AUTHOR'S NOTE: I realize that the title is misleading. This essay is not about the practice of ritual magic, nor is it a discussion of divination with the I Ching. I'm always looking for a reason to drag out my copy of Anthony Clark's I Ching Pack with the hexagrams on the cards, and I … Continue reading Ceremonial Magick and the I Ching: Card Comparisons
tarot-cards
The Outer and Inner Dimensions of the Minor Arcana
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I just rediscovered the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn's description of the Queen of Swords as presenting a "good exterior" despite being inwardly "cruel, sly, deceitful, unreliable" and generally rotten to the core when ill-dignified in a reading. She would have us believe she is pure in all her ways while she … Continue reading The Outer and Inner Dimensions of the Minor Arcana
Tarot Architect: A Book Review
AUTHOR'S NOTE: When I buy a new tarot book after casually researching it, I trust that the contents will provide insights to inspire my own writing. Although it has its merits in that regard due to fostering a couple of my recent essays, Lon Milo DuQuette's Tarot Architect didn't quite measure up overall. Knowing DuQuette's … Continue reading Tarot Architect: A Book Review
The 10 of Cups: “Pushing a String”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Sometimes we can tie ourselves up in knots when trying too diligently to impose esoteric symbolism on the tarot cards. I recently came across an opinion that the 10 of Cups - which is associated with Mars in Pisces in the Golden Dawn's system of "Chaldean" astrological correspondences - must refer to the … Continue reading The 10 of Cups: “Pushing a String”
A Tarot Triptych: Catalysts, Linked Patterns and Sensitive Junctures
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Although I haven't considered it for quite some time because the opportunity for self-improvement is a foregone conclusion among experienced diviners, I was recently reminded by Benebell Wen in Holistic Tarot that tarot cards can serve as catalysts or motivators for seekers to act on their own behalf in ways suggested by the … Continue reading A Tarot Triptych: Catalysts, Linked Patterns and Sensitive Junctures
Occult Tarot Fundamentals: Justice vs. Judgement
AUTHOR'S NOTE: There is endless confusion among new tarot readers about the difference between the Justice and Judgement cards because both seem to be about the same thing. Here I will attempt to sort this out since it all comes down to the intent of the esoteric symbolism. One of my forum-mates on Aeclectic Tarot … Continue reading Occult Tarot Fundamentals: Justice vs. Judgement
Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Card Meaning in Tarot Spreads
AUTHOR'S NOTE: At its finest, reading the tarot cards is a subtle art full of nuance and inflection that can't be shoehorned into a formula (or a TikTok algorithm). Ostensibly, I'm going to talk about the nominal influence of the cards in a spread, both individually and in combination, but I will also get into … Continue reading Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Card Meaning in Tarot Spreads
500 Views . . . and Nothing to See: The Tarot Wasteland
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Not long ago I joined a couple of online deck-collecting groups, and in short order my eyes were assaulted by swarms of substandard tarot decks that I would never buy in a million years (not nearly 500 of course, I was just trying to get your attention; let's round it off to 100). … Continue reading 500 Views . . . and Nothing to See: The Tarot Wasteland
Look But Don’t Touch!
AUTHOR'S NOTE: As an old-school tarot reader who expects face-to-face clients to shuffle and cut the deck, I find it amusing that so much fretful angst exists in the online tarot community over the prospect of someone other than ourselves laying hands on our precious cards. The source of this aversion seems to lie in … Continue reading Look But Don’t Touch!
The Hierophant: Returning to Normal
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Of all the tarot trumps, the Hierophant (originally the Pope) feels most like a "square peg in a round hole" when brought up against modern expectations. It's a product of a bygone era and a different mindset, often requiring a great deal of mental calisthenics to puzzle out in practical reading situations. I'm … Continue reading The Hierophant: Returning to Normal
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 