*To travel purposely toward an as-yet unknown destination. AUTHOR'S NOTE: I'm indebted to my online friend Dianne DeMarco for this bit of whimsy. I can't think of a more accurate (or more peculiar) way to describe the act of diligently pursuing the advice of a tarot reading for the purpose of unlocking its uncertain promise. … Continue reading The Predictive “Coddiwomple”*
Divination
An “Alternate Outcome” Example Reading
AUTHOR'S NOTE: To test the spread I posted recently, I decided to ask what the long-term prognosis is for my general well-being (at my age it becomes increasingly relevant) without trying to be specific about health matters. I used Pat Zalewski's Magical Tarot of the Golden Dawn, and did not apply reversals. I find the … Continue reading An “Alternate Outcome” Example Reading
“Alternate Outcome” Developmental Timeline Spread
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Here is another mixed-media spread that uses cards and dice. It is intended as a longer-range alternative to the Celtic Cross that offers a similar event timeline and "advice" mode while providing for two alternate "end of the matter" cards. I've been having an online conversation regarding the premise that "now" is the … Continue reading “Alternate Outcome” Developmental Timeline Spread
Keyword Reliance and “Projectile Spin”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: A question was recently asked online about whether it is appropriate to place keywords on the tarot cards as an aid to interpretation. While most of the responses were kind enough to advise "Do what you must to make it work," at least one person felt that this action stifles creative thought by … Continue reading Keyword Reliance and “Projectile Spin”
The Five-Beat Measure: A Tarot-Reading Prep Routine
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Bear with me here, this moves quickly from subconscious meditation to the utilitarian aspects of cartomancy and should be worth your time. It is, however, aimed at professional diviners and won't be understood or appreciated by dabblers in the "pop metaphysics" of online tarot reading. I had a dream recently where I encountered … Continue reading The Five-Beat Measure: A Tarot-Reading Prep Routine
The Solitary Way
"Who has vocation hears the voice of the inner man; he is called." - Carl Gustav Jung AUTHOR'S NOTE: In recent years I haven't been much of a "joiner" since I usually find both the quality and the availability of the communal experience to be lacking. This wasn't always the case, since at one time … Continue reading The Solitary Way
Lenormand at the Crossroads
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Despite the suggestive title, this essay is not a commentary on the "state of the art." It merely describes a creative way of using Lenormand for decision-making. I often encounter the opinion that reading "line" spreads of any length with the Lenormand cards is the least effective way to approach a complex question … Continue reading Lenormand at the Crossroads
Jumping the Gap: Multilayered Tarot Reading
AUTHOR'S NOTE: In the past I've written about the fact that every tarot card contains several layers of meaning, and reading one can resemble peeling an onion. If a practical, action-and-event-oriented approach fails to illuminate the matter, a deeper cut could reveal the psychological angle of "attitudes and behaviors" to be adopted or avoided by … Continue reading Jumping the Gap: Multilayered Tarot Reading
The Lover and the Devil: Trump-Card Bookends
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I've been playing around with the 7x3 array of trump cards (minus the Fool because zero adds nothing to this exercise) by running out the numerological expressions for each row and column. I used both Theosophical reduction (adding together the digits of any sum larger than 21) and "casting out nines" (subtracting increments … Continue reading The Lover and the Devil: Trump-Card Bookends
2024 Celtic Wheel of the Year Layout
AUTHOR'S NOTE: For the next solar cycle, I chose not to pull random cards to represent the Celtic year, but rather to use the tarot trump cards associated with the eight Celtic holidays and the four zodiacal ingress dates for the Sun, thus creating a universal layout with slightly more irregular sequencing than the typical … Continue reading 2024 Celtic Wheel of the Year Layout
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 