AUTHOR'S NOTE: When I published my Tarot de Marseille guide a couple of years ago, my grasp of the traditional symbolism in the TdM trump cards was only moderate, so for those cards I felt compelled to fall back on the metaphysical assumptions with which I'm most familiar. But I've always had reservations about this … Continue reading A Non-Esoteric View of the Trump Cards
The Star as “Organic Nurturing”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: File under "Fanciful and Farfetched Philosophical Finagling." Forgive me for having a little fun with this one, but I just came across a remark in Paul Fenton-Smith's Tarot Master-Class about the Star bringing "nurturing" that sent me down this path. A great deal has been written about the fact that the woman in … Continue reading The Star as “Organic Nurturing”
“Split-Level Tarot” – A Layered Approach to Reading
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I've touched on this subject in written form on several occasions in the past, but this time I'm illustrating it with an annotated image for a specific example, and also applying it to an unconventional analysis of the Tower card. (All cards shown are from the Thoth Tarot, copyright of US Games Systems … Continue reading “Split-Level Tarot” – A Layered Approach to Reading
“Prediction Bias” in Tarot Reading
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Lately, online pundits who are pushing a psycho-sociological agenda have been all over the topic of "bias" in human relations: confirmation bias, cognitive bias, affinity bias, attribution bias, conformity bias, gender bias, etc. It has me thinking that maybe tarot needs another label: "prediction bias." There is already a framework for it in … Continue reading “Prediction Bias” in Tarot Reading
Planetary Energies and the “Personal Power Profile”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: After previously analyzing the nature of the pentagram as it is used in tarot imagery, I decided to create a tableau that brings it to bear on a "personal power profile" that can be used for self-awareness or to assess the character of another party to the matter in question. This layout should … Continue reading Planetary Energies and the “Personal Power Profile”
The “Ace in the Hole” Developmental Arc Spread
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This spread is intended to show the development of an opportunity along the most favorable elemental lines. The "Ace in the Hole" card is a wild card that is dealt face-down and then aligned with the most advantageous path when it is turned face-up. The idea is to build a five-card reading around … Continue reading The “Ace in the Hole” Developmental Arc Spread
The Inverted Pentagram in Tarot: “Dying Cockroach Syndrome”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: During the late 20th Century, a common way to express utter futility was by citing the "dying cockroach" analogy and invoking the image of a roach with its legs waving feebly in the air, unable to right iteslf and scuttle away to safety. In tarot terms, the pentagram symbol appears in many of … Continue reading The Inverted Pentagram in Tarot: “Dying Cockroach Syndrome”
Tarot Takes On Pascal’s Wager
AUTHOR'S NOTE: While in college I had a philosophy professor who was also an ordained minister with an open mind. He brought "Pascal's Wager" to our attention: all things considered, it's less risky to believe in the existence of a Supreme Being when there isn't one than to disbelieve when there is. In the first … Continue reading Tarot Takes On Pascal’s Wager
“A Little Magic”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Yesterday I was visiting a friend who has limited knowledge of tarot but considerable curiosity, and I was explaining a theory that I believe summarizes one of the fundamental ways in which tarot-reading "works." I had offered to do free readings for him and his wife, and he expressed anxiety that he might … Continue reading “A Little Magic”
Decanic Intervals: A Unique Approach to Tarot Timing
AUTHOR'S NOTE: The Golden Dawn's system of tarot timing relies on the zodiacal position of 68 of the cards within the "Chaldean" array of twelve astrological signs. In this essay I'm going to challenge the conventions that have been established for its use. The series of 36 minor cards begins in Aries on or about … Continue reading Decanic Intervals: A Unique Approach to Tarot Timing
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 