AUTHOR'S NOTE: Despite the Zen-like title, I'm not going to take this essay in a philosophical direction (at least not entirely); my objective is to "normalize" (i.e. standardize) our approach to patently inauspicious tarot cards that will offer more substance than simply insisting "There are no bad cards." In her discussion of the Hanged Man … Continue reading Negative Energies and the “Dance of Liberation”
Lunar Month Look-Ahead for November – December, 2023: A “Double Feature”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: For my New Moon forecast this month I'm doing both my normal monthly reading with the tarot and a Lenormand Grand Tableau overview to get a different perspective on the next four weeks. (I need more practice with the GT.) The eight lunar sub-phases for the period are as follows; each span is … Continue reading Lunar Month Look-Ahead for November – December, 2023: A “Double Feature”
The “Argent Helix” Second-Act Celtic Cross Variant
AUTHOR'S NOTE: In my essay yesterday I introduced the concept of a 15-card spread that is basically a Celtic Cross variant. Because it resembles a double ellipse (although a somewhat lopsided one like the lemniscate in the RWS 2 of Pentacles that suggests unbalanced change), and because tarot embodies the mystical nature of the Moon … Continue reading The “Argent Helix” Second-Act Celtic Cross Variant
The “Compleat” Celtic Cross
AUTHOR'S NOTE: "Compleat" is an archaic English spelling that I'm using here to characterize my advanced approach to the considerably less-archaic Celtic Cross (CC) spread. (My "completely" irrelevant point-of-reference is Izaak Walton's 1653 "fish-tale," The Compleat Angler.) Almost forty years ago I spent some time modifying Eden Gray's version of A.E. Waite's venerable Celtic Cross … Continue reading The “Compleat” Celtic Cross
Doin’ the Backflip
AUTHOR'S NOTE: In a recent online post, someone used the word "backflip" to describe how we might rebound from a card we don't understand to land on our own unique, intuitive interpretation. This jogged my memory about something I once read regarding reversals. One of the more unique ways I've ever seen for handling reversed … Continue reading Doin’ the Backflip
The “Golden Dawn Swap” – Strength and Justice
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I've written about the relocation of Strength and Justice before, but not in terms that strayed so far from the beaten path as this essay does. I have no clue what (if any) use I will make of this, but it's an intriguing philosophical study. (The framework shown in the graphic could be … Continue reading The “Golden Dawn Swap” – Strength and Justice
The Lenormand “GT Mandala”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Although this post is somewhat redundant to my "GT Architecture" presentation and has become divorced from it by intervening topics as well as decoupled in time, it's worth seeing all of the features combined in a single graphic.The array of cards surrounding the Significator Card (SC) in a Lenormand Grand Tableau is sometimes … Continue reading The Lenormand “GT Mandala”
Chasing Fate: Pulling the Thread on Trends
AUTHOR'S NOTE: It's a well-worn cliche that nothing presented in a tarot reading is carved in stone; any outcome is subject to adjustment by timely action (and, it must be said, negligent inaction) of the seeker. However, there are cards that lean toward a fortunate outcome no matter how ill-favored they are by surrounding cards, … Continue reading Chasing Fate: Pulling the Thread on Trends
The Malleable Clay of Probability
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Here is another 3:00 AM meditation that is trying to turn itself into a full-blown essay. Divination with the tarot cards is an unlikely craft that presumes to mold a reasonable approximation of upcoming circumstances from the malleable clay of probability with nothing more than the symbolic images on the cards and a … Continue reading The Malleable Clay of Probability
Why Ask “Why?”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Jungian tarot author Sallie Nichols made a strong case for why it isn't helpful to ask "Why?" of the tarot cards. I gave her a fair hearing but came away unconvinced. In her lengthy chapter on the Wheel of Fortune in Tarot and the Archetypal Journey (which I've been wading through in half-hour … Continue reading Why Ask “Why?”
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 