AUTHOR'S NOTE: I picked another random thought out of Vincent Pistisci's Genius of the Tarot that is worth contemplating. For most of us, the suit symbolism of the minor and court cards is the essential factor in determining their general "theme" (the specific images on the cards confer more precise anecdotal import). The "cameo" version … Continue reading Context as “Master Key”
Tarot Theory
The Suit of Swords: A Matter of Execution
AUTHOR'S NOTE: As I'm using it here, "execution"" means "the precise performance of a planned action." The other premise I apply to the Swords is that they put considerable thought into the act of planning, although few of the Minor Arcana seem to benefit from it. Maybe the "planning" aspect of a Sword should be … Continue reading The Suit of Swords: A Matter of Execution
“Patience Is A Virtue:” A Tarot Perspective
AUTHOR'S NOTE: It goes without saying that most of the cards of the tarot imply some kind of "movement," if only because nearly every reading is about personal growth or situational development. But there are a number of cards that embrace the idea of "patience" in the form of refraining from immediate action, or that … Continue reading “Patience Is A Virtue:” A Tarot Perspective
Gap Analysis: The Three-Card Reading and the Hidden Agenda
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I'm not much of a fan of the three-card tarot reading because, as I've mentioned before, it leaves too much up to subjective guesswork in bridging the narrative gap between cards that may have nothing even remotely in common. In the three-card pull, utterly antagonistic cards are the intuitive reader's worst nightmare since … Continue reading Gap Analysis: The Three-Card Reading and the Hidden Agenda
The “Window of Opportunity”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Here are a few more thoughts on "opportunity" as expressed by the cards of the tarot. Any discussion of the effective duration of a tarot reading (i.e. how long it is "good" for) carries the implication that there is a "window of opportunity" for action in the matter that will close sooner or … Continue reading The “Window of Opportunity”
The Threes: Finding Scope in Opportunity
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Here is another riff on the topic of "opportunity" as expressed in the cards of the tarot. The Threes of the tarot have long been associated with the concepts of advancement and growth, but a parallel principle is that of opportunity, the premise being that any such development - while it may be … Continue reading The Threes: Finding Scope in Opportunity
Princesses and Aces: “Doubling-Down” on Opportunity
AUTHOR'S NOTE: In tarot reading, the Aces and the Princesses (Pages in the Waite-Smith deck, Knaves or Valets in the Tarot de Marseille) embody the idea of "beginnings" and of entering a new chapter, a quality they share with the Fool and Judgement of the Major Arcana. Here I'm translating this emphasis on the pursuit … Continue reading Princesses and Aces: “Doubling-Down” on Opportunity
Reversed Cards and the Golden Dawn
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Every once in a while I encounter another self-anointed expert who insists that reversed-card meanings must not be used with the Thoth tarot and other Golden-Dawn-based decks, and that Elemental Dignity is the only permissible method for judging the fortunate or unfortunate complexion of the cards in a reading beyond their intrinsic stand-alone … Continue reading Reversed Cards and the Golden Dawn
Those Sexy Wands
Because the Wands are generally viewed as enthusiastic, energetic and passionate, many tarot writers accord them a sexual connotation. Here is my very brief take on the subject, which I might apply if I detect sexual implications in a reading (although it's rather far down my list of preferred interpretations for the suit of Wands). … Continue reading Those Sexy Wands
Question Quibbles
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I've just begun reading Vincent Pitisci's first book, Genius of the Tarot: A Guide to Divination with the Tarot, and I'm pleasantly surprised to find that his thinking agrees on almost all points with similar opinions I've formed over 50 years of study and practice. At the time he wrote it (2013) he … Continue reading Question Quibbles
