AUTHOR'S NOTE: "It's an ill wind that blows no good" is an old proverb that can be interpreted in one of two ways. The pessimist would say "It is indeed an ill wind because it blows no good," while the optimist would observe more provisionally "It would be an ill wind indeed if it were … Continue reading The Suit of Swords: An Ill Wind
Tarot
NFL Football: Patriots at Bengals, 11/23/25
UPDATE: Another winner, but the Patriots were sweating it all the way to the end! Looks like Joe Flacco was able to move the ball as I assumed he would. AUTHOR'S NOTE: For those of my readers who have no interest in probabilistic forecasting, this will be the last post on the subject until the … Continue reading NFL Football: Patriots at Bengals, 11/23/25
NFL Football: New York Jets at Baltimore Ravens, 11/23/25
UPDATE: This one turned out to be a winner! AUTHOR'S NOTE: Let's try this again with a modified spread. I fixed a conceptual flaw in the design to better align the offense and defense factors between the two teams; in the last reading everything I said about the superiority of the Bills' defense should have … Continue reading NFL Football: New York Jets at Baltimore Ravens, 11/23/25
The 9 of Pentacles As “Self-Indulgence”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Here is another essay in my informal series of "stretch" definitions (as in "Wow, that's a stretch!") that brings a fresh set of eyes to cards I've already examined. This time, as an outgrowth of my ongoing interaction with the online tarot community, I'm presenting the 9 of Pentacles (Thoth Disks), which is … Continue reading The 9 of Pentacles As “Self-Indulgence”
Tendencies, Trends and Probabilities: Three Modes of Realization in Tarot Prediction
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Before I dive into my subject, I should mention that I no longer use tarot for the purpose of psychological self-awareness and self-development after doing so for the better part of four decades. I decided beginning in 2011 that natal astrology (which I've also done since 1972) is a far better tool for … Continue reading Tendencies, Trends and Probabilities: Three Modes of Realization in Tarot Prediction
Thursday Night Football: Houston Texans vs. Buffalo Bills, 11/20/25
UPDATE: Looks like I had the defensive advantage on the wrong side; I over-complicated what should have been a head-to-head comparison and missed the mark. This spread needed some work to sort out the offense/defense pairing. In practice, the original spread did not lend itself to a clean judgment regarding the forces at work, so … Continue reading Thursday Night Football: Houston Texans vs. Buffalo Bills, 11/20/25
The 3 of Swords: Another Person’s Pain
AUTHOR'S NOTE: As an esoteric tarot-reader, my aim is to get "under the skin" of the imagery on any card to see if there is more substance hiding beneath the surface of popular opinion. This is nowhere more appropriate than with the Waite-Smith 3 of Swords and its interpretation (I would say misapprehension) as emotional … Continue reading The 3 of Swords: Another Person’s Pain
A Skeptic’s View of Mystical Pretenders
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I was recently accused by someone in the online tarot community of being an elitist gatekeeper when I voiced my doubts about the mystical drivel that too often passes for professional guidance in the social-media marketplace. I'm too thick-skinned to feel the urge to wage war against those who take it upon themselves … Continue reading A Skeptic’s View of Mystical Pretenders
“Opportunity Presented” – A Multi-Path Decision Making Spread
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Upon reading Benebell Wen's observation in Holistic Tarot that each of the Aces symbolizes "an opportunity presented" (but not yet acted upon), I realized that this concept could be put to use in a decision-making spread with three distinct outcome chains depending on how the opportunity is handled. Card backs are from the … Continue reading “Opportunity Presented” – A Multi-Path Decision Making Spread
Point/Counterpoint: The Interplay of Cards in a Reading
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Whenever the meaning of the "outcome" card in an online spread analysis is unclear, I expect to encounter advice from the community to "look at the rest of the cards in the reading for the answer." This is wise counsel since no single card operates in a vacuum when accompanied by one or … Continue reading Point/Counterpoint: The Interplay of Cards in a Reading
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 