"Before I built a wall I’d ask to knowWhat I was walling in or walling out"- from Mending Wall by Robert Frost AUTHOR'S NOTE: I've written about Frost's poem in relation to tarot reading in the past, focusing on the idea that "good fences make good neighbors" even though Frost didn't believe it himself. At … Continue reading The Thing About Fences (or “If You Can’t Trust Your Mother, Who Can You Trust?”)
Tarot
Here’s the Woof, Where’s the Warp?
"Both consciousness and matter exist, but neither arises from the other. They are separate, primitive "substances," like the warp and woof of the fabric of reality,"- from Real Magic by Dean Radin, published in 2018. AUTHOR'S NOTE: Wow! Just wow. I encountered Dean Radin's book just over a month ago in an r/occult sub-reddit thread, … Continue reading Here’s the Woof, Where’s the Warp?
The Major Arcana as “Dining Experience”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: In 2022 I satirized Douglas Adams' already-satirical novel, The Restaurant at the End of the Universe (see the link below), in which a talking cow (aptly named "Dish of the Day") offers up choice cuts of itself to discerning diners, carved from its living flesh "on the hoof" as it were. My own … Continue reading The Major Arcana as “Dining Experience”
“Predisposition” in Tarot Reading
"Now, what if - as magical lore suggests - intention bypasses the ordinary flow of time, manifesting the goal in the future and thereby causing events unfolding in the present to be pulled toward that goal? This (referring to one of his experiments) suggests that some intentional effects may involve processes that - from a … Continue reading “Predisposition” in Tarot Reading
Is “Might” Safer Than “Must?” – Thoughts on Risky Predictions
". . . does precognition perceive the actual future, the one that must occur, or does it perceive a probable future, a future that might occur? And how can we tell which is a better explanation?"- from Real Magic by Dean Radin AUTHOR'S NOTE: When I read the cards for another person, I typically avoid … Continue reading Is “Might” Safer Than “Must?” – Thoughts on Risky Predictions
The Art of the Draw: Card-Pulling Strategies
AUTHOR'S NOTE: The originator of a recent r/SecularTarot sub-reddit thread asked about the best way to pull cards: "Should I shuffle until I'm satisfied, let the cards 'come to me,' pick however I want, or another approach?" Here is my answer: As a convenient way to add structure to any pull, I normally use positional … Continue reading The Art of the Draw: Card-Pulling Strategies
The Problem of Replication in Tarot Reading
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I'm not a scientist by education or profession, but my understanding of the cardinal rule for any scientific experiment is that, to be accepted as legitimate, the conclusions must be reproducible (i.e. "replicable") with a high degree of confidence via later independent trials, ideally at an unaffiliated laboratory. I'm also not an occult … Continue reading The Problem of Replication in Tarot Reading
Programmed to Receive: Psychism and “Blind Faith”
"Relax," said the night man. "We are programmed to receive."- from Hotel California by The Eagles AUTHOR'S NOTE: In Real Magic, his fascinating and - for this metaphysical maverick - highly influential 2018 book, parapsychologist Dean Radin mentions that in common discourse the tenets of psionics (including psychism) are subsumed under the neologism psi (pronounced … Continue reading Programmed to Receive: Psychism and “Blind Faith”
Logic and Imagination: The Twin Pillars of Secular Tarot Reading
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I just rejoined the r/SecularTarot sub-reddit feed, and another member asked how the secular diviner reads the cards without mystical input. Lately I've been thinking of myself more as a "rational" reader than a "spiritual" or "psychological" one, so in answer to this request I decided to summarize where I've landed since I … Continue reading Logic and Imagination: The Twin Pillars of Secular Tarot Reading
The Anecdotal Angle in Divination
AUTHOR'S NOTE: The reliability of highly speculative forms of divination like cartomancy is an open question that is normally approached from an anecdotal angle. Did the querent experience the outcome exactly as described in the forecast? A more empirical viewpoint would seek to quantify the results based on more than just subjective perception, perhaps along … Continue reading The Anecdotal Angle in Divination
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 