practice unnecessary, inconvenient or confusing. (My title alludes to the old Doublemint gum commercial.) But, unless we deliberately ignore or suppress them as some do, they are going to dog us whenever … Continue reading Reading Reversals: “Double Your Pleasure, Double Your Fun”
Tarot Techniques
Elemental Correspondences: Keys to the Kingdom
AUTHOR'S NOTE: If asked by a tarot beginner to identify the least tedious way to become more familiar with reading the cards, my advice (other than "practice, practice, practice") would be to acquire a fundamental understanding of each card (no more than one or two keywords similar to the way Lenormand cards are read) and … Continue reading Elemental Correspondences: Keys to the Kingdom
Zones of Vulnerability: A General Well-Being Spread
AUTHOR'S NOTE: It is common wisdom that tarot readers should stay well away from anything related to medical diagnostics and prescriptive health recommendations. But that doesn't mean the subject can't be broached in terms of general well-being, as in "What does my overall health forecast look like?" The following is entirely experimental and should be … Continue reading Zones of Vulnerability: A General Well-Being Spread
“Judgment Call” – A Decision-Making Spread
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This spread tackles the premise that many decisions in life present a three-fold situational tableau: the transcendent level of higher wisdom at which the conscience operates; the conscious realm of thought where we try to apply logic (and often rationalization) to the matter; and the subconscious domain of purely emotional engagement. These dimensions … Continue reading “Judgment Call” – A Decision-Making Spread
“The Compleat Solarian” – A Lesson Learned
AUTHOR'S NOTE: File under "Every card has both positive and negative meanings." It is generally assumed that the Sun is an entirely favorable card that bodes no evil; even when reversed it suggests a "passing cloud" rather than a gloomy long-range forecast. But there is another way to look at it. I recently performed a … Continue reading “The Compleat Solarian” – A Lesson Learned
Repurposing the Chaldean Decans for Tarot Reading
AUTHOR'S NOTE: The Golden Dawn's alignment of the tarot cards with the astrological (aka "Chaldean") decanates (36 ten-degree segments of the zodiac beginning on the Vernal Equinox) has intrigued me since I first picked up the tarot in 1972 to complement my practice of astrology, but I have never been satisfied with its customary application … Continue reading Repurposing the Chaldean Decans for Tarot Reading
“Split-Level Tarot” – A Layered Approach to Reading
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I've touched on this subject in written form on several occasions in the past, but this time I'm illustrating it with an annotated image for a specific example, and also applying it to an unconventional analysis of the Tower card. (All cards shown are from the Thoth Tarot, copyright of US Games Systems … Continue reading “Split-Level Tarot” – A Layered Approach to Reading
Planetary Energies and the “Personal Power Profile”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: After previously analyzing the nature of the pentagram as it is used in tarot imagery, I decided to create a tableau that brings it to bear on a "personal power profile" that can be used for self-awareness or to assess the character of another party to the matter in question. This layout should … Continue reading Planetary Energies and the “Personal Power Profile”
The “Ace in the Hole” Developmental Arc Spread
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This spread is intended to show the development of an opportunity along the most favorable elemental lines. The "Ace in the Hole" card is a wild card that is dealt face-down and then aligned with the most advantageous path when it is turned face-up. The idea is to build a five-card reading around … Continue reading The “Ace in the Hole” Developmental Arc Spread
Tarot Takes On Pascal’s Wager
AUTHOR'S NOTE: While in college I had a philosophy professor who was also an ordained minister with an open mind. He brought "Pascal's Wager" to our attention: all things considered, it's less risky to believe in the existence of a Supreme Being when there isn't one than to disbelieve when there is. In the first … Continue reading Tarot Takes On Pascal’s Wager
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 