AUTHOR'S NOTE: I've written about the tarot Fives a number of times from an esoteric perspective, and also from a pragmatic point-of-view as indicating the need to "break eggs (the stagnant Fours) to make omelettes (the harmonious Sixes)." I've often called them "can-openers" and "nutcrackers." Their disruptive nature comes from their association with the sphere … Continue reading The Disruptive Fives: A Bleak But Essential Corrective
waite-smith-tarot
The Six of Cups: “Pleasure Promised” (b/w “Pleasure Denied”)
AUTHOR'S NOTE: For those unfamiliar with archaic music-industry jargon, "b/w" ("backed with") referred to the frequently inferior song on the reverse side of a 45-rpm record that stood in stark contrast to the "hit" on the front side. In this instance it is being applied to the reversed orientation of the card in question. Thoth … Continue reading The Six of Cups: “Pleasure Promised” (b/w “Pleasure Denied”)
The 10 of Wands: Oppression as the Wages of Negligence
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I once wrote that, with his nose buried in his bundle of sticks, the man in the Waite-Smith 10 of Wands could just as easily walk off a cliff as reach the village shown in the distance. From a practical divination perspective, he has too much on his plate and doesn't know where, … Continue reading The 10 of Wands: Oppression as the Wages of Negligence
The 9 of Swords: Despair Is There But Where’s The Cruelty?
AUTHOR'S NOTE: In my opinion, neither the Thoth nor the Waite-Smith 9 of Swords does justice to the Golden Dawn's title of "Lord of Despair and Cruelty." While both capture the essence of despair, the overall effect looks more like "Despair after Cruelty" than an equal distribution of the two: the former describes a condition … Continue reading The 9 of Swords: Despair Is There But Where’s The Cruelty?
Honoring the Cards in Theory and Practice
AUTHOR'S NOTE: As part of the "homework" assigned to readers of his book, Tarot Architect, Lon Milo DuQuette advises them to "kiss" each of the cards as a curious but charming ritual blessing before laying it on the table. This is just a little too "precious" for my own intellectual sensibilities so I won't do … Continue reading Honoring the Cards in Theory and Practice
The Sixes: Pathways of Progress
AUTHOR'S NOTE: In Dawn Jackson's "Hedgewytchery" system of playing-card divination, one general keyword for the number Six is "paths," which ideally means "a way forward" and not merely the avoidance of stagnation by retracing one's steps or traveling in circles. But this progressive advancement should really be considered in light of the following sequence of … Continue reading The Sixes: Pathways of Progress
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 