AUTHOR'S NOTE: I've encountered many productive parallels between the oracular character of the Chinese Book of Changes and that of the Western tarot cards, but this one seems particularly useful. (In this context I've consulted both the classic Wilhelm/Baynes English translation and Benebell Wen's recent book, I Ching, The Oracle: A Practical Guide to the … Continue reading Sink or Swim? – An I Ching Approach to the Tarot
I Ching
Hollow in the Middle: A Mid-Course Correction Spread
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hexagram 61 of the I Ching is composed of two yin (or "broken") lines sandwiched between a quartet of yang (or "solid") lines, giving the impression of a hollowed-out center. Benebell Wen's commentary notes: "One is faced with an equal and opposing adversary. This is a war between equals. There is currently a … Continue reading Hollow in the Middle: A Mid-Course Correction Spread
“Wang Hai’s Cattle”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: While contemplating the Chinese legend of Wang Hai, who lost his livestock (not once but twice!) to jealous rivals in the kingdom of Yi, I decided to create a tarot spread that addresses this possibility in present-day terms. In the past I've used the upright or reversed orientation of the cards in a … Continue reading “Wang Hai’s Cattle”
The “Go With The Flow” Decision-Making Spread
AUTHOR'S NOTE: In my ongoing I Ching studies I'm reading about enlisting the qi (life-force) of water to effect a reversal of misfortune. In nature, water flows where it will, surrounding and over-topping all obstacles in its relentless advance. It fills "potholes" in the road, which can give the illusion of firmness even though water … Continue reading The “Go With The Flow” Decision-Making Spread
Nourishing and Enriching: A Tarot-Reading Paradigm
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hexagram 27 of the I Ching is titled "Receiving Nourishment." The oracle begins with a discussion of "nourishing language," advising that the words we use in communicating with others should be carefully chosen to nourish and enrich them rather than striving to draw personal nourishment and enrichment from them. After that it moves … Continue reading Nourishing and Enriching: A Tarot-Reading Paradigm
Profound vs. “Disposable” Divination
AUTHOR'S NOTE: As I continue my study of the I Ching, I'm impressed by how utterly devoid of "fluff" it is; thus far I can detect no inanity or flippancy in it. My understanding is that in ancient China it was often used to manage the affairs of state, so there was no place in … Continue reading Profound vs. “Disposable” Divination
“Auspicious to Proceed”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: The predictive text supporting the 64 hexagrams of the I Ching is full of brief advice that occurs with regular frequency. Two of these insights are "Auspicious to proceed" and its counterpart "Ominous to proceed." There is nothing quite that formulaic in tarot divination, whose practitioners often pride themselves on avoiding such prescriptive … Continue reading “Auspicious to Proceed”
“Moving Cards” As Symbolic Counterparts
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is my second post on the subject (the first one is linked below). My original idea was to create a four-card line spread using fixed position meanings based on the four classical elements of Empedocles, going from left-to-right and from Wands to Pentacles. Then I shuffled a deck and dealt random cards … Continue reading “Moving Cards” As Symbolic Counterparts
Like Water and Wind
AUTHOR'S NOTE: In my estimation, Edward Fitzgerald's vibrant and evocative translation of The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam is a masterpieces of English mystical poetry. Relative to the subject of this essay, here is one magnificent quatrain: Into this Universe, and Why not knowing,Nor Whence, like Water willy-nilly flowing:And out of it, as Wind along the … Continue reading Like Water and Wind
“Third Time’s the (C)harm”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: We all recognize the proverb "The third time's the charm" when we've failed twice at something and are trying again with finger's crossed. (Elizabeth Barrett Browning wrote "The luck of the third adventure is proverbial.") But when it comes to divination, asking the same question over-and-over again and expecting a more agreeable answer … Continue reading “Third Time’s the (C)harm”
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 