The so-called "Cypher Manuscripts" that formed the foundation of the graduated curriculum of esoteric studies established by the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn have a fascinating history (or pseudo-history, depending on whom you believe) in their own right, They consist of 60 folios hand-written in English (and in the case of the diagrams, crudely … Continue reading Cypher This!
Tarot
The Legacy of the Golden Dawn
As I prepare to do a presentation at a regional tarot meeting tomorrow on the history of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, I've been organizing my thoughts on exactly what that organization has meant to the modern esoteric tarot. Obviously, much of the foundation comes from the system of correspondences created by Samuel … Continue reading The Legacy of the Golden Dawn
The Long Result of Time
Bear with me here, soon enough you'll see my quirky connection between Tennyson's poetry and the professional practice of tarot divination. Back in 1965, British science fiction author John Brunner wrote a novel dubbed The Long Result. He lifted the title from a couplet in Tennyson's long lyrical poem, Locksley Hall, which - even though … Continue reading The Long Result of Time
Reversals? Why Not?
I'm constantly encountering people who say "That deck has non-reversible backs. You can't do reversals with it." and "That's a Golden-Dawn-based deck, they didn't use reversals so you can't either." My unspoken response is "So? Rules were made to be broken." Another favorite excuse for not learning to use reversals effectively is "I don't need … Continue reading Reversals? Why Not?
The Point of No Return
I did a reading for a woman yesterday who was wondering about the advisability of trying to reconnect with a former friend. The friendship failed under unhappy circumstances almost six months ago and they hadn't seen each other until a chance meeting at a local supermarket, a cordial but very brief encounter that opened no … Continue reading The Point of No Return
WYSIWYG or “WYSINWYG?”
Back in the '80s, computer geeks were always talking about programming code that let a developer (and eventually a user) see the end product of their work on the monitor screen while they were in the middle of creating it. These editors were known by the acronym "WYSIWYG" ("What you see is what you get"), … Continue reading WYSIWYG or “WYSINWYG?”
The “Great Make-over” Personal Tune-up Spread
Many tarot enthusiasts shy away from divination of the "fortune-telling" sort and instead use the cards for augmenting their personal sense of mental, emotional, physical and spiritual well-being. Most of the spreads I've seen for this are usually light on detail, typically no more than five cards. Here I'm offering a more complex spread for … Continue reading The “Great Make-over” Personal Tune-up Spread
Company in the Cross-hairs: A SWOT Road-map
The subject of "SWOT" analysis (Strengths/Weaknesses/Opportunities/Threats) comes up fairly often on the tarot forums, usually in the context of personal circumstances rather than the corporate affairs for which it was originally intended. I can see the appeal, but I think it's a bit mechanistic for that purpose and have created many SWOT alternative spreads that … Continue reading Company in the Cross-hairs: A SWOT Road-map
Win, Lose or Punt?
To punt (Informal): To cease doing something; give up. ("Let's punt on this and try something else.") Predicting the scores for opposing teams in sporting events is a fascinating minor sidelight to our more ponderous cartomantic excursions, and - at least in my experience - one that seldom yields accurate results. I've come to believe … Continue reading Win, Lose or Punt?
The “Powers” of the Court Cards
In The Complete Golden Dawn System of Magic, Israel Reagrdie published a version of the "tarot papers" of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, collectively titled Liber T, that has additional content - some inserted by Regardie, apparently from the Whare Ra Temple documents, some written by his publisher Christopher Hyatt, and some generated … Continue reading The “Powers” of the Court Cards
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 