The Lagging Indicator

I figured I had better strike while the iron is hot on this thought. While considering the nature of divination in my previous post, it occurred to me that the "outcome" card in a tarot reading - the outward evidence of a predicted conclusion - may actually be what the science of economics calls a …

The Nature of the Beast

While doing some rather casual on-line reading about the I Ching,  I came across a brief introduction to the subject that holds the following insights on the nature of divination: "Methods of divination are as old as Mankind. The purpose of divination is often considered to be foretelling the future, but while simple superstitious fortunetelling …

Where Is Robert? – A Missing Person Reading

UPDATE: Following up on this old reading, I discovered that Robert Stanley was found dead in a long-abandoned boiler room of a hydro-electric plant in Rochester, NH back in January of this year. There was no further information about the cause or circumstances of his death other than that there was no evidence of foul …

The Peaks-and-Valleys Project Management Spread

Whenever I'm at a loss for subject matter to inspire a new tarot spread, I often fall back on the topic of project management, a combined form of decision-making and problem-solving. Nearly everyone has been involved in creative projects of one kind or another, whether at work, at home or in social group settings. Every …

Puttin’ on the Rex

As an American with strong ancestral ties to Scotland and Ireland, I have more than a passing interest in the outcome of the Brexit controversy. I realize that the term is a conflation for "British Exit" from the European Union (EU), but I  latched onto the subsumed fragment "Rex," which was a title once given …

2019 Wish List

I think it's been a year since I last bought a new tarot  or Lenormand deck. That will most likely change early next year to celebrate moving into our new home. I've had a few decks on my wish list forever, and 2019 will be the year to chip away at it. Among the 60 …

Happy Hour

I often wonder what people expect when they sit for a tarot reading. Is it encouragement (aka "empowerment") regarding their chosen course of action? Is it affirmation of their assumptions or suspicions? Is it entertainment? Is it a glimpse of future events or circumstances? Is it a psychological snapshot of themselves or another person? Is …

My Favorite Things

A subject that is usually approached piecemeal in the tarot forums is "What is your favorite card?" More pragmatic readers (and maybe those who don't want to think too hard) almost invariably reply "all of them," since every card makes a unique contribution to any reading it appears in and, depending on the context and …

The Gift

When I hear a skilled diviner described as having "the gift," I usually think of it in its more complete form as "the gift of second sight," or precognition, regarding future events and circumstances. This technical definition - which comes from a Gaelic phrase translated as "two sights" - is commonly lumped in with similar …

Reading Without Borders

I admit to enjoying the challenge and satisfaction of reading cards in a completely open-ended fashion (not exactly in a vacuum; let's call it a "rarefied atmosphere"). Like Google, the cards "know everything." Approached properly (that is, with sensitivity and diligence), they will invariably speak the truth in one form or another, although not always …