AUTHOR'S NOTE: Sometimes the Magician gets a well-deserved "rap on the knuckles." In all his sly cleverness, the Magician can come across as insincere; there may be disarming assurances of proficiency or protestations of virtue where no such qualities exist. I'm reminded of the "Imposter Syndrome" in which we find ourselves in an uncomfortable position … Continue reading The Magician and “Imposter Syndrome”
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
Death: The “Bad Neighbor”
UPDATE: As expected, this pushed a lot of buttons in the online tarot world. Almost everyone missed the point that it is a radical rethinking (in this one narrow instance) of tarot divination in which I'm not interested so much in what will happen and its consequences as in actively using the cards as a … Continue reading Death: The “Bad Neighbor”
Belushi, Etteilla and Holy Water
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I'm sure you're asking yourself what on Earth the three subjects of the title could possibly have in common, even though my admitted fondness for making odd connections is no secret. Bear with me while I spin the yarn. Back in the heyday of Saturday Night Live, John Belushi occasionally did his "Samurai" … Continue reading Belushi, Etteilla and Holy Water
Reversal As “Reconciliation”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I'm only one-third of the way through The Grand Etteilla and I have enough useful ideas for at least another half-dozen brief essays. Here is one that originated from the interpretation of the reversed 3 of Clubs (Wands) as "Reconciliation." (By the way, I learned a new word for reversal: "posterity," which in … Continue reading Reversal As “Reconciliation”
Prospective Partners: A Quantitative Approach to Compatibility
For those who seek a more ""graded" supplement to intuitive appraisal of relationship potential, this is a spread that uses various forms of "dignity" (elemental; numerical; rank-based; astrological; shared traits; energy profile; etc) to judge the likelihood of affinity or disunity between two people (or other entities). Alignment or misalignment of these qualities between the … Continue reading Prospective Partners: A Quantitative Approach to Compatibility
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 