AUTHOR'S NOTE: While helping a friend with a relationship reading, I was visited by an epiphany regarding the elemental incompatibility of Earth and Air cards. The reading was a series of twelve monthly projections for the year beginning on the Spring Equinox. The spread logic I used was that each month holds a two-tiered arrangement … Continue reading The Onus of Elemental Discord: Earth/Air and Fire/Water
Astrology
What Happened to Devon? – A Horary and Tarot Case Closure
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Roughly a year ago I was approached by a person with an interest in the case of Devon Marsman, who at that time had been missing from Halifax, Nova Scotia for more than two years. He was last seen entering a relative's house in Halifax at night, apparently for a party that the … Continue reading What Happened to Devon? – A Horary and Tarot Case Closure
“Reeking of Self-Confidence” – An Astro-Tarot Reflection
AUTHOR'S NOTE: There is a question I've been chewing on for more than 30 years, and with the aid of divination I think I'm getting close to an answer. One day back in the '80s, a co-worker walked up to me with an enigmatic smile and said "You know, you reek of self-confidence." I laughed … Continue reading “Reeking of Self-Confidence” – An Astro-Tarot Reflection
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
Coming and Going: A Dual-Spiral “Reversal of Fortune” Method
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Here is an ambitious concept aimed at addressing the premise that, according to Dr. James Wanless, "There are no bad cards, only opportunities." (Conversely, there are no entirely good cards, only fortuitous hints.) After choosing a card to represent the goal of the reading, I'm using the same four randomly-drawn cards to show … Continue reading Coming and Going: A Dual-Spiral “Reversal of Fortune” Method
“Parts is Parts” – Finding Unity in Multiplicity
AUTHOR'S NOTE: When I was employed as a Purchasing Manager for a utility power-plant, the Maintenance team used to say that there was no wizardry involved in keeping the facility's operating equipment running smoothly as long as they had the right parts and the right skills. This attitude led to the adage "Parts is parts" … Continue reading “Parts is Parts” – Finding Unity in Multiplicity
The Case for Esoteric Syncretism
AUTHOR'S NOTE: In The Book of Thoth, Aleister Crowley went to great lengths (15 pages) to relate a number of primitive cultural rites to his understanding of the Fool, with much of his inspiration coming from Sir James George Frazer's anthropological tome, The Golden Bough. This conceptual melding is known as syncretism, and as one … Continue reading The Case for Esoteric Syncretism
Personalizing Taoist Cosmology: Natal Planets and the Five Agents of Change
AUTHOR'S NOTE: In a previous post I explored the Taoist "Five Agents of Change" (Wu Xing) as encompassed by the twin cycles of creation and destruction in the order Wood-Fire-Earth-Metal-Water. I decided to take the Minor Arcana cards associated with the five personal planets (Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus and Mars) of my natal horoscope and … Continue reading Personalizing Taoist Cosmology: Natal Planets and the Five Agents of Change
Creation and Destruction: The Tarot Trumps and Taoist Alchemy
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is the next installment in my series of essays on syncretism between the European tarot and Chinese esoteric tradition. In I Ching, the Oracle: A Practical Guide to the Book of Changes, Benebell Wen presents two diagrams, the Cycle of Creation ("To support and fortify") and the Cycle of Destruction ("To defeat … Continue reading Creation and Destruction: The Tarot Trumps and Taoist Alchemy
The Square in the Circle: The I Ching Mandala and the Tarot Trumps
AUTHOR'S NOTE: As I continue my exploration of the syncretism between the tarot and the I Ching, I encountered this I Ching mandala in Benebell Wen's book, I Ching. the Oracle: A Practical Guide to the Book of Changes. The discussion involved a square of eight trigrams within a circle of 64 hexagrams, and since … Continue reading The Square in the Circle: The I Ching Mandala and the Tarot Trumps
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 