AUTHOR'S NOTE: In his book Tarot Reading Explained, James Ricklef mentioned that, when he began practicing tarot divination on prominent public figures in support of his American Tarot Association column, he chose not to read about those who were still living, under the assumption that it would constitute an invasion of privacy and could result … Continue reading Public Figures and Personal Privacy in Divination
Cultural & Social Commentary
An Inevitable Transition
AUTHOR'S NOTE: When I started this blog in the summer of 2017, I made it abundantly clear that I would be writing primarily for myself, not the public, and I would not monetize it, instead paying for the privilege of saying whatever I want to say on the subject of divination, which I - as … Continue reading An Inevitable Transition
“Diviner, Know Thy Stuff”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I recently had cause to go back and look at a post from 2018 in which I gave my opinion about what a beginning tarot reader needs to know concerning the art of divination. The second "diviner's maxim" I presented after mentioning the advice of Socrates to "Know thyself" was "Know thy stuff." … Continue reading “Diviner, Know Thy Stuff”
Rambling On: A Metaphysical Journey in Ten Phases
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Unsurprisingly, as I sit here lulled by the Florida sun and surf, I've momentarily run out of profound ideas for my daily deliberation. So permit me to ramble on a bit with an updated riff on a couple of old autobiographical posts. Things have been moving again, albeit glacially, and it's time for … Continue reading Rambling On: A Metaphysical Journey in Ten Phases
Tarot Syncretism*
*Syncretism: The union of different practices whose features may be synchronized to good effect. AUTHOR'S NOTE: I last weighed in on the subject of esoteric syncretism in divination with a pair of essays in April and May of 2024, and a recent encounter with the topic in an r/occult sub-reddit thread brought it to mind … Continue reading Tarot Syncretism*
A New Year, A New Agenda
AUTHOR'S NOTE: It's no secret that I've become thoroughly disenchanted with the populist pretensions of the online tarot community, to the point that I've decided to disengage from public conversation and return to private academic pursuits of a more esoteric nature. (I doubt the typical YouTube "talking head" will miss me or even notice.) I … Continue reading A New Year, A New Agenda
Online Tarot: Fishing for Meaning But Catching Only Noise
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Here is another installment in my long-running "beating-a-dead-horse" criticism of online tarot as my impatience with its superficiality continues to simmer. I've reached a new low in my opinion of the self-indulgent shallowness exhibited by so much of what I see going on, and have retreated to my hermitage to contemplate it. I … Continue reading Online Tarot: Fishing for Meaning But Catching Only Noise
Faking It in the Key of “T”
"Lovely bloke, but posing."- Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones commenting in 1986 on Elton John's lack of rock & roll authenticity. AUTHOR'S NOTE: In music there is what is known as a "fake book" that typically provides melody and chords but no written-out "parts" for each player. It is defined as "the minimal information … Continue reading Faking It in the Key of “T”
The Realist Bids Farewell to the Romantic (or “Don’t Call Me, I’ll Call You”)
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I was recently cautioned against performing the kind of investigative tarot-reading that operates in the same algorithmic space as probabilistic number-crunching (specifically for odds-making in sports betting). The critic's presumptuous attitude was that I'm tarnishing my credentials as a diviner (which I assume means my standing as an enlightened mystic). I'm not so … Continue reading The Realist Bids Farewell to the Romantic (or “Don’t Call Me, I’ll Call You”)
Tendencies, Trends and Probabilities: Three Modes of Realization in Tarot Prediction
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Before I dive into my subject, I should mention that I no longer use tarot for the purpose of psychological self-awareness and self-development after doing so for the better part of four decades. I decided beginning in 2011 that natal astrology (which I've also done since 1972) is a far better tool for … Continue reading Tendencies, Trends and Probabilities: Three Modes of Realization in Tarot Prediction
