AUTHOR'S NOTE: Although the Chaldean decans are a useful symbolic tool on a card-by-card basis, I'm always seeking ways to press the model into wider service. Here's another attempt that treats the attached Golden Dawn "wheels" as more than reference works. I decided to turn the diagrams of Chaldean decan and tarot card correspondences into … Continue reading A “Chaldean Vertical Slice” Situational Development Spread
Tarot Theory
A “Deep Dive” Card Selection Method and Multipurpose Spread
Here's another "new-to-me" idea, courtesy of The Grand Etteilla. In the book there is a five-card spread in which the reader creates the layout by initially pulling the fifth card from the top (Card #5), then the card five tiers below that one (Card #10), followed by the card five tiers below the tenth card … Continue reading A “Deep Dive” Card Selection Method and Multipurpose Spread
Living in “The Now”
I recently came across an interesting interpretation for the 6 of Pentacles (Coins, Disks, Diamonds, etc): it can reflect the querent's current physical surroundings, the "now" of mundane existence. Although there were no Qabalistic inferences, this suggests the structure of the Tree of Life, in which the sixth sephira holds a central position with more … Continue reading Living in “The Now”
The Ace of Cups as “Affirmation”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: The following observations by Mme. Le Marchand in The Grand Etteilla regarding the Ace of Cups are unique in my experience of tarot literature (although they do bear a resemblance to the cartomancy I've studied). It's interesting stuff for speculation and perhaps for use. This Ace is described as "confirming the prediction of … Continue reading The Ace of Cups as “Affirmation”
“Turn the Page:” A Personal/Professional Development Spread
I'm always looking for new ways to use the facing of the human figures and other directional elements on the tarot cards. Here I've created a spread that takes on different forms depending on whether or not the salient features are focused "off-page" and which way they're looking or pointing (left, right or straight out). … Continue reading “Turn the Page:” A Personal/Professional Development Spread
Friction and Lubrication: Chaldean Decans as “Built-in Clarifiers”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: In the Golden Dawn system of astrological correspondences, every card except the ten planetary and elemental trumps has a counterpart on the opposite side of the Chaldean zodiac. I've explored these pairs in a previous post (linked below), but here I'm proposing that a reversed mate is the instigator for reactionary change and … Continue reading Friction and Lubrication: Chaldean Decans as “Built-in Clarifiers”
A Reversal Compendium, Part 2: More Recent Posts
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Here is the second half of my population of posts on the subject of reversed cards. Since my thinking is constantly evolving, there could very well be a "Part 3." https://parsifalswheeldivination.wordpress.com/2022/01/25/lurkers-on-the-threshold/ https://parsifalswheeldivination.wordpress.com/2022/02/03/reversed-cards-as-interrogatories/ https://parsifalswheeldivination.wordpress.com/2022/03/23/two-steps-forward-one-step-back/ https://parsifalswheeldivination.wordpress.com/2022/07/20/half-measures/ https://parsifalswheeldivination.wordpress.com/2022/09/18/reversed-cards-and-night-crawler-hunting/ https://parsifalswheeldivination.wordpress.com/2022/09/26/reversal-as-reconciliation/ https://parsifalswheeldivination.wordpress.com/2022/10/01/friction-and-lubrication-chaldean-decans-as-built-in-clarifiers/
A Reversal Compendium, Part 1: “Everything Is A Sign”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I try to limit my public essays to one a day (although I'm building quite a backlog). But this is a compilation that I think will bring value (or at least a fresh perspective or two) to the everyday practice of tarot reading, so I decided to present it as a "bonus" post. … Continue reading A Reversal Compendium, Part 1: “Everything Is A Sign”
“Symbol-Sense Disambiguation”
Those who spend any time googling will have seen the term "disambiguation" in the search results. Its full definition is "word-sense disambiguation" or "text disambiguation," and it describes "the act of interpreting an author's intended use of a word that has multiple meanings or spellings." In a recent essay I touched on the idea that … Continue reading “Symbol-Sense Disambiguation”
Four as a “Closed Loop”System
"The security that arises from needs being met." This observation was presented in The Grand Etteilla regarding the nature of the 4 of Clubs (Wands). It equates the card with the process of "digestion" that succeeds the "generation" of the 3 of Clubs, but there is no mention of the "elimination" that must inevitably follow. … Continue reading Four as a “Closed Loop”System
