“Releasing” Positions and “Charging” Cards: Friction or Stimulation?

AUTHOR'S NOTE: While reading Roger Horne's Cartomancy in Folk Witchcraft, I encountered the curious notion that difficult positions in a spread should be viewed as "releasing" their influence, whether harmlessly banishing it or unleashing it with prejudice on the seeker I can't say since there was no explanatory text at that point in the book … Continue reading “Releasing” Positions and “Charging” Cards: Friction or Stimulation?

A Foot Soldier in the “Light” Brigade

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Not long ago I started following an online conversation about Israel Regardie's development of the material for his first volume of Golden Dawn knowledge (dubbed "the brick," I assume for its impressive girth and density). I had just begun re-reading Regardie's Eye in the Triangle when this exchange grabbed my attention. During his … Continue reading A Foot Soldier in the “Light” Brigade

Playing-Card Numerology: A Personal Take

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Here is an experiment in tweaking Pythagorean and Hermetic numerology for use in playing-card divination. It is based on my decades of practice with esoteric number theory. The parenthetical quotes are from a poem (The Devil's Picture Book: A Cartomantic Mnemonic) at the beginning of Roger Horne's Cartomancy in Folk Witchcraft. Ace = … Continue reading Playing-Card Numerology: A Personal Take

“Shot on Goal” – An “Answer +1” Cartomantic Reading

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Here I'm using my new cartomantic spread to explore present and future developments in a long-delayed initiative. There are a couple of ways to read these cards, but the one that is uppermost in my mind is the prospect for resurrecting my public divination practice that went dormant with COVID and my cross-State … Continue reading “Shot on Goal” – An “Answer +1” Cartomantic Reading

“The Answer + 1” – A Cartomantic Spread

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I recently learned about the "Answer Spread" developed by Kapherus (J. David Arcuri) from Regina Russell's earlier design, so I went to his Art of Cartomancy FB page to check it out. I'm a relentless spread creator with over 300 original patterns to my credit and more awaiting my attention. I knew before … Continue reading “The Answer + 1” – A Cartomantic Spread

Somebody Wants Something: The Single-Minded Focus of the Court or “Face” Cards

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I just set aside the two uninspiring tarot books I've been reading and went looking for a volume on playing-card divination. A member of the online cartomancy community recommended Roger Horne's Cartomancy in Folk Witchcraft, and I was able to buy it on Kindle for a small sum. His writing style is a … Continue reading Somebody Wants Something: The Single-Minded Focus of the Court or “Face” Cards