When I started this blog in July of 2017, I was recovering from the shock of the imminent demise of the Aeclectic Tarot forum and hoping to find (or create) another active venue for discussion of the more esoteric side of tarot and divination in general. A few upstart forums rushed in to fill the … Continue reading The Small Pond
Divination
Cartomantic Consumerism: One Deck Too Far
A question came up on one of the tarot forums late last year that stopped me in my tracks, and after thinking carefully about it I haven't bought a new deck of any kind since (although I still lust for quite a few). "How many decks are too many?" My flippant answer at the time … Continue reading Cartomantic Consumerism: One Deck Too Far
The “What of a Much of a Which” Event Analysis Spread
Although he had more dire implications in mind, ee cummings might have been talking about the fortune-teller's art in his poem what of a much of a which of a wind (for example, "blow soon to never and never to twice"). http://plexipages.com/reflections/whatif.html One of the greatest challenges facing those who try to discern past, present … Continue reading The “What of a Much of a Which” Event Analysis Spread
A Good Question
There is a wide range of opinion and much debate on whether any conceivable request can be brought to the tarot. Some say you can't answer simple "yes-or-no" questions in a straightforward way with it because its answers are too conditional and nuanced. Other believe you should steer well clear of anything that could create … Continue reading A Good Question
Casting Lots
There are many forms of divination I know little about, but I'm constantly trying to educate myself. One such practice is lithomancy (the art of casting stones), for which these is very little published literature. One of the best resources I've found is this one by Gary Wimmer. http://garywimmer.com/writer/litho_book.htm Although Gary uses stones thrown onto … Continue reading Casting Lots
The Three-Card Carousel
"Round and round she goes, and where she stops nobody knows." I'm pinching those words from the old Ted Mack Amateur Hour TV show to illustrate one method of reading a three-card spread in tarot divination. There are differing opinions on this: some always read in a line from left-to-right, with the Past on the … Continue reading The Three-Card Carousel
Soothsayer or Master Craftsman?
The frequent on-line debates about whether the tarot cards have a distinct "personality" or whether they are in truth just inert pieces of printed cardboard bearing compelling pictures sometimes spill over into other "tools of the trade." For instance, scrying devices - such as magic mirrors and crystal balls - are often subjected to a … Continue reading Soothsayer or Master Craftsman?
Scrying: First Attempt
I got my scrying space set up and made a first attempt at gazing. I used Uma Silbey's method of visualizing the ball as filled with golden light by breathing "through" my Heart Chakra, with middling success. I tried to move into the ball and immediately had a sense of heightened awareness, followed by a … Continue reading Scrying: First Attempt
Geomancy Redux
Several years ago I spent a good deal of time learning and practicing the art of geomancy (literally, "Earth Divination"). The old texts specify that one is to use a wand to poke a random number of holes in a local patch of soil for each of the four main geomantic figures (the "Mother" figures) … Continue reading Geomancy Redux
Cheap Shots #28: Prediction vs. Divination
We've been having a spirited and occasionally contentious debate on one of the forums I frequent regarding the difference between divination and prediction (if there even is one), and which approach is most suitable for work with the tarot. A side issue is whether the proper role of a reader in discussing difficult cards is … Continue reading Cheap Shots #28: Prediction vs. Divination
