AUTHOR'S NOTE: My long-standing practice has been to allow the population of upright and reversed cards in my decks to become cumulative over time since I never put them back into "out-of-the-box" order. Prior to use I do a quick randomizing so some of the cards will obviously change from one state to the other, … Continue reading Reversing Cards at the Point-of-Placement
Tarot
Strength Reversed: Not This Time
The lion this time againHe's in the circus in a cageHe's trying to break out of the frameThe lion this timeHe hears that same old sad refrainBut they can't hold him with no chainAnd they just can't denounce his claimThe lion again- from The Lion This Time by Van Morrison AUTHOR'S NOTE: Morrison seems to … Continue reading Strength Reversed: Not This Time
The Emperor and Jus Ad Bellum: Moral Rectitude or Just a Shot of Arrogance?
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I just came across a term I had never seen before, in this case regarding the Emperor card of the tarot. Jus ad bellum means being justified in one's reasons for taking on a fight. (It sounds like "the ends justify the means" to me.) It is usually applied when presenting an argument … Continue reading The Emperor and Jus Ad Bellum: Moral Rectitude or Just a Shot of Arrogance?
Affinity or Dignity? – Elemental Compatibility in Tarot Reading
AUTHOR'S NOTE: In its Liber T tarot curriculum, the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn presented elaborate and prescriptive rules for the analysis of elemental associations between cards of different suits in a tarot reading, an interpretive technique known as "Elemental Dignity." The classical premise was that Fire and Air are "friendly" to one another, … Continue reading Affinity or Dignity? – Elemental Compatibility in Tarot Reading
Death Reversed: Resetting the Agenda
AUTHOR'S NOTE: When upright, the Death card of the tarot is usually understood to mean that something of great importance to the querent will come to an end to make way for something new. It echoes the Coffin, one of the "stop" cards in Lenormand reading, that always indicates a terminal event after which a … Continue reading Death Reversed: Resetting the Agenda
The 7 of Swords: Avoidance or Self-Sabotage?
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Many tarot readers find malice or deception in the Waite-Smith 7 of Swords, but I see mainly avoidance. The notions of an underhanded plan and potential theft almost certainly stem from the man's sly expression, his furtive body language and the fact that he has been "caught in the act" with an armful … Continue reading The 7 of Swords: Avoidance or Self-Sabotage?
“Boadicea’s Tarot of Earthly Delights” Personality Profile
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Here I'm applying my "Tell Me No Lies" Personality Profile spread to the recently-purchased tarot deck shown above. (This is my version of the "new-deck interview.") This spread is designed to explore the quasi-psychological profile of a deck in twelve cards, conveying its immediate impact on the viewer ("first impressions") along with its … Continue reading “Boadicea’s Tarot of Earthly Delights” Personality Profile
Tattoo You (Or Rather, Me)
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I borrowed the Rolling Stones' album title for dramatic effect, but this post has nothing to do with it. I've wanted a piece of my tattooist daughter's body art for several years, but until recently she was living and working in Wilmington, North Carolina and our occasional visits didn't present an opportunity to … Continue reading Tattoo You (Or Rather, Me)
Zodiacal Segmenting of the Court Cards
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I've written about this subject before, but I've just been reading T. Susan Chang's very precise description of it in her book, Tarot Correspondences: Ancient Secrets for Everyday Readers, that brought me back to my own assumptions. In the Golden Dawn's Chaldean model of zodiacal associations for the tarot, all of the court … Continue reading Zodiacal Segmenting of the Court Cards
Action-and-Event-Oriented Tarot Reading
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I'm currently working my way through the court-card section of Benebell Wen's Holistic Tarot, and one of her observations struck an agreeable chord: the presence of these cards in a spread signifies human activity, and the more of them there are, the higher the energy level will be. In other words, court cards … Continue reading Action-and-Event-Oriented Tarot Reading
