AUTHOR'S NOTE: My comments here presume that I have a "live one" sitting at the table with me who can partake of the action. Remote reading is a substantially different proposition that (at least in my opinion) operates under more mystical or psychic assumptions. My recent reading (books, not cards) has inspired me to contemplate … Continue reading The Power of Alignment
Rethinking the Three-Card “Timeline” Spread
AUTHOR'S NOTE: In a recent post I gave a brief nod to the idea of scrapping the venerable "Past/Present/Future" three-card, left-to-right, timeline spread and replacing it with a more relevant sequence: "Present/Immediate Future/Extended Future." While examining prior events may be admissible in a large spread like the Celtic Cross where most of the emphasis is … Continue reading Rethinking the Three-Card “Timeline” Spread
Tarot as “Magic Mirror”
Although I've always viewed tarot divination as "mirroring" the current disposition of the subconscious mind via the act of shuffling and cutting the deck, I had only seen it portrayed more grandly as a "mirror of the soul" in the title of Gerd Ziegler's Thoth book, Tarot: Mirror of the Soul. As such, it implies … Continue reading Tarot as “Magic Mirror”
Legal Liability and the Risk of Error
From time to time a sensational news article appears about a fortune-telling scammer who has bilked a naive client out of a considerable sum of money by proposing to free them of an imaginary curse. Some US States have laws that restrict the practice of divination to "entertainment" status, which makes it clear that no … Continue reading Legal Liability and the Risk of Error
The “When” and “Where” of Prediction
While creating my "Magical Prescription" situational spread, I was struck by a new insight regarding the use of tarot to determine not only how, but also when and where circumstances or events might play out in a particular scenario. In the past, I've always considered the "when" to be a specific point in time and … Continue reading The “When” and “Where” of Prediction
A “Magical Prescription” Situational-Management Spread
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Here I've applied a little "arcane lore" to the creation of a new situational awareness-and-management spread. The four positions could be read as the sequential milestones of a "winning strategy:" "Awareness," "Intention," "Action" (as in "taking your best shot") and "Discretion" (or not showing your hand too soon or in the wrong company). … Continue reading A “Magical Prescription” Situational-Management Spread
Revisiting Strength/Force: Honoring the Ego
AUTHOR'S NOTE: When I first compared the Waite-Smith version of the Strength card to the traditional Tarot de Marseille "Force" or "Fortitude" image, it became obvious that Waite and Smith had taken some "liberties" with the earlier iconography. While reading Alejandro Jodorowsky's The Way of Tarot, I put my finger a little more precisely on … Continue reading Revisiting Strength/Force: Honoring the Ego
Balancing the Arcana: A Sun-Moon Example
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Having returned to New Hampshire after a month in the Florida sunshine, I've picked up reading Alejandro Jodorowsky's The Way of Tarot again during my morning treadmill sessions. I'm now pondering his discussion of three-card combinations that exhibit a revolving, left-to-right order of presentation, in which the diversity of the three-way distribution alters … Continue reading Balancing the Arcana: A Sun-Moon Example
The Case for a Firm Foundation
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I've written in the past about the advantages and disadvantages of using secondary factors (numbers, elements, astrological correspondences, etc.) when reading tarot cards. But the more I see and hear of the current pop-culture "buzz" surrounding the practice of tarot, the more I think that applying such nuances of thoughtful study and contemplation … Continue reading The Case for a Firm Foundation
A Sky Tutorial: Planets in Parallel
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This dramatic photograph from the evening of February 21, 2023 shows the alignment of the Waxing Crescent Moon, Venus (the brighter of the two planets) and Jupiter over Port Orange, Florida. The Moon was at approximately 25 degrees of Pisces in celestial longitude and 5 degrees of South celestial declination moving North, Venus … Continue reading A Sky Tutorial: Planets in Parallel
