*Riffing on the song Money for Nothing by Dire Straits AUTHOR'S NOTE: In Liber T, the Order's tarot curriculum, the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn assigned esoteric correspondences to all 78 cards of the deck, ranging from astrological associations to Qabalistic notation to scraps from the Medieval grimoire,The Picatrix. In routine practice, these sometimes-forced … Continue reading “I Want My MTV” (Metaphysical Tarot Values)*
The Allure of Prediction
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I've become irritated by the fatuous claims of self-styled experts in the online tarot community who insist that the cards should not be used for divination because they were "originally intended" only for the attainment of psychological self-awareness and self-improvement. If that's the case, why are the tarot pages flooded with requests for … Continue reading The Allure of Prediction
Musings on the Major Arcana: The Chariot and the Wheel of Fortune
"Big wheel keep on turnin'"- from Proud Mary by Creedence Clearwater Revival AUTHOR'S NOTE: Several years ago I posted a high-level overview of my personal reassignment of some of the Golden Dawn's astrological correspondences for the tarot's Major Arcana (I'm an experienced astrologer and some of them just didn't sit well with me). I've linked … Continue reading Musings on the Major Arcana: The Chariot and the Wheel of Fortune
Reversing Cards at the Point-of-Placement
AUTHOR'S NOTE: My long-standing practice has been to allow the population of upright and reversed cards in my decks to become cumulative over time since I never put them back into "out-of-the-box" order. Prior to use I do a quick randomizing so some of the cards will obviously change from one state to the other, … Continue reading Reversing Cards at the Point-of-Placement
Strength Reversed: Not This Time
The lion this time againHe's in the circus in a cageHe's trying to break out of the frameThe lion this timeHe hears that same old sad refrainBut they can't hold him with no chainAnd they just can't denounce his claimThe lion again- from The Lion This Time by Van Morrison AUTHOR'S NOTE: Morrison seems to … Continue reading Strength Reversed: Not This Time
The Emperor and Jus Ad Bellum: Moral Rectitude or Just a Shot of Arrogance?
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I just came across a term I had never seen before, in this case regarding the Emperor card of the tarot. Jus ad bellum means being justified in one's reasons for taking on a fight. (It sounds like "the ends justify the means" to me.) It is usually applied when presenting an argument … Continue reading The Emperor and Jus Ad Bellum: Moral Rectitude or Just a Shot of Arrogance?
Affinity or Dignity? – Elemental Compatibility in Tarot Reading
AUTHOR'S NOTE: In its Liber T tarot curriculum, the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn presented elaborate and prescriptive rules for the analysis of elemental associations between cards of different suits in a tarot reading, an interpretive technique known as "Elemental Dignity." The classical premise was that Fire and Air are "friendly" to one another, … Continue reading Affinity or Dignity? – Elemental Compatibility in Tarot Reading
Death Reversed: Resetting the Agenda
AUTHOR'S NOTE: When upright, the Death card of the tarot is usually understood to mean that something of great importance to the querent will come to an end to make way for something new. It echoes the Coffin, one of the "stop" cards in Lenormand reading, that always indicates a terminal event after which a … Continue reading Death Reversed: Resetting the Agenda
The 7 of Swords: Avoidance or Self-Sabotage?
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Many tarot readers find malice or deception in the Waite-Smith 7 of Swords, but I see mainly avoidance. The notions of an underhanded plan and potential theft almost certainly stem from the man's sly expression, his furtive body language and the fact that he has been "caught in the act" with an armful … Continue reading The 7 of Swords: Avoidance or Self-Sabotage?
“Distributed Lenormand” – Normalizing the Grand Tableau
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I recently performed a Grand Tableau (GT) in which all of the negative cards were scattered far-and-wide throughout the population. Few of them appeared in close combination with either the topic cards or each other, making for what I told the sitter looked like a "roller-coaster ride" of ups-and-downs with only a couple … Continue reading “Distributed Lenormand” – Normalizing the Grand Tableau
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 