A comment I encountered on Facebook recently caused me to revisit and reaffirm my reasons for working with the tarot. The woman was arguing against its use for divination, and said "We all know that the original purpose of the tarot was self-improvement." Well, no, actually we don't. Clearly this person doesn't have a clue … Continue reading Love at First Insight
New Age
Mea Culpa, Baby . . . Maybe
I appreciate the expression mea culpa. It has a contrite, confessional ring to it that in this imperfect world may in fact only be, like the Tarot de Marseille stage-magician's averted glance, an attempt to deflect critical scrutiny (call it moral sleight-of-hand). Bring attention to the little sins and let the big ones go so … Continue reading Mea Culpa, Baby . . . Maybe
“All Eyes and No Sight”
Although I made my daily post for June 30 early this morning, I was sitting at my desk looking at a mug with amusing Shakespearean quotes on it given to me by my daughter-in-law when I spied the words "all eyes and no sight." This was excerpted from the line in the play Troilus and Cressida … Continue reading “All Eyes and No Sight”
So Easy a Caveman (or Any Man) Could Do It
Permit me a little latitude (at least in my terminology if not in my attitude, which is in the main sympathetic - and please forgive the unintended limerick) as I examine the demographics of the modern tarot community. Back in the early '70s social connectivity other than barroom malingering was virtually unheard of beyond one's … Continue reading So Easy a Caveman (or Any Man) Could Do It
Life After Tarot
I'm not going anywhere. At least not soon, and not unless I'm carried out. I've just been wondering where I might point my omnivorous intellectual appetite next in the world of metaphysical inquiry. There is still some unfinished business in that area: I have to get back to my study and practice of geomancy, which … Continue reading Life After Tarot
Saving Tarot from Psychology
During a delightful presentation by Rachel Pollack at a regional tarot meeting on Saturday, the subject of fortune-telling came up. Rachel made the fascinating remark that back when she began reading for others over forty years ago, she was committed to saving tarot from the tarnish of fortune-telling, but now she is more inclined to … Continue reading Saving Tarot from Psychology
The Other “I” Words
Since I describe myself as a storyteller in the same breath that I profess to being a diviner, I often find that intuition is thin sauce with which to season my readings. It's not something that can typically be turned on and off at will like a faucet; when it's "on," it's free-flowing and insightful, … Continue reading The Other “I” Words
Eden Gray: A New Age Icon
I thought I was going to have to do some prodigious legwork to write this post, but Mary Greer saved me the trouble with her informative blog article on Eden Gray. Read hers first, since summarizing her excellent research for my own purposes would be pointless: https://marykgreer.com/2008/03/27/eden-grays-fools-journey/ There was little in the way of popular … Continue reading Eden Gray: A New Age Icon
The Pangloss Syndrome
Because I try to post something new almost every day, I'm delighted by how often random forum conversations serve up grist for my philosophical mill. Today I was talking to katrinka/fennario (Stella Waldvogel) on one of the cartomancy forums about the book Tarot on Earth by Tom Benjamin, who apparently subscribes to the belief that, … Continue reading The Pangloss Syndrome
An Indelicate Proposal? (The Client and the Cards)
One of those curious questions that occasionally pop up on the tarot forums (with what I sense is a faintly scandalized tone), and a real head-scratcher for old-timers at this stuff, is "Do you let other people touch your cards?" The assumption is that a troubled sitter's "negative energy" will bleed all over the cards, … Continue reading An Indelicate Proposal? (The Client and the Cards)
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 