AUTHOR'S NOTE: "Movement" and "change" are recurring themes in tarot reading and some cards express it more eloquently than others. Aleister Crowley believed that any request for divination means that something needs to change for the better, so the message in these cards is one of encouragement for the seeker. (There are other cards to … Continue reading Cards of Momentum and Metamorphosis
Tarot Card Meanings
Applied Tarot: From Anxiety to Empowerment
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I recently came across the opinion that fear as expressed in a tarot reading is not necessarily a bad thing because it keeps us sharply focused on our challenges while galvanizing us into action. In addition, fear in the form of anxiety is often the driver that brings a sitter to the reader's … Continue reading Applied Tarot: From Anxiety to Empowerment
Reversal as “Standing Pat”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: In Tarot Master-Class, Paul Fenton-Smith suggests that reversal of a card can mean "it is wise to remain where you are, despite the tempting opportunities awaiting you." If scrambling is necessary to dodge adversity, he advises returning to the upright guidance of the previous card in the series, which offers a "comfort zone" … Continue reading Reversal as “Standing Pat”
The Trump-Card “Playbook” – An In-Depth Look at Counterparts
AUTHOR'S NOTE: A number of tarot writers have explored the concept of "numerological counterparts" for the Major Arcana. Here I will examine their ideas and expand them to include the Minor Arcana and the court cards in instances where a direct numerical correlation exists or where arithmetic manipulation reveals similarities. Phillip and Stephanie Carr-Gomm did … Continue reading The Trump-Card “Playbook” – An In-Depth Look at Counterparts
Portraits of Immaturity: Court-Card Reversal as “Backsliding”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I was put on the scent of this topic while re-reading Paul Fenton-Smith's Tarot Master-Class. When addressing the subject of reversal in his court-card chapter, Fenton-Smith maintains the premise that the appearance of a reversed card in a reading means that something about the affairs of the previous upright card in the natural … Continue reading Portraits of Immaturity: Court-Card Reversal as “Backsliding”
Court Cards As “Loss of Control”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I've almost always viewed court cards in a reading as describing potential interaction with other people who have an interest in the matter, or as attitudes and behaviors the seeker should either adopt or avoid. But I just encountered another possibility in a sub-reddit thread. Suppose that numerous court cards in a spread … Continue reading Court Cards As “Loss of Control”
The 5 of Cups: Disappointment or Loss in Pleasure?
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Here is another instance where Aleister Crowley's tinkering with the Golden Dawn's title for one of the Minor Arcana does not really capture the original intent (or so it seems to me). The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn presented the 5 of Cups as the "Lord of Loss in Pleasure." Use of … Continue reading The 5 of Cups: Disappointment or Loss in Pleasure?
Confronting Reversals: Do We Retreat or Advance?
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I really need a new tarot book. Right now I'm re-reading Paul Fenton-Smith's Tarot Master-Class, which I believe has been revised, re-titled and republished since I bought it. This is not a bad experience, just a redundant one, but it has brought me face-to-face once again with his premise that encountering a reversed … Continue reading Confronting Reversals: Do We Retreat or Advance?
My Inner House of Cards
AUTHOR'S NOTE: In Lon Milo DuQuette's Tarot Architect, the author proposed that students build a personal "house" of knowledge and wisdom in their consciousness with the 78 cards of the tarot. I see it as a practical way to pursue Aleister Crowley's vision of "living with the cards" that is more organized than daily divination. … Continue reading My Inner House of Cards
The 10 of Wands: Oppression as the Wages of Negligence
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I once wrote that, with his nose buried in his bundle of sticks, the man in the Waite-Smith 10 of Wands could just as easily walk off a cliff as reach the village shown in the distance. From a practical divination perspective, he has too much on his plate and doesn't know where, … Continue reading The 10 of Wands: Oppression as the Wages of Negligence
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 