"But we are spirits of another sort." - Oberon in A Midsummer Night's Dream AUTHOR'S NOTE: The modern fascination with "noble spirits" willing to ally with humans in our quest for self-awareness seems to owe a good deal to Shakespeare's fanciful treatment of the subject, disregarding the uncharitable attitude often attributed to "faery-folk" who have … Continue reading “Spirits of Another Sort”
Metaphysical Syncretism
Grasping and Holding: Readings That Stick
AUTHOR'S NOTE: The inspiration for this essay comes from an idea I picked up during my metaphysical studies that can be applied to professional tarot practice: "When we focus on seeking to grasp the answer, we (can) lose the ability to hang onto it." We must cultivate the "quality of mind to hold the answer … Continue reading Grasping and Holding: Readings That Stick
The Great Escape: A Conflict-Resolution Spread
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I was just reading about the historical view that many ancient philosophers and mystics envisioned a primordial "Cosmic Egg" that coalesced out of formless chaos, from which all life emerged as the culmination of an embryonic seed-state. I decided to explore this concept as the basis for a new conflict-resolution spread that uses … Continue reading The Great Escape: A Conflict-Resolution Spread
“Untying All Tangles” – A Syncretic Insight
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I love the following definition of the Tao presented in Benebell Wen's I Ching, The Oracle: A Practical Guide to the Book of Changes: " . . . the Tao is described as 'the origin of all things . . . It unties all tangles, it harmonizes all lights, it unites the world … Continue reading “Untying All Tangles” – A Syncretic Insight
The Eighth Nature: Beyond Patience
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This essay quickly became dense as I continue to draw inspiration from The Tao of Thoth, but it winds up with an exercise that you may find intriguing. Although there are seven tenets in Hermetic philosophy as presented in The Kybalion, an eighth metaphysical precept has been proposed that unifies them. One school … Continue reading The Eighth Nature: Beyond Patience
Tarot As “Offering Bowl” – A Situational Development Spread
AUTHOR'S NOTE: The practice of Taiji envisions eight "offering bowls" that enclose space and also present the contents of that space to the aspirant. Here I've created an eight-position tarot spread modeled on the taijitu (yin/yang) symbol of the I Ching to show situational progress from constructive input (yin as receptive and cooperative) to productive … Continue reading Tarot As “Offering Bowl” – A Situational Development Spread
Tarot As “Awareness Practice”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Lately my head has been crammed with ideas from my informal study of Taoism as presented by Benebell Wen in I Ching The Oracle: A Practical Guide to the Book of Changes and Ethan Indigo Smith in The Tao of Thoth. (The former is polished and intelligent while the latter is much more … Continue reading Tarot As “Awareness Practice”
Getting Out of Our Own Way: More Thoughts on Attunement
AUTHOR'S NOTE: In the chapter on "Rhythm" in his book The Tao of Thoth, Ethan Indigo Smith describes being obstructed by the routine "rhythms of the world" and, in order to advance, learning to "move out of our own way, physically at first, and as we progress mentally and emotionally as well. An example of … Continue reading Getting Out of Our Own Way: More Thoughts on Attunement
Claiming the Space: An Elemental-Alignment Spread
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I just came across the Taoist concept of "claiming the space" in Taiji martial-arts combat by swinging the arms in a specifically "yang" (or offensive) manner as opposed to "relinquishing the space" in strategic withdrawal via a defensive "yin" arm-movement. I decided to apply this "yang" idea to a tarot spread. Begin by … Continue reading Claiming the Space: An Elemental-Alignment Spread
No Flatfooting Allowed: Transcending Inertia and Leveraging Imbalance
"The fact of consultation implies anxiety or discontent."- Aleister Crowley in The Book of Thoth AUTHOR'S NOTE: The inspiration for this essay comes from an observation in Ethan Indigo Smith's book The Tao of Thoth about the martial-arts aspect of Taoist philosophy and the risk of standing flatfooted in the middle of the ring like … Continue reading No Flatfooting Allowed: Transcending Inertia and Leveraging Imbalance
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 