I've been slowly and patiently working my way through Alejandro Jodorowsky's Tarot de Marseille book, The Way of Tarot (a full analysis of which will have to wait for another time, assuming I get to the end of it). I came to it prepared to be disappointed, convinced by previous reviews that it veers too … Continue reading Jodo’s Hermit: Walk this Way
TdM
The CBD Tarot de Marseille Deck Interview
Unfortunately, I missed my chance to pick up the self-published edition of Yoav Ben-Dov's brilliant Conver-based Tarot de Marseille while he was still alive. Fortunately, US Games has apparently acquired the license and has just released an admirable version of the CBD tarot at a reasonable price. I performed my "Personality Profile" deck interview spread … Continue reading The CBD Tarot de Marseille Deck Interview
The Thoth Minor Arcana
I've worked with the Aleister Crowley/Frieda Harris Thoth deck since 1972 and have been consistently impressed by how evocative the Minor Arcana are, mainly through their use of color and mood along with Crowley's Golden-Dawn-derived titles and brief explanations in The Book of Thoth. I never felt any need for scenic illustrations and their encapsulated … Continue reading The Thoth Minor Arcana
Maxwell and Cirlot: Numbers Don’t Lie
I've been working with the numerological ideas of Joseph Maxwell and the geometric graphics of J.E. Cirlot to come up with a new model for interpreting the Tarot de Marseille pip cards. This involves Maxwell's isomorphs of the first four numbers, and Cirlot's metaphysical interpretations of the point, line, cross, triangle, square and circle. I've … Continue reading Maxwell and Cirlot: Numbers Don’t Lie
Do the Pips Roar or Squeak?
That's more than an amusing rhetorical question. One of the most daunting challenges facing those who would divine with historical decks like the Tarot de Mareille (TdM) is how to coax useful meaning from their sparely illustrated, non-scenic minor - or "pip" - cards. There is no body of traditional literature explaining how the stereotypical … Continue reading Do the Pips Roar or Squeak?
Fortitude and the TdM Master Layout
Before anyone flees for the exit, this 78-card extravaganza is NOT a spread for divination, it's a systematic way to assign interpretive meaning to the suit cards of the Tarot de Marseille (TdM) by “borrowing” it from the “trump” cards of the same number (up to a point). Finding meaning in the numbered small (or … Continue reading Fortitude and the TdM Master Layout
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 