The Minor Arcana: The King/Knight of Swords Titles: Fire of Air; The Lord of the Winds and the Breezes; the King of the Spirits of Air Astrological Correspondence: 21° of Taurus to 20° of Gemini Commentary: Golden Dawn “Liber T” (S.L. Mathers): “Active, clever, subtle, fierce, delicate, courageous, skillful, but inclined to domineer. Also to … Continue reading Court Card Thumbnails – The King/Knight of Swords
Tarot
The River Was Dry
Country singer Hank Williams once wrote a country blues song called "Long Gone Lonesome Blues" that contained the verse: "And then I jumped in the river, but the doggone river was dry." Funny thing about trying to read for oneself on a daily basis, especially after doing it for years on end. Eventually it can … Continue reading The River Was Dry
The Art of the Draw
There is a old phrase used in card-playing circles that has made its way into general usage as an expression of the fickleness of life: "the luck of the draw." It's a philosophical bookend to the related sentiment "Play the hand you're dealt." There is a fated quality to both that doesn't sit well with … Continue reading The Art of the Draw
The Book of Thoth – An Appreciation
One doesn't really review Aleister Crowley's Book of Thoth (BoT), his exquisitely (and often excruciatingly) erudite companion volume to the magnificent deck of tarot cards he and Freida Harris bestowed upon the world. One stands back at a safe distance, squints sagely at it, maybe scratches one's addled pate, and tries to think of something … Continue reading The Book of Thoth – An Appreciation
The Suit of Swords as “Opportunity” – 6 of Swords
Radiant Rider-Waite-Smith, © U.S. Games Systems, Inc. The RWS 6 of Swords is the last of the Swords pip cards that I consider ambivalent in their expression of opportunity. The rest of the suit - Ace, Two and Four - are essentially neutral in that regard, and the Six nudges the dial close to dead-center … Continue reading The Suit of Swords as “Opportunity” – 6 of Swords
The Suit of Swords as “Opportunity” – 5 of Swords
Radiant Rider-Waite-Smith, © U.S. Games Systems, Inc. The 5 of Swords is another RWS card in which Smith's image sends a mixed message that has caused a good deal of head-scratching. The man in the foreground appears to be victorious over his retreating adversaries (and even sports a small, self-satisfied smile), but the Golden Dawn … Continue reading The Suit of Swords as “Opportunity” – 5 of Swords
The Suit of Swords as “Opportunity” – 7 of Swords
Radiant Rider-Waite-Smith, © U.S. Games Systems, Inc. It's hard to tell just what this card is promising. Waite himself says "The design is uncertain in its import, because the significations are widely at variance with each other." Does it mean a chance to get away with something, like a "thief in the night?" A conflicted … Continue reading The Suit of Swords as “Opportunity” – 7 of Swords
The Suit of Swords as “Opportunity” – 10 of Swords
Radiant Rider-Waite-Smith, © U.S. Games Systems, Inc. This is the "scorched earth" card of the RWS deck - even more so than the Tower, which flattens the structure but doesn't necessarily raze it to its foundation and then poison the surrounding soil. The 10 of Swords gets personal, right down to the particulars. Here, there … Continue reading The Suit of Swords as “Opportunity” – 10 of Swords
Joe and Jill: A “Moral Dilemma” Example Reading
All images © U.S. Games Systems, Inc, Stamford, CT and Lo Scarabeo, Torino, Italy This is a hypothetical reading addressing a common real-world scenario that I worked up to demonstrate my "Moral Dilemma" spread. The principals in this reading are entirely fictional. I used the Night Sun Tarot to populate the "Left-Hand Path" (or "dark" … Continue reading Joe and Jill: A “Moral Dilemma” Example Reading
The Suit of Swords as “Opportunity” – 9 of Swords
Radiant Rider-Waite-Smith, © U.S. Games Systems, Inc. Now things start to go downhill fast in the morose-looking 9 of Swords! By all accounts, Nine is a positive number; the Third Perfection of the Greeks, the fulfillment of the element of a suit (with the Ten as a fading postscript), the number representing return to balance … Continue reading The Suit of Swords as “Opportunity” – 9 of Swords
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 