AUTHOR'S NOTE: I appreciate well-written tarot books of all kinds. They keep me sharp and constantly thinking about the state of the diviner's art. But I'm a seasoned card-reader with five decades of tarot prediction under my belt, and I've sifted through reams of BS in the published literature since 1972 so I'm not likely … Continue reading The Problem with Tarot Books
A Tarot Take on “Strictures Against Judgement”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: What follows is an odd-ball idea that applies the poker-player's caveat about "knowing when to hold 'em and when to fold 'em." There are times when it's clear that a reading is going nowhere, but we still feel obligated to make the most of it. If that realization occurs with the very first … Continue reading A Tarot Take on “Strictures Against Judgement”
365 Days and A New Approach
AUTHOR'S NOTE: In March of 2024 I set myself the task of posting 365 consecutive daily essays on divination-related topics without repeating myself too often. Yesterday marked Day #365, and I believe I've succeeded for the most part. With that behind me, I decided to move to a different format: a weekly compendium of material … Continue reading 365 Days and A New Approach
Occult Tarot Fundamentals: Justice vs. Judgement
AUTHOR'S NOTE: There is endless confusion among new tarot readers about the difference between the Justice and Judgement cards because both seem to be about the same thing. Here I will attempt to sort this out since it all comes down to the intent of the esoteric symbolism. One of my forum-mates on Aeclectic Tarot … Continue reading Occult Tarot Fundamentals: Justice vs. Judgement
“Oi Flings ‘Er!” – Yet Another Critique of Jumpers
AUTHOR'S NOTE: In the Monty Python sketch Interesting People, in which Michael Palin as the master-of ceremonies interviews a stream of curious characters, Graham Chapman arrives carrying a live cat. Palin asks Chapman what the cat does that is interesting. Chapman replies "She flies across the stage and lands it that bucket" (conveniently placed at … Continue reading “Oi Flings ‘Er!” – Yet Another Critique of Jumpers
“Twin Flame:” Spiritual Rapport or Galvanic Magnetism?
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I've never been convinced of the legitimacy of the "soul-mate" premise (as Aleister Crowley might have said, "One must first believe in a soul"), and the "twin-flame" concept seems even less credible as just being "old wine in new bottles" that once again attempts to put a gloss of spiritual respectability on romantic … Continue reading “Twin Flame:” Spiritual Rapport or Galvanic Magnetism?
Fortuitous Attraction: A Spirit-Contact Spread Using Court Cards
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Although it is usually the domain of psychic mediums, contacting ancestral spirits via tarot reading is a popular topic of discussion in the online community that often generates requests for suitable spreads. I've created a few such arrays in the past, but I'm on the fence about the subject. Humans in primordial times … Continue reading Fortuitous Attraction: A Spirit-Contact Spread Using Court Cards
Reversals As “Erosion of Stability”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I was recently interpreting the reversed 9 of Wands in a reading, noting that the card when upright is about preserving one's integrity, but that its reversal implies an "erosion of stability" in that regard. This started me thinking about another broad-brush approach to the application of reversal. I've often thought that a … Continue reading Reversals As “Erosion of Stability”
Accentuating the Negative? – Delivering Bad News
"You've got to ac-cent-tchu-ate the positiveE-lim-i-nate the negativeLatch on to the affirmativeDon't mess with Mr. In-Between"(from Ac-Cen-Tchu-Ate the Positive by Bing Crosby and the Andrew Sisters) AUTHOR'S NOTE: This isn't the first time I've addressed this question, but it keeps coming up on the tarot sites: Do you deliver negative readings in an unvarnished way … Continue reading Accentuating the Negative? – Delivering Bad News
Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Card Meaning in Tarot Spreads
AUTHOR'S NOTE: At its finest, reading the tarot cards is a subtle art full of nuance and inflection that can't be shoehorned into a formula (or a TikTok algorithm). Ostensibly, I'm going to talk about the nominal influence of the cards in a spread, both individually and in combination, but I will also get into … Continue reading Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Card Meaning in Tarot Spreads
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 