SUMMARY: Let it be said that nothing is certain in life except death, taxes and more essays from me on the subject of reversed cards in tarot reading. Here is another composite post based on the new "shared theme" model that I debuted recently, this time taking a more general look at reversals. The "Bubble … Continue reading A Reversal Miscellany – Variations on a Theme
Tarot Theory
Rank Has Its Prerogatives – A Departure from the Norm
AUTHOR'S NOTE: As I understand it, those diviners who use only the 22 trump cards in their readings frequently assign all of the cards equal weight in the same way that Lenormand cards are interpreted. I've also been told by some in Europe that they accord the trumps no more significance than they would any … Continue reading Rank Has Its Prerogatives – A Departure from the Norm
The Middle Way: Finding the “Sweet Spot”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: It is often said that, within its range of customary definitions, every tarot card contains all possible shades of positive and negative meaning that will invariably yield a piece of the puzzle when wisely applied to a specific question. The analysis is typically approached as a deductive exercise that first zeros in on … Continue reading The Middle Way: Finding the “Sweet Spot”
Cards of “Accelerated Circumstances”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: In a previous post I explored the cards of the Waite-Smith deck that generally indicate "movement" in the matter at hand. I cast a fairly wide net in assembling that population, but here I'm sharpening the focus to identify only those cards that create a propulsive "push" to get on with business. In … Continue reading Cards of “Accelerated Circumstances”
“Plateauing” – The Nature of the Fours
AUTHOR'S NOTE: In esoteric number theory, Four is the number of the Square that prefigures the six-sided cube it becomes when projected into three-dimensional space, and many people relate it directly to that polyhedron. But, although it is the fourth geometric expression after the Point, the Line and the Triangle, no volume is implied since … Continue reading “Plateauing” – The Nature of the Fours
Fusion and Reconciliation: Temperance as the “Ultimate Smoothie”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: In previous essays I've described the Temperance card as representing "the 'fine Art of Right Action' (neither too much force nor too little) when a discriminating finesse is called for." This has served me well as a practical definition over the years, but I just came across two ideas in Benebell Wen's Holistic … Continue reading Fusion and Reconciliation: Temperance as the “Ultimate Smoothie”
“Say What?” – Probing the Gap Between Reading and Reality
AUTHOR'S NOTE: In his book Tarot Master-Class, Paul Fenton-Smith discussed situations where clients dispute the accuracy of a reading as it applies to their own understanding of personal reality. He recommended probing more deeply into the querent's past via dialogue since there may be insights the individual's subconscious did not divulge during its interaction with … Continue reading “Say What?” – Probing the Gap Between Reading and Reality
Shifting Gears: The Multi-Phase Reading
AUTHOR'S NOTE: From the day I first encountered it in 1972, I've followed Eden Gray's suggestion that we can disregard asking sitters (those who "sit" for a tarot reading) to tell us their specific question or concern prior to divining for them. I tell them to silently concentrate on what they want to know while … Continue reading Shifting Gears: The Multi-Phase Reading
Repurposing the Chaldean Decans for Tarot Reading
AUTHOR'S NOTE: The Golden Dawn's alignment of the tarot cards with the astrological (aka "Chaldean") decanates (36 ten-degree segments of the zodiac beginning on the Vernal Equinox) has intrigued me since I first picked up the tarot in 1972 to complement my practice of astrology, but I have never been satisfied with its customary application … Continue reading Repurposing the Chaldean Decans for Tarot Reading
The Inverted Pentagram in Tarot: “Dying Cockroach Syndrome”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: During the late 20th Century, a common way to express utter futility was by citing the "dying cockroach" analogy and invoking the image of a roach with its legs waving feebly in the air, unable to right iteslf and scuttle away to safety. In tarot terms, the pentagram symbol appears in many of … Continue reading The Inverted Pentagram in Tarot: “Dying Cockroach Syndrome”
