AUTHOR'S NOTE: A while back I came to the realization that the so-called "quintessence" calculation is anything but when applied to a group of input cards that doesn't consist of the traditional four-card "cross." (Quintessence in tarot terms simply means "fifth expression," not "without equal"). I came up with alternative nomenclature for the numerical synthesis … Continue reading Incentivizing the Shadow: A “Numerical Synthesis” Pros-and-Cons Spread with Resolution
Sympathetic Magic: The Secular Side of Spellworking
AUTHOR'S NOTE: It's fascinating how dreams can unearth old memories that are still germane to present conditions, figuratively "turning over rocks to see what crawls out from underneath." Last night in one such nocturnal interlude I was discussing with an unknown savant the assumption that object-oriented magic is best performed with "power items" that hold … Continue reading Sympathetic Magic: The Secular Side of Spellworking
A “Tipping Point” Decision-Making Gambit: To Placate, Punish or Persevere
AUTHOR'S NOTE: In many decision-making scenarios, the act of choosing will reach a "tipping point" at which we must resort to motivating or persuading another person (or entity) involved in the situation to either contribute to our efforts or step aside if we are to advance. We might have to appease or reward them in … Continue reading A “Tipping Point” Decision-Making Gambit: To Placate, Punish or Persevere
Thoughts, Feelings and Desires as Inputs to a Tarot Reading
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I've been grappling with the subject of "confirmation bias" in divination ever since I encountered the term a couple of years ago. As I understand it, the cynical assumption is that seekers invest (some might say "infect") the reading with their subjective hopes and fears, then don "rose-colored glasses" and see in the … Continue reading Thoughts, Feelings and Desires as Inputs to a Tarot Reading
Guest Essay: “A Journey Through the Tarot” by Hannah Troyer
PUBLISHER'S NOTE: I was recently approached about contributing to the promotion of a forthcoming tarot book by Hannah Troyer (currently digital, to be released in a printed edition on September 12, 2024). It was proposed that I might publish a guest article by Hannah so she can tell her own story, and I agreed. Here … Continue reading Guest Essay: “A Journey Through the Tarot” by Hannah Troyer
“Bursting the Bubble” – A Problem-Solving Spread
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Here is a spread for those who feel like they're "living in a bubble" of arrested development, and who are looking for a way to escape as the atmosphere grows stale and the internal pressure increases. It adopts the pyramidal structure of the ten-card "tetractys" spread that I created earlier, but instead flows … Continue reading “Bursting the Bubble” – A Problem-Solving Spread
The Candidates on Policy: A Tarot and I Ching Analysis
AUTHOR'S NOTE: As the 2024 Presidential election cycle enters its critical phase, Republican nominee Donald Trump has been trying to steer the campaign towards policy debate and away from ad-hominem invective. One of the liberal media commentators has admitted that if the vote were held today based solely on policy, Trump would most likely win. … Continue reading The Candidates on Policy: A Tarot and I Ching Analysis
Another Election Forecast: Two “Shots-on-Goal” Readings
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I decided to apply my new "Shots-on-Goal" spread to the upcoming US Presidential election. The first reading shows Donald Trump's chances of winning while the second displays the same scenario for Kamala Harris. For the "Conscious Intention" row, using the Thoth deck I chose the Star as "High Hopes;" Lust as "Playing to … Continue reading Another Election Forecast: Two “Shots-on-Goal” Readings
Literal Intent with a Hint of Impressionism
AUTHOR'S NOTE: As a follow-up to the posting of my essay on intuition vs. analysis in divination, I've been having a conversation with another member of the r/seculartarot sub-reddit. Our subject is the need to stay within the established context of the cards as a starting point in any reading, and only then resort to … Continue reading Literal Intent with a Hint of Impressionism
Revisiting the Astrology of the Major Arcana
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Recently, someone in the r/tarot sub-reddit community voiced the opinion (for which they had been previously chastised and downvoted) that some of the astrological correspondences proposed by the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn for the Major Arcana of the tarot just don't seem to hold water. Although I don't personally agree with … Continue reading Revisiting the Astrology of the Major Arcana
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 