Favorite Things

I was recently talking to someone about "reading style." It's a subject worth examining in more detail.  Although I can be a bit flippant in calling myself "half mad scientist and half mystic," what it boils down to is that my own mode of reading the cards partakes slightly more of the analytical than the …

The Name of the Game

A question frequently asked by what we might call "journeyman" tarot readers is "How can I break into professional practice on a full-time basis?" In my case, I  backed into it part-time through the patronage of a metaphysical shop owner who, when she learned that I was a local diviner, invited me to work out …

“Walking the Line” – A Situational Awareness & Response Spread

My father's generation had a number of colorful threats aimed at bringing unruly kids back into line. These began with "You're walking a fine line, Mister!" and ended with a thunderous "You're cruisin' for a bruisin'!!!", the second one thankfully almost never executed; delivered with enough intensity, the ominous alliteration was enough to compel immediate …

The Tens: A Lingering Farewell

A music critic once observed that Led Zeppelin seemed to be "emptying the vaults of every scrap of unreleased material" when they issued the Physical Graffiti album. I'm in a similar situation here; this post has been lurking in my drafts for a couple of weeks, waiting patiently as  the rants of the last few …

But What Does It “Mean?”

On the tarot forums and Facebook pages we're fond of throwing words around loosely with the assumption that everyone agrees on their inherent meaning and usage, so critical debate about them is scarce. One of those is "empowerment." We are reluctant to present harsh judgments to our sitters even when the cards deliver them in …

Cheap Shots Redux: Any Excuse Will Do

As I contemplate the flood of new tarot decks on the market (some of which are even offered as "New Tarot,"  apparently to signify a cultural shift), I'm struck by the impression that many of them are just an excuse to circulate portable artwork of a personal nature with little regard for the metaphysical and …

2020 Summer Solstice Grand Tableau

Every six months on the solstice I do a Grand Tableau reading to look at potential circumstances over the next two quarters. This one for the 2020 Summer Solstice is especially interesting because it allowed me to use a technique I very seldom need to apply: that of transposition as described in Caitlin Mathhews' book …

Here We Go Again!

There is no subject more mystical (and in my opinion, more overstated) in the art of "guided" divination (as distinct from purely psychic prescience) than that of intuition. It's often touted as the "gold standard" by which to read the signs in the tarot cards, but I think that advice is misleading, especially for those …

The Land of 1,000 Chances

Some of you (but I'll bet not many) may remember the old Wilson Pickett song "The Land of 1,000 Dances." I'm stealing his song title, slightly modified, for this post to reflect the  observation that "There are no negative cards, only opportunities." So every card in a reading, no matter how dire it seems, always …

Don’t Memorize, Internalize!

Tarot neophytes are often mortified when they reach the inevitable conclusion that they have to memorize the complex and often non-intuitive meanings of 78 images before they can effectively read the cards. While I believe that acquiring a solid grounding in traditional lore is vital to full comprehension of the tarot, the very thought of …