AUTHOR'S NOTE: In 1962, Canadian folksinger Bonnie Dobson wrote and recorded Morning Dew, an anti-war song in which the "dew" was nuclear fallout. In this essay, the analogous but hardly-as-lethal condensation is the "midnight dew" shed by the Moon in the Tarot de Marseille card of that name. In 1969, Roger Waters of Pink Floyd … Continue reading “Midnight Dew and Golden Sunflakes”
Tarot
A “Tendency to Exist”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I recently read a fascinating passage at the end of Sallie Nichols' discussion of the World card in Tarot and the Archtypal Journey that compares and contrasts the views of reality held by physicist Erwin Schrodinger and psychologist Carl Gustav Jung. Nichols begins by examining the nature of subatomic particles (circa 1980), noting … Continue reading A “Tendency to Exist”
Scattered Elements
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I just came across a radical departure from the typical "Fool's Journey" motif for the Major Arcana that I find intriguing since it relies on the hierarchy of elements shown in the four "magical implements" of the Magician. This led me to a related topic: whether the cards pulled for a spread can … Continue reading Scattered Elements
Last Waltz: The Universe and Beyond
AUTHOR'S NOTE: The World card of the tarot (aka "the Universe" in the Thoth and other esoteric decks) prompts endless questions from beginners who are not yet versed in its symbolism. Is it in fact a "good" card that portends success for the seeker because it displays a dancing woman who seems serene and utterly … Continue reading Last Waltz: The Universe and Beyond
Rolling Back the Golden Dawn’s Syllabus
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I've known for some time that those who prefer classical decks like the Tarot de Marseille to the esoteric reveries of the post-Occult Revival don't subscribe to the conflation of Hebrew letters and trump cards in general, and particularly not to the model proposed by the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. Rather … Continue reading Rolling Back the Golden Dawn’s Syllabus
What Happened to Ashley? – A “World of Hurt” Missing-Person Follow-up Reading*
*I'm doubling-up on today's posts because this is a time-critical situation that I don't want to get by me. AUTHOR'S NOTE: As promised, here is a follow-up reading that adds detail to the prediction I did on Monday regarding the missing-person case of Ashley Turcotte. This spread is intended to show an individual's mode of … Continue reading What Happened to Ashley? – A “World of Hurt” Missing-Person Follow-up Reading*
“Who’s Got the Button?” – Abusing the Privilege
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I was away from the public tarot scene for an extended period near the end of the last century, and when I returned in the middle of the online reading frenzy I was amazed at how many people won't take "No" for an answer even when the Universe is telling them point-blank "I … Continue reading “Who’s Got the Button?” – Abusing the Privilege
Modern Planets on the Chaldean Zodiac
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Here is another jolt of revisionist heresy. While some occult authorities have attempted to place the three modern planets of astrology, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto, on the Tree of Life, I'm not aware that any have tried to fit them into the Chaldean zodiac (as used by the Hermetic Order of the Golden … Continue reading Modern Planets on the Chaldean Zodiac
What Happened to Ashley? – A Missing Person Reading
AUTHOR'S NOTE: On January 8, 2024, Ashely Turcotte, a 31-year-old artist from Barnstead, NH was reported missing. Her car, backpack and phone were found at the Barnstead Town Hall but there was no sign of her. Although I usually wait for a few days in new missing-person cases because they often work themselves out promptly, … Continue reading What Happened to Ashley? – A Missing Person Reading
Rethinking the Chaldean Court
AUTHOR'S NOTE: During a recent online conversation, a question was raised about the reasons for the Golden Dawn's arrangement of the court cards on the Chaldean zodiac. I had a plausible answer for the Princesses: basically there was no place else to put them in the grand scheme, so the GD came up with a … Continue reading Rethinking the Chaldean Court
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 