AUTHOR'S NOTE: Here is a three-deck comparison of the Threes similar to the one I recently posted for the Fives. When applying esoteric number theory to the forty Minor Arcana of the tarot, the number One represents the Point and the four Aces that describe the "prelude" to the action signified by their suit but … Continue reading The Tarot Threes: Sidling, Then Circling
Tarot
“Enough is Enough!” – A Critique
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I've been wearily wading through Joe Monteleone's Tarot Mysticism: The Psycho-Spiritual Technology of the Thoth Tarot. I'm not quite one-third of the way into it but I've run out of patience with his superficially profound verbosity. I mean, I've been accused of being an over-the-top "word guy" myself, but there are big words … Continue reading “Enough is Enough!” – A Critique
Pattern-Recognition and Meaning-Making: Unlikely Twins of An Indifferent Mother
AUTHOR'S NOTE: The above title was adapted from the Dan Fogelberg-Tim Weisberg recording Twin Sons of Different Mothers, but the inspiration for this essay came from Joe Monteleone's Tarot Mysticism: The Psycho-Spiritual Technology of the Thoth Tarot. In his discussion of the second tarot trump (the Magus/Magician/Bateleur), Monteleone observed that this card symbolizes human consciousness … Continue reading Pattern-Recognition and Meaning-Making: Unlikely Twins of An Indifferent Mother
“Happening to the World” – A Trump-and-Pip Card Exercise
AUTHOR'S NOTE:This spread examines the conceptual divide between our private self-image and the public self-projection that signifies - in tarot author Joe Monteleone's memorable phrase - "how we happen to the world." The degree of separation or integration is determined by comparison of two parallel columns of trump and pip cards. In one model of … Continue reading “Happening to the World” – A Trump-and-Pip Card Exercise
What Happened to Nancy? – A Pair of Missing-Person Readings
AUTHOR'S NOTE:I was recently asked by a magazine publisher whether I had already performed a missing-person reading for Nancy Guthrie. That prompted me to catch up to the case with my "Train to Nowhere" exploratory spread, which is a 13x6-card array that employs all 78 cards. I chose the Queen of Wands as the Significator … Continue reading What Happened to Nancy? – A Pair of Missing-Person Readings
The “Detours and Dead-Ends” Mid-Course Correction Spread
AUTHORS NOTE: Not every journey goes smoothly. Mid-course corrections are often necessary to continue making progress toward the destination after running into roadblocks. Some - like potholes in the road - can be "toughed out" and overridden, while other require a more roundabout approach. Here is a spread that follows a developmental arc from beginning … Continue reading The “Detours and Dead-Ends” Mid-Course Correction Spread
Attention-Driven Prediction: When Reason “Bumps” Instinct*
*Bump: To nudge; to prod; to goad; to incite; to spur, to urge; to provoke; to propel; to exhort (as in a persuasive appeal to follow a course of action). AUTHOR'S NOTE: Here is another take-away from my ongoing reading of Joe Monteleone's Tarot Mysticism: The Psycho-Spiritual Technology of the Thoth Tarot. I'm convinced that … Continue reading Attention-Driven Prediction: When Reason “Bumps” Instinct*
The Disruptive Fives: A Bleak But Essential Corrective
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I've written about the tarot Fives a number of times from an esoteric perspective, and also from a pragmatic point-of-view as indicating the need to "break eggs (the stagnant Fours) to make omelettes (the harmonious Sixes)." I've often called them "can-openers" and "nutcrackers." Their disruptive nature comes from their association with the sphere … Continue reading The Disruptive Fives: A Bleak But Essential Corrective
“Where Is Dan?” A Trio of Missing-Person Readings
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Although there is little background information online other than a police-department request for community assistance, Dan Jones (apparently of Alexandria, NH) has been missing since December 1, 2025 in increasingly frigid weather. I performed a horary astrology reading followed by two tarot readings to see what I might learn about his current situation. … Continue reading “Where Is Dan?” A Trio of Missing-Person Readings
Zero = Two/Two = Zero: A Null Outcome Proposition
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Here I'm nibbling around the edges of Aleister Crowley's magickal formula, "0=2," which I've always assumed to be purely Qabalistic, but that I now realize is more analytically rigorous (and just a bit beyond my college-level calculus). Hermetically, I've understood zero (or "nothing") to be represented by the three "Veils of Negativity," but … Continue reading Zero = Two/Two = Zero: A Null Outcome Proposition
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 