I often hear novice tarot readers say, upon encountering an Ace in a reading, "You're going to be starting something new!" I think to myself "Well, no . . . at least not yet." The Aces represent the impulse to act that sparks (or should spark) the focus and concentration essential to mounting any well-planned … Continue reading The Aces: “First Whirlings”
Pips
The Golden Dawn Factor
The contribution of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn to our modern understanding and use of the tarot cannot be overestimated. Here is a link to a brief article on Biddy Tarot by Richard L. Palmer that lays out the fundamentals. https://www.biddytarot.com/tarot-astrology-golden-dawn/ The esoteric concepts and structures devised by the Golden Dawn and its … Continue reading The Golden Dawn Factor
The Thoth Minor Arcana
I've worked with the Aleister Crowley/Frieda Harris Thoth deck since 1972 and have been consistently impressed by how evocative the Minor Arcana are, mainly through their use of color and mood along with Crowley's Golden-Dawn-derived titles and brief explanations in The Book of Thoth. I never felt any need for scenic illustrations and their encapsulated … Continue reading The Thoth Minor Arcana
Simple Keyword Lists
Somewhere along the way I gathered these useful lists of basic keywords for the Major and Minor Arcana of the Thoth deck. I may have condensed them myself into this particular form, but more likely they came from the Aeclectic Tarot forum or an on-line blog. If I could recall from whom, I would credit … Continue reading Simple Keyword Lists
Court and Minor Cards as Allies to the Major Arcana
The appeal of systematically aligning the cards of the Minor Arcana with the Major Arcana has engaged many thinkers on the tarot, and a number of schemes have been proposed, most with a numerical or hierarchical root. Attempts along these lines have been made by James Wanless (Voyager Tarot) and Elizabeth Hazel (The Tarot Decoded). … Continue reading Court and Minor Cards as Allies to the Major Arcana
Maxwell and Cirlot: Numbers Don’t Lie
I've been working with the numerological ideas of Joseph Maxwell and the geometric graphics of J.E. Cirlot to come up with a new model for interpreting the Tarot de Marseille pip cards. This involves Maxwell's isomorphs of the first four numbers, and Cirlot's metaphysical interpretations of the point, line, cross, triangle, square and circle. I've … Continue reading Maxwell and Cirlot: Numbers Don’t Lie
The Sevens and Eights
When reading the pip cards as a numeric sequence in accordance with esoteric number theory (both Pythagorean and Hermetic), the Sevens, Eights and Nines present a unique conundrum because they depart from the elegant geometric simplicity of the first six numbers. This makes them more difficult to conceptualize in metaphysical terms without relying on prior … Continue reading The Sevens and Eights
Aces as Significators
Since I'm luke-warm about the usefulness of court-card Significators, I came up with an approach that uses the elemental nature of the different Aces instead. I created the attached information sheet, which I show to my sitters before a reading and have them pick which of the descriptions most accurately fits their circumstances. Since I … Continue reading Aces as Significators
Astro-Tarot Decanate Tableau and Spread
It's probably obvious that I'm a tireless tinkerer. In the present case, I took the round zodiacal presentation of the Chaldean decans aligned with the cards of the tarot and turned it into a tabular structure. This arranges all of the decan cards, the court cards and the Major Arcana in an easy-to-read format that … Continue reading Astro-Tarot Decanate Tableau and Spread
Do the Pips Roar or Squeak?
That's more than an amusing rhetorical question. One of the most daunting challenges facing those who would divine with historical decks like the Tarot de Mareille (TdM) is how to coax useful meaning from their sparely illustrated, non-scenic minor - or "pip" - cards. There is no body of traditional literature explaining how the stereotypical … Continue reading Do the Pips Roar or Squeak?
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 