The Minor Arcana, or "pip" cards, of the RWS deck are by far the most diverse population from a directional standpoint, since there are more cards that I would classify as "ambiguous." This includes cards with posture/gaze misalignment and cards with multiple figures that give no clear sense of facing or "visual flow." There are … Continue reading A Study in Facing, Part 3: Pip Cards
Tarot
A Study in Facing, Part 2: Trump Cards
I separated the Major Arcana cards of the RWS deck into three subgroups: those cards that have either a pronounced or insinuated "lean" to the left (the past), those that are gazing or aligned straight out of the card, facing the observer (the present), and those that favor the right side (the future). The key … Continue reading A Study in Facing, Part 2: Trump Cards
A Study in Facing, Part 1: Court Cards
Facing or directionality in the cards of the tarot has always intrigued those who use the cards for divination. One convention that takes advantage of this phenomenon is the assumption that the cards to the left in a line reading represent the past, the focus card in the center shows the present, and the cards … Continue reading A Study in Facing, Part 1: Court Cards
Consider the Source
Much of what I post here originates with my conversations on a couple of the more active tarot forums. Following the demise of Aeclectic Tarot after 17 years (thank you, Kate; I'm reminded of the Douglas Adams book title "So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish"), the community splintered and fetched up in a … Continue reading Consider the Source
A Simple Question-and-Answer Spread
Those of us who create a lot of spreads sometimes get so caught up in the game that we neglect the simple stuff. This spread is a substitute for the three-card and five-card line that puts a different spin on the reading: not so much "past/present/future" as countervailing influences that will push the answer one … Continue reading A Simple Question-and-Answer Spread
2004 Cold Case: Where Is Maura?
Update: There may be new evidence in this case suggesting she was kept in a basement near the crash scene. Here is a recent news article. https://www.wmur.com/article/maura-murray-family-woodsville-disappearance/26241858 Original Post: In 2004 a young Massachusetts woman crashed her car in New Hampshire and disappeared. She had a run-in with the law shortly before her disappearance but … Continue reading 2004 Cold Case: Where Is Maura?
The Pips and the 10 Points of Light
As many of you know, the 78 cards of the tarot were assigned to the 32 paths on the qabalistic Tree of Life by the esoteric thinkers of the 19th Century, beginning in earnest with Eliphas Levi and culminating with the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn and several of its alumni at the end … Continue reading The Pips and the 10 Points of Light
Court Card Thumbnails: The Page/Princess of Cups
The Minor Arcana: The Page/Princess of Cups Titles: Earth of Water; The Princess of the Waters; the Lotus of the Palace of the Floods Astrological Correspondence: The southwest quadrant of the zodiac, comprising the signs of Libra, Scorpio and Sagittarius. Commentary: Golden Dawn “Liber T” (S.L. Mathers): "Sweetness, poetry, gentleness and kindness. Imaginative, dreamy at … Continue reading Court Card Thumbnails: The Page/Princess of Cups
Winds of Change
Question: When does Death mean physical demise? Answer: Almost never. With this card, conventional wisdom informs us that an important change is "in the wind" - or if you prefer $2 words to the 50⊄ variety - a "major transformation" is coming (although not necessarily a traumatic one; look to the Tower for that). This … Continue reading Winds of Change
“Got Love If You Want It,” or Love In Its Cups
It's likely that the song of the title (written by bluesman Slim Harpo and recorded by several '60s rockers) was talking more about the tumescent love of Crowley's Ace of Disks ("It'll last all the while") than the sweet emotion of the RWS 2 of Cups. But with the "season of love" - or at … Continue reading “Got Love If You Want It,” or Love In Its Cups
