As luck (or Fate) would have it, Mercury went retrograde on the 14th of January, 2022, giving me a perfect opportunity to test this spread. During much of the period, Venus is also retrograde but there were no Venus decan cards in the draw. It might be worthwhile to set up the "Archetypal Pattern" for … Continue reading A “Mercury Reversed” Example Reading
Thoth Material
“Inner Navigation” with the Thoth Tarot
The purpose of this essay is to inquire "At what point does (or should) a serious tarot scholar become a diviner?" The best answer to that comes from Aleister Crowley's Book of Thoth, at the beginning of Appendix A, "The Behaviour of the Tarot: Its Use in the Art of Divination," which I will quote … Continue reading “Inner Navigation” with the Thoth Tarot
Sneaking Up on the Book of Thoth
In response to those tarot journeymen who are struggling mightily (and often unsuccessfully) with Aleister Crowley's daunting Book of Thoth (BoT) and complaining almost as fiercely, I'll stick my oar in the water here. As always, I do this at the risk of repeating myself, not for the first time nor the last. (I could, … Continue reading Sneaking Up on the Book of Thoth
The Thoth Minor Arcana: “Back Door” to Cartomancy?
I've long wanted to practice playing-card cartomancy, and have studied it just a little. But learning a new system and figuring out how to effectively work with it is a time-consuming proposition, so I haven't made much headway beyond buying a few decks of playing cards and a book or two. However, during online discussions … Continue reading The Thoth Minor Arcana: “Back Door” to Cartomancy?
A Twist on Elemental Dignities
As a continuation of my work in blending the influence of the astrological modalities into the sign-and-planet meanings of the 36 minor, or "decan" cards of the tarot, I thought it would be interesting and possibly revealing to bring this idea into the use of Elemental Dignities (EDs). Melding the various elements and modalities of … Continue reading A Twist on Elemental Dignities
Tarot 101 “Whys and Wherefores”
I've noticed a considerable increase in traffic on this blog lately, much of it coming from those new to tarot who are seeking beginner material. They are immediately confronted with a puzzle: why do I call my newbie stuff "Tarot 101, My Way" when what I've done is round up and judiciously condense the keywords … Continue reading Tarot 101 “Whys and Wherefores”
2022 and the Nature of “Six-ness” – “Pleasure with Pain for Leaven”
Author's Note: Here is a meditation on the nature of "Six-ness" as it applies to the year ahead. (Please forgive the cynic in me, it's irrepressible.) This is the time of year when everyone and their psychic brother (or, more plausibly, sister, daughter, mother, aunt or grandmother) will be doing an annual forecast for 2022. … Continue reading 2022 and the Nature of “Six-ness” – “Pleasure with Pain for Leaven”
Deck Review: The Remarkable (But Questionably Legal) “Retro Thoth” Mini
I've been in the market for a "mini" version of the Thoth deck for quite some time, but I've been put off by several negative reviews of the three currently-available "pocket-size" editions from 1998, 2002 and 2005, in which the weak color palette and the out-of-focus, too-small-to-see details were roundly criticized. I already had four … Continue reading Deck Review: The Remarkable (But Questionably Legal) “Retro Thoth” Mini
Thoth Love
I haven't visited this topic in quite a while, but after 1,255 posts over the last 4+ years I've reached a bit of a lull in my more philosophical (not to mention more acerbic) ramblings around the tarotscape, and thought I would spend some time with an old friend: the venerable and magnificent Thoth Tarot. … Continue reading Thoth Love
Temperance/Art and the Sagittarius Decans
Continuing with my exploration of the "meditation patterns" for the Minor Arcana from Jim Eshelman's Liber Theta, here are the patterns for the Sagittarius trump card, Temperance (Art in the Thoth deck), and the three decans of Sagittarius; I call this sequence "Art for Art's Sake." The Minor Arcana for Sagittarius are the 8 of … Continue reading Temperance/Art and the Sagittarius Decans
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 