Pamela Colman Smith’s dark and disturbing vision of the 5 of Pentacles presents one of those strange, paradoxical equations: How do the quicksilver Magician and the bridge-building Hierophant add up to this deplorable outcome?
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Reading the Decans: Beauty Weds the Architect [Aries III]
The final decan of Aries arrives with a welcome taste of coppery sweetness, after the grip of martial iron and the blaze of solar gold. For ten days Venus shall hold court here. There has been conquest (2 of Wands), there has been government (3 of Wands); now comes the ritual celebration that announces a sovereign's reign. Perhaps this is what the Golden Dawn meant when they named this card the Lord of "Perfected Work".
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Reading the Decans: Kingdom of Gold [Aries II]
The ruthless conquest has passed. In the 3 of Wands, we see the reconstruction of the land and the power of good government to attend to the well-being of all. An Emperor has many jobs: he must conquer (2 of Wands), he must govern (3 of Wands), and he must celebrate (4 of Wands) or ritualize his leadership, if his reign is to last.
Reading the Decans: Seeds of Dominion [Aries I]
This series, "Reading the Decans," will be my personal journey through the 36 decans of the astrological year and the 36 minor arcana of the tarot associated with them. Roughly every 10 days, I'll post the next installment, until the year is complete.
We begin with the first decan of Aries.
With the 2 of Wands we begin a new year. The vernal equinox balances the hours of light and darkness, but from this point forward we will see only increasing light until the first decan of Libra (2 of Swords); from September 21st to March 20th, the moon will assume her queenship. But right now, in a sense, we of the northern hemisphere are entering the sun's realm.
Read MoreTSC interview on Cosmic Keys podcast, 2/17/19
Last week I had the chance to chat with Scarlet and Dan of the very new “Cosmic Keys” podcast. Each episode features a week-ahead forecast (using both astrology and tarot), followed by interviews with guests from the spiritual and occult community. We talked about tarot as an opener of worlds, tarot in an academic context, Tarot Correspondences, and much more.
Read MoreParadoxes of the Head-blind
Head-blind. That’s a term I first heard in Ivo Dominguez’s Keys to Perception: A Practical Guide to Psychic Development. It means, I think, “not particularly psychic”. Not seeing ghosts. Not reading minds. Not bending spoons. Not having visions. Normal, in other words. Or, as they might put it at Hogwarts, a Squib. Upon stumbling upon the term, I embraced it with glad recognition. That’s what I am! I thought. There’s a name for it! I’m head-blind.
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Save the date - 50% off THE LIVING TAROT online course on Valentine's Day!
For the first time since I launched the course last year, I'm going to be running a one day only, 50% off sale on The Living Tarot online tarot class. It’ll be on Valentine's Day, Thursday, February 14th, 2019, one week from today. For just 24 hours - 12:00 midnight Feb. 14th to 11:59pm Feb. 14th (EST), my introductory class for tarot newcomers will be available for just $75 - half the usual price.
Read MoreTSC interview on Nox Mente, 1/30/19
Last night, I had one of the more interesting conversations I’ve had in these many months. Nox Mente (“Night Mind”) is a podcast devoted to dreams and dreamers; each week co-hosts Niish and Jerry interview guests in the occultural community about their dreams and beliefs about dreaming.
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FORTUNE'S WHEELHOUSE Finale (for now): Page of Pentacles / Princess of Disks
We did it. We actually did it: In 78 episodes and 82 weeks (we took a month's break between the major and minor arcana), Mel Meleen and I sailed from end to end of the Great Sea of Tarot. We made final landfall at the Page of Pentacles or Princess of Disks, the earthy part of Earth.
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