AUTHOR'S NOTE: It's been a while since I last worked with the Lenormand cards because I've been busily studying the impact of Medieval culture on the tarot, but here is my customary New Year's Eve Grand Tableau for the next twelve months, giving me a chance to exercise my new Le Lenormand a la Vincent … Continue reading Grand Tableau for 2025
Just Read the Cards! (Telling the Tale for its Own Sake)
AUTHOR'S NOTE: In my opinion, every tarot reader should adopt the modest approach of the best Medieval writing by simply "telling the tale for its own sake" as described by C.S. Lewis in The Discarded Image.* In other words, we should "just read the cards" without trying to inject our own rational and ethical preconceptions, … Continue reading Just Read the Cards! (Telling the Tale for its Own Sake)
“Absence of Strain” – Managing Esoteric Correspondences
AUTHOR'S NOTE: In The Discarded Image (a seemingly bottomless source of inspiration for this blog), C.S. Lewis describes the insertion of astrological principles into Medieval literature and architecture as, in the best cases, being "woven into the plot," while in the less salutary examples the addition amounts to an "overload of philosophy." These observations offer … Continue reading “Absence of Strain” – Managing Esoteric Correspondences
The “Cusp of Renewal” Year-End Review & New-Year Forecast
AUTHOR'S NOTE: While preparing to do New Year's readings for some friends tomorrow, I decided to create a special spread for the occasion. The scope encompasses a recap of the year that is ending, a look at the present-in-transition, and a projection for the coming year in three developmental areas: Stimulation; Stability and Stagnation. It … Continue reading The “Cusp of Renewal” Year-End Review & New-Year Forecast
“Ships That Pass” – A Relationship-Potential Spread
"Ships that pass in the night, and speak each other in passing, only a signal shown and a distant voice in the darkness" - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow AUTHOR'S NOTE: Relationship spreads are a favorite topic of mine, and I'm especially keen on exploring the likelihood of two people connecting for the first time. Here is … Continue reading “Ships That Pass” – A Relationship-Potential Spread
Tarot Keywords: Cataloguing the Commonplace
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I've been learning that many Medieval writers padded their work in a variety of ways to increase its length. One of their favorite ploys was digression, by virtue of which they never had to get to the conclusion in a timely manner. But the one that caught my eye was cataloguing or assembling … Continue reading Tarot Keywords: Cataloguing the Commonplace
The Fate of the Nation (According to Tarot)
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Now that the dust from the US election has settled and, as the bingo callers shout, "We have a winner!" (although many will think "a wiener"), I decided to do a year-ahead "fate of the nation" reading with my personal twist on the Celtic Cross spread. (I'm also test-driving the new spread cloth … Continue reading The Fate of the Nation (According to Tarot)
Dabblers in the Future
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I was reading an essay about Medieval historians and came across the 12th-Century Italian theologian and monastic abbot Joachim of Flora (or Fiore) who was described not as a historian but rather as a "dabbler in the future," mainly for his theory about a coming new age based on clear (at least to … Continue reading Dabblers in the Future
Summer is Coming!
AUTHOR'S NOTE: My antipodal readers will be excused for taking a pass on this post, although the day of solar turnaround (despite what AI thinks, it has nothing to do with the time required to install solar panels) is still a significant moment in their annual cycle. As a non-religious person and more specifically a … Continue reading Summer is Coming!
Kabbalah and Tarot – A Collision of Concepts
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I recently read a fascinating essay by Mark Horn on the Tarot History Facebook page that proposed Italian nobleman and scholar Giovanni Pico della Mirandola as the forefather of the esoteric connection between the tarot and the Hebrew Kabbalah via his association with philosopher Marsillio Ficino in the court of Lorenzo de Medici … Continue reading Kabbalah and Tarot – A Collision of Concepts
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 