A New Pursuit for the New Year

After several years of wanting one, I finally got this 150mm crystal ball. It's natural quartz that has been "reconstituted;" they grind quartz crystal into a fine powder and then fuse it using heat and pressure to create a clear sphere. Here I show it with a few of its "country cousins" and the "grandfather …

Wish List for 2018

I've slowed down considerably in buying new tarot and oracle decks over the last couple of years. It's not that I don't lust after the latest-and-greatest releases touted by people I trust on the cartomancy forums, it's just that - short of superlative artwork or a magnificent companion book - there just isn't much to …

You, Me or the Universe?

One of my favorite on-line debates involves what to do with the court cards.  The traditional approach is to consider them as other people involved in, or with an interest in, the querent's situation. It even went so far as attempting to describe the physical appearance of the person in question. But with the rise …

A 2018 Grand Tableau for the USA

With one year of the Trump presidency behind us, I thought it would be useful to do another Grand Tableau to forecast the next 12 months for both the man and the nation. I selected the Gentleman (no sarcasm intended) as the President and the Lady as the American public. All images copyright U.S. Games …

“Is It Butter or . . .”

Some of you old-timers will remember the Parkay Margarine commercials from the 1970s where the Parkay box kept denying its oily origins by blurting "Butter!" Something similar has been happening in the world of Lenormand reading since the New Age tarot crowd got hold of it, and it has been the cause of recurring "flame …

The Eternal Question

Those who spend time on the tarot forums know that the most frequently asked questions in the reading exchanges, hands down, have to do with romance. Usually it's some variation of "What does X think or feel about me?" disguising the real question: "Does X love me?" But sometimes it gets more to-the-point and visceral. …

Republicans and Democrats: “Ne’er the Twain Shall Meet?”

I used my "Wheel of Opportunity" relationship spread to ask whether the Republican and Democratic political parties in the United States will ever agree on a common agenda that serves the best interests of the American people. The short answer is "No," but the details are very interesting. In this reading, the "Individual #1 spoke" …

The “Wheel of Opportunity” Relationship Spread

I have always been fascinated by the idea that a relationship between two people (or two of "anything") is really a three way proposition; it involves the two parties to the situation and the relationship itself, which can become "bigger than both of them" and require dedicated care and feeding by both participants to avoid …

The Time of the Season

Every year on the Winter Solstice I perform my "Wheel of the Year" spread for the coming year. This a 17-card layout with one trump card for the annual focus, 4 trump cards for the four quarters, and 12 minor cards (including courts) for the twelve months, moving clockwise from the Solstice. I use the …

Cutting-Edge Cartomancy

The Cartomancer is a glossy, elegant, high-quality and high-caliber quarterly international journal for the card-reading enthusiast, mainly focusing on Tarot, Lenormand and Oracle deck study and practice. After a distinguished turn at the helm by Jadzia deForest, the publication has now been purchased and is being published by Arwen Lynch-Poe. This is Arwen's inaugural effort, …