AUTHOR'S NOTE: In thinking about the observation of James Joyce that society ("the State") is concentric while the individual ("Man") is eccentric, I began toying with the idea that modern peer-pressure resembles a social "gravity well" that exerts a relentless pull on the iconoclast (at its worst an inexorable "black-hole" form of entrapment from which … Continue reading The Eccentric Tarot Reader: Reaching Escape Velocity
Tarot Opinion
“Like Water to Fishes” – Instinctive vs. Stochastic Tarot Reading
instinctive: an entirely spontaneous, non-rational and automatic response to stimulus (cognitively related to "intuitive"). stochastic: "processes in which, out of a random series, some 'intelligence' or something that can be metaphorically conceived as an intelligence, is selecting a final outcome." (Robert Anton Wilson) AUTHOR'S NOTE: Although I wasn't aware of it from my previous studies … Continue reading “Like Water to Fishes” – Instinctive vs. Stochastic Tarot Reading
The Self-Defining Diviner
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Although my previous multi-decade retirement from public divination was a consequence of my rustic circumstances, this time I'm going back into relative hibernation by choice. I plan to continue blogging at my customary rate, but I've decided not to seek broader external exposure unless it finds me first. I suppose at this point … Continue reading The Self-Defining Diviner
The Structured Tarot Reading
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I've never been one to approach a tarot reading as if I'm throwing darts at a dart-board. If I'm going to roll the dice (which I sometimes do, quite literally) it will be with focused intent and not entirely dependent on serendipity and its accomplice, intuition. I owe my sitters more "beef" than … Continue reading The Structured Tarot Reading
The Fatigue Factor
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I'm beginning to suspect from the recent lack of engagement that I've exhausted even my most ardent followers at the same time as I'm entering a new phase of expanded exposure. The increased popularity, although still minuscule, is gratifying but I value those who have been with me for the last nine years … Continue reading The Fatigue Factor
“One Must Know These Things”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Excuse the minor autobiographical redundancy in this essay; its repetition was essential to my purpose. A few years ago my son asked me how a guy who cuts down trees with a chainsaw can make such "girly" cocktails, an anomaly he found to be out-of-character (not that he doesn't quaff them willingly). Short … Continue reading “One Must Know These Things”
Tarot Personalities, Influencers and Straight-Shooters: Seldom in the Same Skin
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I've never aspired to be a tarot "influencer," although I have a modest population of followers and a reasonably robust number of daily views, neither of which runs into the thousands. Considering the narrow demographic I'm courting, I'm content to serve those who stick around. My formative years with divination were built upon … Continue reading Tarot Personalities, Influencers and Straight-Shooters: Seldom in the Same Skin
The 2026 Congressional Midterm Election: A PoMo Tarot Analysis
AUTHOR'S NOTE: It's time once again for my biennial reading on United States politics with Brian William's PoMo (PostModern) tarot. The focus of this analysis is the upcoming Congressional midterm election The PoMo tarot is my all-time favorite deck for sociopolitical readings because the tone is cynical enough to avoid being fooled by appearances, and … Continue reading The 2026 Congressional Midterm Election: A PoMo Tarot Analysis
“Midpoint Mash-up” – The Role of Mediation in Tarot Reading
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I recently began reading Robert Anton Wilson's Prometheus Rising. I've dipped into his published work sporadically and randomly over the years with no clear chronology in mind, but as the old advertising slogan goes, you "can't eat just one," and in Israel Regardie's introductory comments I encountered the food for thought that inspired … Continue reading “Midpoint Mash-up” – The Role of Mediation in Tarot Reading
Divination as a “Last Resort”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I've just returned from Italy after a seven-day Mediterranean cruise and a destination wedding outside of Pisa (for the record, I'm convinced that Italy lived through its cultural glory days in the 15th and 16th Centuries and I have no intention of going back even though the Tuscan countryside, the country people and … Continue reading Divination as a “Last Resort”