AUTHOR'S NOTE: The panorama of 78 tarot cards is often described as a "map." Some say that it portrays the dimensions of the objective Universe, others consider it a "roadmap of life" into which we can dip to extract the itinerary for a particular leg of the journey (stay tuned, there may be a new … Continue reading Obviously A Map . . . But Of What?
Divination
Anticipatory Forecasting: “Escape from New Tarot”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Despite the title, I promise I won't invoke the cinematic spirit of Kurt Russell in this essay; Carl Gustav Young will have to do. I've just begun reading Benebell Wen's Holistic Tarot, and the introductory chapter brought me back to the topic of "first principles" in my practice of divination. Some of this … Continue reading Anticipatory Forecasting: “Escape from New Tarot”
The Problem with Tarot Books
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I appreciate well-written tarot books of all kinds. They keep me sharp and constantly thinking about the state of the diviner's art. But I'm a seasoned card-reader with five decades of tarot prediction under my belt, and I've sifted through reams of BS in the published literature since 1972 so I'm not likely … Continue reading The Problem with Tarot Books
A Tarot Take on “Strictures Against Judgement”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: What follows is an odd-ball idea that applies the poker-player's caveat about "knowing when to hold 'em and when to fold 'em." There are times when it's clear that a reading is going nowhere, but we still feel obligated to make the most of it. If that realization occurs with the very first … Continue reading A Tarot Take on “Strictures Against Judgement”
365 Days and A New Approach
AUTHOR'S NOTE: In March of 2024 I set myself the task of posting 365 consecutive daily essays on divination-related topics without repeating myself too often. Yesterday marked Day #365, and I believe I've succeeded for the most part. With that behind me, I decided to move to a different format: a weekly compendium of material … Continue reading 365 Days and A New Approach
Occult Tarot Fundamentals: Justice vs. Judgement
AUTHOR'S NOTE: There is endless confusion among new tarot readers about the difference between the Justice and Judgement cards because both seem to be about the same thing. Here I will attempt to sort this out since it all comes down to the intent of the esoteric symbolism. One of my forum-mates on Aeclectic Tarot … Continue reading Occult Tarot Fundamentals: Justice vs. Judgement
“Oi Flings ‘Er!” – Yet Another Critique of Jumpers
AUTHOR'S NOTE: In the Monty Python sketch Interesting People, in which Michael Palin as the master-of ceremonies interviews a stream of curious characters, Graham Chapman arrives carrying a live cat. Palin asks Chapman what the cat does that is interesting. Chapman replies "She flies across the stage and lands it that bucket" (conveniently placed at … Continue reading “Oi Flings ‘Er!” – Yet Another Critique of Jumpers
“Twin Flame:” Spiritual Rapport or Galvanic Magnetism?
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I've never been convinced of the legitimacy of the "soul-mate" premise (as Aleister Crowley might have said, "One must first believe in a soul"), and the "twin-flame" concept seems even less credible as just being "old wine in new bottles" that once again attempts to put a gloss of spiritual respectability on romantic … Continue reading “Twin Flame:” Spiritual Rapport or Galvanic Magnetism?
Fortuitous Attraction: A Spirit-Contact Spread Using Court Cards
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Although it is usually the domain of psychic mediums, contacting ancestral spirits via tarot reading is a popular topic of discussion in the online community that often generates requests for suitable spreads. I've created a few such arrays in the past, but I'm on the fence about the subject. Humans in primordial times … Continue reading Fortuitous Attraction: A Spirit-Contact Spread Using Court Cards
Reversals As “Erosion of Stability”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I was recently interpreting the reversed 9 of Wands in a reading, noting that the card when upright is about preserving one's integrity, but that its reversal implies an "erosion of stability" in that regard. This started me thinking about another broad-brush approach to the application of reversal. I've often thought that a … Continue reading Reversals As “Erosion of Stability”
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 