AUTHOR'S NOTE: I've written about the 9 of Wands a couple of times before, usually in more detail. But I keep coming back to it because it's one of several Golden-Dawn-named cards that doesn't wear its title well. Aleister Crowley tried to fix most of them in his own way but - at least in … Continue reading The 9 of Wands: Why “Strength?”
Astrology
Sagittarius: Distant Cousin of the Flame
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Among the Fire signs of the zodiac, the Sagittarius native can be a perennial "dabbler" while the other two are usually accomplished "doers." Aries sports the ruddy flush of Fire on its ample brow (I know a few who fit the description), and Leo wears the sentiment on its sleeve, but Sagittarius keeps … Continue reading Sagittarius: Distant Cousin of the Flame
The Crucible of Desire: Mars and Venus on the Cube of Space
"Mars goes out and gets what Venus wants." - Attributed to astrologer Isabel Hickey AUTHOR'S NOTE: One of my favorite ways to translate tarot cards into a compelling narrative is to apply their planetary energies across the board, whether they are assigned through direct correspondence or extrapolated from sign rulership. Here I'm going just a … Continue reading The Crucible of Desire: Mars and Venus on the Cube of Space
Qabalistic Saturn: A Step Down and a Step Up
AUTHOR'S NOTE: As a life-long student of the Hermetic Qabalah, I confess to being immensely entertained by Lon Milo DuQuette's Tarot Architect and its iconoclastic treatment of the planetary mythology underlying the Hebrew Tree of Life. Of particular interest is his handling of Saturn. I'll paraphrase my quote about Pluto in a previous essay by … Continue reading Qabalistic Saturn: A Step Down and a Step Up
The Trans-Saturnian Planets and the Thoth Minor Arcana
AUTHOR'S NOTE: A while ago I pegged the three modern planets of astrology - Uranus, Neptune and Pluto - to the Chaldean wheel of correspondences used by the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn to align the Minor Arcana of the tarot with the 36 decanates (or "decans") of the zodiac. In doing this, I … Continue reading The Trans-Saturnian Planets and the Thoth Minor Arcana
The Astrological Trumps and the Sephiroth: A Creative Rethinking
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Although I've studied and worked with the pattern for over fifty years, I've never found much practical (i.e. divinatory) use for the assignment of the tarot's Major Arcana to the paths of the Qabalistic Tree of Life outside of astral pathworking (at which I'm not particularly adept). The alignment of the ten sephiroth … Continue reading The Astrological Trumps and the Sephiroth: A Creative Rethinking
Pursuing the “Imaginative Turn of Phrase” – An Astrological View
AUTHOR'S NOTE: In his essay on the Knight of Swords in Tarot Master Class, Paul Fenton-Smith observed that this "quick-minded" Knight "is keen to practice an imaginative turn of phrase." This once again brought to mind my own predilection for nailing the "well-chosen metaphor" in my writing on divination. (Full Disclosure: I'm a Thoth Knight-of-Cups … Continue reading Pursuing the “Imaginative Turn of Phrase” – An Astrological View
Tension and Release in the Chaldean Counterparts for the Minor Arcana
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I'm constantly seeking innovative ways to extract more interpretive value from the set of esoteric correspondences devised by the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn for the Minor Arcana of the tarot. Here is my latest attempt. In musical composition and performance there is the concept of "tension and release" by which the … Continue reading Tension and Release in the Chaldean Counterparts for the Minor Arcana
“No Place Like Home” – Domestic Cards in Lenormand Reading
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is the second in a series of posts discussing my experimental alignment of the 36 Lenormand cards with the 12 signs and 36 decanates of astrology. This time I'm examining the sign of Cancer and its "native" 4th House as it relates to the "home-and-family" cards of Lenormand. For this group I've … Continue reading “No Place Like Home” – Domestic Cards in Lenormand Reading
“Contact and Communication” Cards in Lenormand Reading
AUTHOR'S NOTE: In early January, I completed an experimental effort to align the 36 Lenormand cards with the 12 signs/houses and 36 decanates of the astrological zodiac. This had no purpose other than to satisfy my curiosity about whether it could be done convincingly. Since it's been a while, I decided to link my earlier … Continue reading “Contact and Communication” Cards in Lenormand Reading
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 