AUTHOR'S NOTE: A while ago I pegged the three modern planets of astrology - Uranus, Neptune and Pluto - to the Chaldean wheel of correspondences used by the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn to align the Minor Arcana of the tarot with the 36 decanates (or "decans") of the zodiac. In doing this, I … Continue reading The Trans-Saturnian Planets and the Thoth Minor Arcana
Golden Dawn
The Golden Dawn’s “Opening of the Key” – Much Ado About Too Much?
AUTHOR'S NOTE: First a confession: it's been years (make that decades) since I last performed all five "operations" of the Golden Dawn's "Opening of the Key" (OotK) method of divination, which can take hours to complete and yields far more information than any ordinary inquiry requires. This fact alone severely limits its application in professional … Continue reading The Golden Dawn’s “Opening of the Key” – Much Ado About Too Much?
Tension and Release in the Chaldean Counterparts for the Minor Arcana
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I'm constantly seeking innovative ways to extract more interpretive value from the set of esoteric correspondences devised by the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn for the Minor Arcana of the tarot. Here is my latest attempt. In musical composition and performance there is the concept of "tension and release" by which the … Continue reading Tension and Release in the Chaldean Counterparts for the Minor Arcana
“Business and Enterprise” Cards in Lenormand Reading
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is the fourth in my series of posts that examine the informal (and highly non-traditional/unofficial/controversial) correlation of the Lenormand cards to the 12 signs and 36 decanates of the astrological zodiac. This time I'm looking at business and enterprise aspects reflected in the sign of Capricorn and its "native" 10th House, in … Continue reading “Business and Enterprise” Cards in Lenormand Reading
The 10 of Cups: “Pushing a String”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Sometimes we can tie ourselves up in knots when trying too diligently to impose esoteric symbolism on the tarot cards. I recently came across an opinion that the 10 of Cups - which is associated with Mars in Pisces in the Golden Dawn's system of "Chaldean" astrological correspondences - must refer to the … Continue reading The 10 of Cups: “Pushing a String”
Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Card Meaning in Tarot Spreads
AUTHOR'S NOTE: At its finest, reading the tarot cards is a subtle art full of nuance and inflection that can't be shoehorned into a formula (or a TikTok algorithm). Ostensibly, I'm going to talk about the nominal influence of the cards in a spread, both individually and in combination, but I will also get into … Continue reading Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Card Meaning in Tarot Spreads
Elements and Modes in Tarot Reading
AUTHOR'S NOTE: If there are any astrologers among my readers who were active during the era of New-Age metaphysical expansion, feel free to fact-check my historical observations. Having been there myself, this is how I remember it. Astrology uses a modal form of analysis: there are three quadriplicities (also known as modalities) - Cardinal, Fixed … Continue reading Elements and Modes in Tarot Reading
The “Zodiacal Strip” Monthly Astro-Tarot Reading
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is not nearly as messy as it looks. Those who are familiar with astrology will be able to make good sense of it. Here is a different take on the 12-position astrological spread that I adapted from Donald Tyson's book, Tarot Magic. It uses the twelve zodiacal trump cards and the seven … Continue reading The “Zodiacal Strip” Monthly Astro-Tarot Reading
Leveraging the Hexagram: A Motivational Spread
AUTHOR’S NOTE: For this spread, I’ve lifted the internal hexagram array from my “Tarot Magic” layout to use as a motivational overview covering both mental/spiritual and physical aspirations as well as four types of opportunity: adventurous (i.e. risk-taking) or pragmatic (both aligned with Physical Motivation) and intellectual or emotional (associated with Mental/Spiritual Motivation). Taking a … Continue reading Leveraging the Hexagram: A Motivational Spread
“Pie in the Sky:” A Segmented Look at the Correspondences
AUTHOR'S NOTE: The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn shoehorned twelve of the 22 tarot trumps, all 40 numbered minor cards and the 16 court cards into their "Chaldean" model of the zodiac, making just a few adjustments in the design to accommodate their vision. Only the seven planetary trumps and the three "Primal Element" … Continue reading “Pie in the Sky:” A Segmented Look at the Correspondences
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 