AUTHOR'S NOTE: I've been following an increasingly rancorous argument in one of the online occult forums over why the esoteric community seems so toothless of late (hey, I was going to use one of the darlings of AI writing, "pusillanimous") compared to its previous vigor. Where is the bracing "bite" of old? There is certainly … Continue reading “Another Cup of ‘Why Bother’ . . .”
Tarot Opinion
The Card Whisperer
AUTHOR'S NOTE: One of the strangest questions posed from time-to-time in the online tarot community (even stranger than "Do you think the cards have personalities?") is "Do you talk to your decks?" As if we can be expected to cozy up to a pack of cards on the sofa over tea and have a meaningful … Continue reading The Card Whisperer
Individual Reading Style in Divination (A Recap)
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I've touched on this subject numerous times in previous essays, but almost always in passing. Here I will give it the full treatment from my personal perspective, with a small amount of unavoidable repetition. Traditional tarot decks feature a wealth of symbolic raw material that is "baked-in;" these fundamental meanings should be internalized … Continue reading Individual Reading Style in Divination (A Recap)
Online Tarot Reading for Profit: An Outsider’s Perspective
AUTHOR'S NOTE: There is currently a glut of aspiring tarot readers who believe that starting up an online practice is a surefire way to make enough money to survive. Until disabused of the notion, they don't realize just how many of their peers they will be competing against, many of whom read for free or … Continue reading Online Tarot Reading for Profit: An Outsider’s Perspective
“Uncontrolled Variables” in Remote Tarot Reading
AUTHOR'S NOTE: In the category of "A Little Knowledge Is A Dangerous Thing" for the mystical tarot reader, parapsychologist Dean Radin (in Supernormal, his 2013 study of yoga) had a few critical things to say about the lack of scientific confidence in online testimony. Dr. Radin made a tossed-off remark about the fact that the … Continue reading “Uncontrolled Variables” in Remote Tarot Reading
Tarot “Whack-a-Mole” – Hitting the Sweet Spot
AUTHOR'S NOTE: All too often, the cards pulled for a tarot reading amount to little more than "visual noise" when we first try to relate them to the question or topic of interest. Readers must employ noise reduction (typically some kind of selective seeing) in coaxing the more significant insights to poke their heads above … Continue reading Tarot “Whack-a-Mole” – Hitting the Sweet Spot
Tarot Reading Beyond the Lookup
AUTHOR'S NOTE: In a recent post titled "Most Tarot Readings Stop Too Soon," tarot author Paul Hughes-Barlow observed that, at its most basic, a tarot reading approximates a "lookup table:" Pull a card, look up the meaning, make the interpretation. He concluded by saying that "It works, but only in the same sense that a … Continue reading Tarot Reading Beyond the Lookup
Intuitive Divination as “Auto-Suggestion”
Auto-suggestion: "A psychological technique where an individual consciously or unconsciously influences their own attitudes, behaviors, or physical states through repeated self-instruction or mental affirmations." (Wikipedia) AUTHOR'S NOTE: When I first picked up the tarot in 1972, reading the cards was primarily an expression of esoteric principles applied in a mystical way, and about as far … Continue reading Intuitive Divination as “Auto-Suggestion”
Intuition: The Literal Diviner’s Trusty Sidekick
AUTHOR'S NOTE: In a recent r/tarot sub-reddit thread there was unexpected consensus among experienced diviners that intuition works in concert with knowledge and experience but is not superior to them. It has been my opinion for a long time that all three are vital to successful divination, and I'm used to seeing it dismissed by … Continue reading Intuition: The Literal Diviner’s Trusty Sidekick
The Fortune-Teller As “Percipient”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: While reading Dr. Dean Radin's book on yoga (Supernormal) I added a new word to my divination vocabulary: percipient. The specific reference was to scientific experiments conducted by Princeton University in which the subjects who were tested for precognition were called "percipients" (those who perceive the future). Even when it isn't deliberately fraudulent, … Continue reading The Fortune-Teller As “Percipient”
