I'm constantly encountering people who say "That deck has non-reversible backs. You can't do reversals with it." and "That's a Golden-Dawn-based deck, they didn't use reversals so you can't either." My unspoken response is "So? Rules were made to be broken." Another favorite excuse for not learning to use reversals effectively is "I don't need … Continue reading Reversals? Why Not?
Learning
The “Powers” of the Court Cards
In The Complete Golden Dawn System of Magic, Israel Reagrdie published a version of the "tarot papers" of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, collectively titled Liber T, that has additional content - some inserted by Regardie, apparently from the Whare Ra Temple documents, some written by his publisher Christopher Hyatt, and some generated … Continue reading The “Powers” of the Court Cards
The River Was Dry
Country singer Hank Williams once wrote a country blues song called "Long Gone Lonesome Blues" that contained the verse: "And then I jumped in the river, but the doggone river was dry." Funny thing about trying to read for oneself on a daily basis, especially after doing it for years on end. Eventually it can … Continue reading The River Was Dry
The Book of Thoth – An Appreciation
One doesn't really review Aleister Crowley's Book of Thoth (BoT), his exquisitely (and often excruciatingly) erudite companion volume to the magnificent deck of tarot cards he and Freida Harris bestowed upon the world. One stands back at a safe distance, squints sagely at it, maybe scratches one's addled pate, and tries to think of something … Continue reading The Book of Thoth – An Appreciation
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
Consider the Source
Much of what I post here originates with my conversations on a couple of the more active tarot forums. Following the demise of Aeclectic Tarot after 17 years (thank you, Kate; I'm reminded of the Douglas Adams book title "So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish"), the community splintered and fetched up in a … Continue reading Consider the Source
Is It or Isn’t It . . . ?
. . . a Full Moon, that is. Here are a few more thoughts on the subject of Lunar Phases. I am aware of at least one web-site out there that purports to define one's "lunar personality" according to the phase of the Moon under which birth occurred. It appears to apply the current "scientific" … Continue reading Is It or Isn’t It . . . ?
Cutting-Edge Cartomancy
The Cartomancer is a glossy, elegant, high-quality and high-caliber quarterly international journal for the card-reading enthusiast, mainly focusing on Tarot, Lenormand and Oracle deck study and practice. After a distinguished turn at the helm by Jadzia deForest, the publication has now been purchased and is being published by Arwen Lynch-Poe. This is Arwen's inaugural effort, … Continue reading Cutting-Edge Cartomancy
Philosopher or Fortune-Teller?
In his excellent (although a bit "lite" for the seasoned esotericist) volume, The Tarot, History, Symbolism and Divination, Robert Place offers his definition of the best use for tarot: "From its origin, the Tarot has been designed as a set of symbols or tools that the unconscious can use to communicate with the conscious mind. Instead … Continue reading Philosopher or Fortune-Teller?
The Exit Card: An Epiphany
If there is one crucial thing I've learned in nearly seven years of working with the Lenormand system of divination, it's that there is always more to learn. Epiphany can come from highly unlikely places, an insight that was recently delivered with considerable force. A few weeks before the suicide of her son, my sister … Continue reading The Exit Card: An Epiphany
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 