AUTHOR'S NOTE: My long-time followers know that I'm skeptical of remote tarot reading because the querent has no direct contact with the cards for the purpose of subconscious induction, my fundamental understanding of "how tarot works." But with a little tweaking of the parameters, that attitude may be shifting. Recently, while reading about experiments in … Continue reading Distant Intention: An Alternative Approach to Remote Divination
Tarot Theory
“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
The Occult Phenomenon of Invisibility: Anecdotal Tales of Mind Over Matter
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Here is more fanciful food-for-thought from my reading of parapsychologist Dean Radin's Supernormal. Back in my "hippie wannabe" days (when I was still too uptight in my suburban East-Coast mindset to qualify - as well as much too clean if what I saw in rural Vermont communes was sufficient proof), my younger brother … Continue reading The Occult Phenomenon of Invisibility: Anecdotal Tales of Mind Over Matter
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
Supplemental Notation: The Hierarchy of Upright and Reversed Orientation in Tarot Reading
AUTHOR'S NOTE: While debating the subject of reversed cards in an r/tarot sub-reddit thread, I arrived at what I consider to be my final position on the subject. I didn't realize how sharply divided the community is on whether or not the reading of upside-down cards in a tarot spread is necessary. The skeptics like … Continue reading Supplemental Notation: The Hierarchy of Upright and Reversed Orientation in Tarot Reading
The Practical Mystic: Intelligence and Imagination in Tarot Reading
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Some time ago I added a sub-category titled "Practical Mysticism" to the "Categories" drop-down menu on the sidebar. This feature was inspired by my reading of Lon Milo DuQuette's Tarot Architect and it was solidified by the observations of Dr. Dean Radin in Real Magic. I've written extensively in the past on the … Continue reading The Practical Mystic: Intelligence and Imagination in Tarot Reading
Hooray for Reversals! – A Rational Perspective At Last
AUTHOR'S NOTE: An otherwise mean-spirited rant in an r/tarot sub-reddit thread posed the perfectly legitimate question "Since when did reading reversals become controversial????" One of the more thoughtful contributors to the conversation had the following to say, and it aligns quite well with my own long-standing defense of the practice. "In my opinion, the issue … Continue reading Hooray for Reversals! – A Rational Perspective At Last
The Benefits of Structured Tarot Reading (or Pattern-Recognition on Steroids)
AUTHOR'S NOTE: In my considered opinion, one area where modern tarot reading has "gone off the rails" is in the rise of the so-called "freestyle" layout in which there is no established rhyme or reason to the arrangement of the cards. Its proponents claim that this "deconstructed" approach sparks their creativity but it seems to … Continue reading The Benefits of Structured Tarot Reading (or Pattern-Recognition on Steroids)
The Story of a Life: Past-Life Reading with the Tarot
AUTHOR'S NOTE: A question occasionally arises in the online divination community regarding whether anyone has attempted to explore past lives with the tarot cards. I have a couple of existing spreads for this purpose, but I'm currently reading parapsychologist Dean Radin's book on yoga, Supernormal, in which he makes a case for reincarnation and past-life … Continue reading The Story of a Life: Past-Life Reading with the Tarot
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 