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”
Tarot Card Meanings
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
The Aces as “Seed-State”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: In Tarot Architect, Lon Milo DuQuette describes the Ace of Wands as the "Seed of Will" that carries the blueprint for purposeful action. I decided to extend this concept into the rest of the Aces. The Ace of Cups suggests the "Seed of Compassion;" the Ace of Swords the "Seed of Insight;" and … Continue reading The Aces as “Seed-State”
The 2 of Swords: Peace Restored or Peace, Period?
AUTHOR'S NOTE: As part of his apparent crusade to reduce the Golden Dawn's multiplex card titles to single words, Aleister Crowley truncated the name of the 2 of Swords from "Lord of Peace Restored" to simply "Peace," thereby redirecting the thrust of the Order's definition, which was intended to convey successful recovery from distress. "Strength … Continue reading The 2 of Swords: Peace Restored or Peace, Period?
The 10 of Cups: Satiety or Perfected Success?
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Whenever I consider the Thoth 10 of Cups in light of the Golden Dawn's original title, I'm amused by the fact that Aleister Crowley chose "Satiety" as his one-word condensation of the Order's "Lord of Perfected Success." The expression goes beyond mere sufficiency into a state of egregious excess, as in consuming far … Continue reading The 10 of Cups: Satiety or Perfected Success?
The 9 of Swords: Despair Is There But Where’s The Cruelty?
AUTHOR'S NOTE: In my opinion, neither the Thoth nor the Waite-Smith 9 of Swords does justice to the Golden Dawn's title of "Lord of Despair and Cruelty." While both capture the essence of despair, the overall effect looks more like "Despair after Cruelty" than an equal distribution of the two: the former describes a condition … Continue reading The 9 of Swords: Despair Is There But Where’s The Cruelty?
