(NOTE: I'm not talking about a particular deck here, just a method of reading the cards.) It's undeniable that I'm more literal (some might say "clinical") than mystical in the way I go about dissecting the meaning of a tarot card. I start with a firm footing in the traditional definitions that have adhered to … Continue reading The Impressionistic Tarot – “”What-If?” or “So-What?”
Chasing the Sun and Moon: The Astro-Psychology of the Major Arcana
According to the psychological astrology that had its roots in the groundbreaking work of Dane Rudhyar and Marc Edmund Jones and its initial flowering during the 1970s, the zodiacal (sign) placement of the Sun shows our Ego-center or, in more poetical terms, how we can "shine" most brightly in our personal self-expression (the house placement … Continue reading Chasing the Sun and Moon: The Astro-Psychology of the Major Arcana
St. Stephen: “What Would Be the Answer to the Answer Man?”
I figured this would be another good opportunity to use tarot cards to illustrate a famous poem (or in this case, song lyrics). The Biblical "Deacon Stephen" was stoned to death for his heretical beliefs; his theological adversaries couldn't best him in debate so they killed him. This is arguably my favorite Grateful Dead song … Continue reading St. Stephen: “What Would Be the Answer to the Answer Man?”
A “Three-Part Cacophony” Run-Through: What Happened to Reeves?
Here is an example run-through of my "Three-Part Cacophony" reading method. I posted photos of both the "master" layout (for reference) and the cards I pulled. I've been working on a missing-person "cold case" in NH that has remained unsolved since 1983. Reeves Johnson went missing after picking up a hitch-hiker on his way back … Continue reading A “Three-Part Cacophony” Run-Through: What Happened to Reeves?
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
The “Three-Part Cacophony” Reading Method: One Part Melody, Two Parts Counterpoint
Here's one from "way out in left field;" I chose "Cacophony" because "harmony" is never a foregone conclusion in a tarot reading. This layout has some similarities to the Celtic Cross (CC) in the way it is read, but the structure differs, the number of "developmental" cards is flexible and there are fewer fixed position … Continue reading The “Three-Part Cacophony” Reading Method: One Part Melody, Two Parts Counterpoint
The God Dilemma
WARNING: Here be dragons! If you are at all religious in the customary Western sense, this may insult or at the very least offend you. Proceed at your own risk if the mere mention of Richard Dawkins doesn't send you screaming for the exit. A few years ago, preeminent atheist Richard Dawkins wrote a book … Continue reading The God Dilemma
A Reasonable Assumption
As regular readers of this blog know, I'm not an advocate of remote tarot reading of any kind although, with COVID keeping me away from "live" divination venues for the foreseeable future, I've been doing a few of them by email. The thought struck me that useful parallels might be drawn between the conventions of … Continue reading A Reasonable Assumption
Express Yourself
"It's not what you look likeWhen you're doin' what you're doin'It's what you're doin' when you're doin'What you look like you're doin'Express yourselfExpress yourself"- Charles Wright & the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band Before we moved across the State, I had an occasional tarot reading gig at a local esoteric shop and then, after the … Continue reading Express Yourself
“Two Roads Diverged . . .”
. . . and, like poet Robert Frost, I chose the one that impressed me as "less traveled by," at least in the annals of 21st Century tarot. There is an increasingly contentious "fork in the road" regarding the proper use of the tarot cards for individual edification and enlightenment. There are the very vocal … Continue reading “Two Roads Diverged . . .”
