Although this has been a recurring minor theme in many of my previous posts, I thought I would expand on it a bit. In a lengthy thread on the Cartomancy Forum titled "Is There Such a Thing as Bad Cards?" author Andy Boroveshengra (of Lenormand fame but equally accomplished in tarot and traditional astrology) made … Continue reading Context Is King
Tarot
Paper Tiger
Those of us who post regularly (critics might say interminably) in online blogs run the risk of self-parody, becoming mere "cardboard cut-outs" of our formerly ferocious literary personae. Conventional wisdom asserts that a blogger must publish frequently to maintain an interested and engaged following, but this can sometimes mean unintentionally plowing (or, if you're British, … Continue reading Paper Tiger
Where There’s Smoke . . .
One objection that some tarot readers have to so-called "positional" spreads - those that typically bear a fixed positive or negative meaning for each card position in the layout - is that they can create an uncomfortable setting where a nominally good" card must be interpreted in a "bad" way according to its position and vice versa. The Celtic Cross is a perfect … Continue reading Where There’s Smoke . . .
“Two-Out-of-Three” Spread Tutorial Layouts
A Facebook conversation led to the recognition that it would be a good idea to post some example pictures of how the various card chains would play out. I posed a hypothetical question: "How will this business initiative work out?" and selected the 3 of Wands from the Albano-Waite deck (Deck #1) as my Significator. Since … Continue reading “Two-Out-of-Three” Spread Tutorial Layouts
Craft, Career or Calling?
I sometimes wonder how many people actually make a living wage in the field of divination, much less a handsome income. There are notable exceptions, of course, mostly respected authors, teachers, lecturers, artists, publishers and the occasional shop owner (although those are rapidly disappearing or diversifying in the face of crushing online sales). But I would venture to … Continue reading Craft, Career or Calling?
The “Two Out of Three” Decision-Making Spread
I've always found the typical three-card draw to be rather uninspiring. My long-held opinion is that the reader has to inject entirely too much intuitive guesswork into the gaps between the cards to make a compelling narrative out of the sequence. A five-position spread is the minimum I prefer to work with in order to "just read … Continue reading The “Two Out of Three” Decision-Making Spread
The “Mystic Chalice” Trump Card Layout
I sometimes amuse myself by creating study tools for analyzing the interrelationship between the cards of the tarot, both in two dimensions and stacked in a three-dimensional overlay. This one uses an imaginative arrangement of the trump cards as its basis. I call it the "Mystic Chalice," but have to admit it does look a … Continue reading The “Mystic Chalice” Trump Card Layout
Esoteric Twaddle? Yes, Please
Those new to the tarot, and especially those who are younger (but then almost everyone involved is younger than me these days) rejoice when told by their mentors that they don't have to learn all of that arcane stuff in tarot books, just "go with what you feel" and ignore any methodical, structured approach to the cards. To … Continue reading Esoteric Twaddle? Yes, Please
National Football Conference Championship: Saints vs. Rams
Update: The NFC championship game is over and the Rams won. The two things about this reading that were accurate were that the decision did come down to the final seconds, and the Rams did reassert themselves at the 11th hour by forcing a sudden-death overtime. Interestingly, my prediction for the Chiefs-Patriots game hints that … Continue reading National Football Conference Championship: Saints vs. Rams
American Football Conference Championship: Chiefs vs. Patriots
Update: Well, now, as sportscaster Howard Cosell used to say in his trademark nasal whine, "How about that!" It turns out that Death reversed did in fact signify a sudden-death overtime, and the Chief's Hierophant reversed did mean they "didn't have a prayer." My scoring projection was on the low side but the overall complexion … Continue reading American Football Conference Championship: Chiefs vs. Patriots
