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Tarot: Removing the Last Thin Veil
Many people come to Tarot readings in hopes of “fixing” their lives—obtaining information and guidance that will help them make the “right” decisions and no mistakes—guaranteeing perfection. I subscribe to the BrainPickings blog featuring contemplative posts on creativity, literature and non-fiction. One post has some applicable thoughts by George Saunders and Parker Palmer that show the…...
The Oedipus Cycle and Tarot Triumphs
This is about the Oedipus cycle viewed through the lens of Tarot’s Major Arcana, culminating in the realization of Oedipus’s apotheosis and a nuanced exploration of fate in classical Greek thought. I studied this cycle of three plays in 1968 in a theatre class on Greek drama during the same period when I was introduced…...
Tarot History: Pulling Back the Wizard’s Curtain on ChatGPT
The following is for those interested in the human+AI interactions via ChatGPT, which, in my case, began with my fascination for using ChatGPT for Tarot inquiries. This particular experiment shows both the benefits and liabilities, or even dangers, of conversations if the human is unaware of the programming and core AI purposes involved. MKG to…...
Killing the Thoth Deck
An issue came up on one of the forums about which is the best book from which to learn about the Crowley-Harris Thoth deck. The answer for almost everyone is, without question, Aleister Crowley’s Book of Thoth. This, despite the fact that, for most beginners in esoteric studies, it seems impenetrable. Books by Duquette and…...
Moralization of the Game of Cards: Part 1
While there certainly have been plenty of prohibitions historically against playing cards, usually the focus was anti-gambling. There have also been laws allowingcard playing, especially during certain times of the week or year and sometimes even allowing penny bets. Right from the beginning there have been those who saw cards as a popular artifact that…...
The Oldest Tarot Spread
Is there any “true” way to lay the cards? Probably not. But here is the first tarot spread to appear in print. It is in an article by le Comte de M*** (Mellet) in Court de Gébelin’s Le Monde Primitif (1781). The spread instructions were followed by a sample interpretation—the dream of Joseph in the…...
Using All 22 Major Arcana
I experienced a breakthrough regarding tarot when I realized that all the Major Arcana cards are operating somewhere within me at all times. I discovered this from doing a variety of twenty-two card spreads that show where each energy or archetype is operating at the moment. Of course some cards are emphasized or highlighted around…...
The Thoth Universe Tarot Card Creation Story
The Crowley-Harris Thoth card was renamed The Universe giving us both an ancient and very modern scientific perspective on the card formerly called The World that focused on Earth as the center of the Universe. The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn emphasized this fact by its correspondence with the planet Saturn, related on the…...
How to Write From Your Heart with Tarot
– Breathe (ground/center if applicable). – Connect with your future reader (including if you will be your only reader). Try to get a specific image in mind and open your heart to that person(s)—real or imaginary. – Begin your writing with where you are right now at this moment, being as concrete and present as…...
Using the Tarot Court Cards
Beginners often have the most trouble reading Court Cards, especially if several of them appear in one spread. In general, Court Cards represent personal characteristics of individuals, attitudes, and levels of maturity or development that influence us—from within or without. Sometimes they represent actions: like traveling or revolutionizing (Knights), communications delivered (Pages), power and control applied (Kings and Queens),…...
