AUTHOR'S NOTE: Completist that I am, I figured I had better finish my thoughts on the nuances of interpretation that separate the elementally "friendly" minor suits of the tarot. The suits of Cups and Pentacles (or, in different systems, Coins or Disks) are entirely sympathetic to one another; one represents the element of Water and … Continue reading Cups and Pentacles: Even More Subtle Distinctions
The “Chalice of Earth” Taurus Ingress Matrix
Once again, I decided to try getting more interpretive value out of the Golden Dawn's Chaldean correspondence wheel beyond its card-by-card significance. As an experiment I created matrices of the five cards that are "in play" at the ingress of the Sun into each of the zodiacal signs: the Ace and Princess that relate to … Continue reading The “Chalice of Earth” Taurus Ingress Matrix
Wands and Swords: Subtle Distinctions
In my recent thinking about the minor-card suits of the tarot, I recognized that there is some functional convergence (if not quite overlap) between the characteristic energies of the Wands and the Swords: as Fire and Air, both are elementally masculine, active and positive, and both strive for self-expression in a direct and unsentimental way. … Continue reading Wands and Swords: Subtle Distinctions
The Threes as “Feedback Loop”
In my reading I came across the assertion that the Two in tarot always represents an incipient action arising from the potential embodied in the Ace of its suit. (It shows the "first step" or initial outbound impulse that the static, self-absorbed Ace has only been pondering up to that point.) The imputed binary state … Continue reading The Threes as “Feedback Loop”
The Near-Sighted Tarot Reader
AUTHOR'S NOTE: No, this isn't an allegory about a cartomancer with defective vision, it's an elaboration of my previous thoughts concerning the reliable duration of a tarot reading. The title was just a clever ploy to grab your attention. It's a given that "things change," especially when more than one person is involved in a … Continue reading The Near-Sighted Tarot Reader
The Crane and The Snake: “Hard” and “Soft” Tarot Reading
AUTHOR'S NOTE: "Reading style" is a consideration that is always at the forefront of my thinking on the most effective ways to wield the tarot when divining for other people. I was just nudged a little further along the path by my study of traditional Chinese philosophy. I recently finished a thought-provoking book, The Tao … Continue reading The Crane and The Snake: “Hard” and “Soft” Tarot Reading
The “Gang of Ten”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: After reading Paul Marteau's peculiar statement that the Fool doesn't necessarily belong at either end of the Major Arcana sequence as 0 or 22, but would more properly be found after any multiple of 7 (e.g. the Chariot or Temperance), I felt I had to drive the notion from my head by tackling … Continue reading The “Gang of Ten”
The “Power of Four” Decision-Making Series
Here's a decision-making spread (or rather a series of mini-spreads) that - depending on where the Significator lands - will point to one of four typical courses of action in dealing with a decision-making scenario: do nothing and see what happens; side-step the issue before it can get any worse; "take the bull by the … Continue reading The “Power of Four” Decision-Making Series
Islands in the Sea: The “Gateless” Suit of Pentacles
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is one of the more intriguing and challenging mental tasks I've undertaken in a while: rethinking the numbered cards of Pentacles in line with Barbara Walker's discussion in The Secrets of the Tarot: History, Origins and Symbolism. I've long felt that the quaint, folkloric descriptions that have grown up around the Minor … Continue reading Islands in the Sea: The “Gateless” Suit of Pentacles
The “In-Line Six” Answer Tune-up Spread
I'm on something of a fanciful kick with my recent spread development; here I'm using the analogy of the old "straight six" (cylinders, that is) automobile engine, and the notion that reversed cards indicate the need for a "tune-up." This one is an oddity for me; it has no "outcome" card and no position meanings. … Continue reading The “In-Line Six” Answer Tune-up Spread
