I have now completed my detailed instructional material for the cards of the Major Arcana. In going back over it, I realized just how much of a personal connection I've made with them over the last four decades, and how seriously I've taken Aleister Crowley's advice to heart regarding the best approach to the cards: … Continue reading A Moment’s Reflection
Tarot
Tarot 101, My Way – Major Arcana: Judgement and the World
Although Judgement (the archaic spelling of judgment, as spell-check keeps reminding me) has a biblical origin, showing the Archangel Gabriel summoning souls to their final reckoning with his trumpet, it is fundamentally a card of individual renewal and regeneration. It is the final bend in the road on the Fool's Journey, a "wake-up call" that presents an offer that can't … Continue reading Tarot 101, My Way – Major Arcana: Judgement and the World
Tarot 101, My Way – Major Arcana: The Moon and the Sun
We have now come to what might be termed the Dark Side and the Bright Side of the human experience. The Moon comes first, marking the treacherous path to its opposite pole, the Sun, with signposts of dubious reliability. The Moon does not offer a clear view of anything that comes under its dim rays; its realm … Continue reading Tarot 101, My Way – Major Arcana: The Moon and the Sun
Tarot 101, My Way – Major Arcana: The Tower and the Star
This is the classic "calm after the storm" scenario: the Tower topples the unsteady empire of the Devil and a soothing calm (and new hope) descends upon the ravaged landscape in the presence of the Star. There is nothing benign about the uncompromising Mars energy of the Tower; here is the "necessary" nature of the … Continue reading Tarot 101, My Way – Major Arcana: The Tower and the Star
For Lack of an Anchor . . .
In a recent Facebook dialogue we were talking about the practice of letting the cards in a spread "hijack" the reading, taking the story-line well away from the focus of the original question or topic. The usual scenario is "You asked about that but the cards are saying this, so let's go this way with the reading … Continue reading For Lack of an Anchor . . .
Tarot 101, My Way – Major Arcana: Temperance and the Devil
It could be argued that these cards are in the wrong order. In real-life situations, temptation often comes first and, if the Will is strong enough, abstinence follows as a condition of recovery. This might be a reasonable scenario if Temperance actually referred to redemption through behavioral moderation; but the old verb "to temper" meant to adjust the properties of something in a … Continue reading Tarot 101, My Way – Major Arcana: Temperance and the Devil
The “Evolving Question” Scenario
Since 1972 I've generally followed Eden Gray's advice about not asking my sitters to tell me their specific question or topic of interest in advance of a reading, instead letting the cards speak their piece with no subconscious "preconditioning" due to foreknowledge on my part. Sitters silently invest the cards with their inquiry during the shuffle and cut, and their reactions to my … Continue reading The “Evolving Question” Scenario
Mueller vs. Manafort: End Game
UPDATE: Manafort was convicted on 8 counts but the jury couldn't reach agreement on 10 others so the judge declared a mistrial. This aligns with the impression from the reading that he would be partially exonerated, although the government can still choose to retry him so it could amount to no more than a reprieve. https://www.wmur.com/article/paul-manafort/22739733 With … Continue reading Mueller vs. Manafort: End Game
Tarot 101, My Way – Major Arcana: The Hanged Man and Death
If I were writing pulp fiction, I could not come up with a juicier scenario: sentence has been passed (Justice), the perpetrator has been hung (Hanged Man) and the unfortunate soul has been laid to rest (Death). Of course, we all know that tarot is not Lenormand, and these things never play out so literally. The Hanged … Continue reading Tarot 101, My Way – Major Arcana: The Hanged Man and Death
Tarot 101, My Way – Major Arcana: The Wheel of Fortune and Justice (or Strength)
These cards straddle the midpoint of the 22-card sequence of trumps. In the allegorical tale of the Fool's Journey, that divide represents a new "jumping-off place" into a more complex world. The Wheel of Fortune is commonly held to indicate a major change of some kind, auspicious or ill-fated according to the context of the question; its … Continue reading Tarot 101, My Way – Major Arcana: The Wheel of Fortune and Justice (or Strength)
