As I contemplate the flood of new tarot decks on the market (some of which are even offered as "New Tarot," apparently to signify a cultural shift), I'm struck by the impression that many of them are just an excuse to circulate portable artwork of a personal nature with little regard for the metaphysical and … Continue reading Cheap Shots Redux: Any Excuse Will Do
2020 Summer Solstice Grand Tableau
Every six months on the solstice I do a Grand Tableau reading to look at potential circumstances over the next two quarters. This one for the 2020 Summer Solstice is especially interesting because it allowed me to use a technique I very seldom need to apply: that of transposition as described in Caitlin Mathhews' book … Continue reading 2020 Summer Solstice Grand Tableau
Here We Go Again!
There is no subject more mystical (and in my opinion, more overstated) in the art of "guided" divination (as distinct from purely psychic prescience) than that of intuition. It's often touted as the "gold standard" by which to read the signs in the tarot cards, but I think that advice is misleading, especially for those … Continue reading Here We Go Again!
The Land of 1,000 Chances
Some of you (but I'll bet not many) may remember the old Wilson Pickett song "The Land of 1,000 Dances." I'm stealing his song title, slightly modified, for this post to reflect the observation that "There are no negative cards, only opportunities." So every card in a reading, no matter how dire it seems, always … Continue reading The Land of 1,000 Chances
Don’t Memorize, Internalize!
Tarot neophytes are often mortified when they reach the inevitable conclusion that they have to memorize the complex and often non-intuitive meanings of 78 images before they can effectively read the cards. While I believe that acquiring a solid grounding in traditional lore is vital to full comprehension of the tarot, the very thought of … Continue reading Don’t Memorize, Internalize!
A “Human Dynamics” Situational Posture Spread
When I worked in corporate business, one of the major preoccupations of senior management was assessing the influence of "human factors" (which really meant human strengths and weaknesses as addressed in policies and procedures) on company performance. In tarot terms, the posture we assume in any situation is similarly affected by the "human dynamics" attending … Continue reading A “Human Dynamics” Situational Posture Spread
Students, Cynics and the Tarot Court
One of my favorite aphorisms is "I'm a student of human nature, so of course I'm a cynic." I believe that every individual has a private script (and usually a personal agenda) of some kind running at any given moment (they're basically starring in their own movie, although I don't think that's exactly what Aleister … Continue reading Students, Cynics and the Tarot Court
The Three-Point Pull
One of the perennial beginner's questions is "How do you pull the cards from the deck to populate a spread?" There are many opinions on this: from the top (and occasionally from the bottom), from a splayed "fan," by holding your hand over the cards and taking the ones you intuitively "feel," etc. The old-school … Continue reading The Three-Point Pull
The Best or Worst of Times?
"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness . . . " (from A Tale … Continue reading The Best or Worst of Times?
The Myths of Tarot: Sacred Cows and Tin Gods
I haven't had a good rant in a while and this topic has come 'round again with a vengeance. As I cruise the Facebook tarot pages I keep encountering the same old tired myths related to the tarot, usually brought up by neophytes who haven't been told any different. Not all of these folkloric superstitions … Continue reading The Myths of Tarot: Sacred Cows and Tin Gods
