AUTHOR'S NOTE: It's been a while since I created a comprehensive relationship spread. Here is one that shows the shared dynamic that can bring two parties together but also drive them apart. It sets up two "personality profiles" for the purpose of comparison, followed by a central pair that describes converging and diverging interests between … Continue reading Dropping the Masks: A Shared-Dynamic Relationship Spread
Tarot
No Man’s Land: Thoughts on the Astral Plane
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I've been reading about the work of Chalcidius, the 4th-Century CE Christian translator and commentator on Plato's Timaeus who, along with his 12th-Century interpreter, French theologian Alain de Lille (Alanus ab Insulis), subscribed to Plato's "Principle of the Triad" in concluding that God does not engage directly with Man, but solely through invisible … Continue reading No Man’s Land: Thoughts on the Astral Plane
Incompatibility of Temperament: Recidivism in the Art of Tarot
AUTHOR'S NOTE: In The Discarded Image, C.S. Lewis observed that, when first formulated, scientific theories are almost entirely conjecture (he used the word "supposal"), perhaps shored up by a few preliminary observations that foster "educated guesses." Later attempts to refine these suppositions amount to either trying to confirm their validity through experimentation (Lewis called it … Continue reading Incompatibility of Temperament: Recidivism in the Art of Tarot
The Twos and the Principle of the Triad
AUTHOR'S NOTE: In yesterday's post I used a quote from Plato's Timaeus that has a bearing on how I interpret the tarot Twos. In any reading involving two parties, there are generally three factions that must be accommodated: the two individuals or collective entities and the relationship between them, which will sometimes take on a … Continue reading The Twos and the Principle of the Triad
Deep Fake: Everything, Something or Nothing?
"Everything is not a subject about which anything of much interest can be said." - C.S. Lewis, in contemplating "a deity really believed in who, by being all things, is almost nothing." AUTHOR"S NOTE: I've been engaged in a stimulating conversation in the online r/tarot community regarding the topic "When we ask a question of … Continue reading Deep Fake: Everything, Something or Nothing?
“Logic Me This, Cardman!”
"Riddle me this, riddle me that" said the Riddler to the Dark Knight. AUTHOR'S NOTE: An online acquaintance recently described the tarot as a logic-based system, adding ". . . if you want to develop intuition, block off the right nostril with beeswax for twelve years and maybe carry a cobra on your head." I'm … Continue reading “Logic Me This, Cardman!”
Redeeming Reversed Cards Through Coping
AUTHOR'S NOTE: In a recent reddit conversation about reversed cards, the OP asked "Can it be said that the aim is to do something that will turn the card upright again? But how does this work for cards such as the Devil rx or the Seven of Cups rx? I'd assume having them rx is … Continue reading Redeeming Reversed Cards Through Coping
Barbarians at the Gate: The Rejection of Traditional Tarot Wisdom
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I'm currently re-rereading The Discarded Image, a fascinating treatise on Medieval society in Great Britain and elsewhere by C.S. Lewis. He talks a good deal about that culture having been strongly influenced by barbarian incursions, in particular mentioning that the vestigial English language owed far more (but in a hidden and now forgotten … Continue reading Barbarians at the Gate: The Rejection of Traditional Tarot Wisdom
A Path Made by Walking
AUTHOR'S NOTE: The Chinese aphorism "A path is made by walking it" that is associated with fourth-century BC Taoist philosopher Zhuangzi is perfect advice for 21st-Century tarot readers. The premise as I'm applying it is that one must learn to crawl before walking; walk before running; and run before attempting to fly, in this way … Continue reading A Path Made by Walking
Dogmatic Entropy in Tarot
AUTHOR'S NOTE: The idea of "dogmatic entropy" as I recently encountered it proposes that entrenched attitudes and beliefs (dogma) can put a metaphorical "Denver boot" (immobilizing entropy) on the imagination and hobble creative thinking. Progress grinds to a halt as we grapple with these irrational limitations and often succumb to them. Perhaps the most egregious … Continue reading Dogmatic Entropy in Tarot
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 