UPDATE: It has been reported that Celia was found "safe in New York." There was no detail regarding where she was found, how she got there or whether she was aided in any way. This has the earmarks of an "assisted runaway" scenario, but we will probably never know. Case closed for now. Fifteen-year-old Celia … Continue reading Where Is Celia? – A Missing-Person Reading
Tarot
Psychoactive Tarot
Every once in a while on the tarot forums, someone asks whether it's helpful (or even wise) to attempt reading the cards while under the influence of psychoactive "substances," whether drugs or alcohol. The thrust of the question usually revolves around the perceived loosening of cognitive strictures that may create a more fluid intuitive climate … Continue reading Psychoactive Tarot
Journals, Good Intentions and the Road to Hell
The aphorism I'm referring to in the title is "The road to Hell is paved with good intentions," to which, in the present context, I would append ". . . and littered with musty old tarot journals." It's a given that modern writers on "how to learn the tarot" will unanimously recommend that new students … Continue reading Journals, Good Intentions and the Road to Hell
The Pentagram of Air Spread
This is the last of my "Invoking Pentagram" spreads. It begins with an emotional urge to clarify one's thinking on a subject of interest (Water); crystallizes that impulse into workable ideas (Air); acts creatively on those thought-forms (Fire); addresses the ethical and moral implications of such actions (Spirit); and experiences the practical outfall of the … Continue reading The Pentagram of Air Spread
The Pentagram of Water Spread
The third iteration in my series of "Invoking Pentagram" spreads is focused on interpersonal relationships of all kinds: building, maintaining and repairing them. It begins with the "ideal" of harmonious communion (the Air position), moves toward emotional fulfillment (Water), and plays out in pragmatic (Earth), moral (Spirit) and self-actualizing ways (Fire). It is intended to … Continue reading The Pentagram of Water Spread
The Pentagram of Fire Spread
Here is the second product of my exploration of the Golden Dawn's Invoking Pentagrams as a source of insight from an elemental perspective. The goal of this one is to examine the developmental potential arising from one's enterprise and initiative, whether in starting a business, finding a new job or embarking on any creative endeavor. … Continue reading The Pentagram of Fire Spread
Elemental Pentagram Spreads
The 5-card Pentagram Spread is a time-honored layout that is almost as prevalent as the line spread. But I have always felt that something is lacking in its construction, principally in the sequencing of the cards as commonly practiced. Many readers start with Card #1 at the upper point of the diagram, others work from … Continue reading Elemental Pentagram Spreads
More Thoth Musings
Since there is some interest in my view of the Thoth as an alkahest, or "universal solvent" in the world of tarot divination, I thought I would strike while the iron is hot. The best place to chase down this notion is with Frieda Harris's wonderfully evocative Minor Arcana (aka "pip") cards, and one of … Continue reading More Thoth Musings
Thoth As Universal Solvent
I'm feeling a bit mystical this morning and got thinking that, with enough dedicated study and contemplation, Aleister Crowley's Thoth Tarot is well-positioned to be "all things to all people" in the world of tarot divination. It has one foot in the New Age (and often strides nimbly past that metaphysical sink-hole, which is why … Continue reading Thoth As Universal Solvent
Gilding the Weed
I'm often amused by the earnest claims of professional diviners who trumpet how "accurate" they are, as if being "right" surpasses being "helpful" in their interaction with their clientele. Since I have yet to see a workable empirical model that everyone can agree on for measuring the accuracy of our readings, much less practice in … Continue reading Gilding the Weed
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 