AUTHOR'S NOTE:This spread examines the conceptual divide between our private self-image and the public self-projection that signifies - in tarot author Joe Monteleone's memorable phrase - "how we happen to the world." The degree of separation or integration is determined by comparison of two parallel columns of trump and pip cards. In one model of … Continue reading “Happening to the World” – A Trump-and-Pip Card Exercise
tarot-reading
What Happened to Nancy? – A Pair of Missing-Person Readings
AUTHOR'S NOTE:I was recently asked by a magazine publisher whether I had already performed a missing-person reading for Nancy Guthrie. That prompted me to catch up to the case with my "Train to Nowhere" exploratory spread, which is a 13x6-card array that employs all 78 cards. I chose the Queen of Wands as the Significator … Continue reading What Happened to Nancy? – A Pair of Missing-Person Readings
The “Detours and Dead-Ends” Mid-Course Correction Spread
AUTHORS NOTE: Not every journey goes smoothly. Mid-course corrections are often necessary to continue making progress toward the destination after running into roadblocks. Some - like potholes in the road - can be "toughed out" and overridden, while other require a more roundabout approach. Here is a spread that follows a developmental arc from beginning … Continue reading The “Detours and Dead-Ends” Mid-Course Correction Spread
“Where Is Dan?” A Trio of Missing-Person Readings
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Although there is little background information online other than a police-department request for community assistance, Dan Jones (apparently of Alexandria, NH) has been missing since December 1, 2025 in increasingly frigid weather. I performed a horary astrology reading followed by two tarot readings to see what I might learn about his current situation. … Continue reading “Where Is Dan?” A Trio of Missing-Person Readings
Sitting with Ourself: A Thoth Perspective
"If I had the chance, I'd ask the world to danceAnd I'd be dancing with myself"- from Dancing With Myself by Billy Idol AUTHOR'S NOTE: As I began reading Joe Monteleone's Tarot Mysticism: The Psycho-Spiritual Technology of the Thoth Tarot, I came upon his premise that one of the three primary uses for the tarot … Continue reading Sitting with Ourself: A Thoth Perspective
“Weaving Differences into Harmony”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I recently came across the concept of "weaving differences into harmony" that is a perfect expression of the tarot reader's art. The relevant post disappeared from my Facebook feed immediately after I viewed it so I'm unable to cite the inspiration for this essay other than to recall that it was related to … Continue reading “Weaving Differences into Harmony”
The Story in the Cards
AUTHOR'S NOTE: In his book Tarot Mysticism, The Psycho-Spiritual Technology of the Thoth Tarot, Joe Monteleone observes that the ego "moving through time and space and acting on circumstances . . . gathers a story." In the realm of tarot divination, I submit that the story revealed by the cards in a spread serves as … Continue reading The Story in the Cards
The Maverick Cartomant, Part 4: The Waite-Smith Tarot
AUTHOR'S NOTE: As I recently told one of my online tarot groups, I've saved "the worst for last." When compared to the majority of modern diviners, I'm very far off the beaten path in my dim view of the RWS deck. While the Waite-Smith (RWS) tarot may be the most popular deck in the world, … Continue reading The Maverick Cartomant, Part 4: The Waite-Smith Tarot
The Maverick Cartomant, Part 3: The Thoth Tarot
AUTHOR'S NOTE: It may be disingenuous to claim "maverick" status when my approach to the Thoth tarot is at least 95% aligned with the content of its companion volume, The Book of Thoth, and the Golden Dawn's Liber T tarot curriculum on which it is largely based. But I do have reservations about a couple … Continue reading The Maverick Cartomant, Part 3: The Thoth Tarot
Embracing the Cards as a Matter of Choice
AUTHOR'S NOTE: If we are savvy in the self-empowering ways of practical magic, our encounter with a given tarot card in a reading won't invariably deliver a foregone conclusion. We can choose how much of its influence to let into our life and how to engage it. The fundamental energy won't change, just our handling … Continue reading Embracing the Cards as a Matter of Choice
