Philosophy, Spirituality, and Mysticism
Can Tarot cards predict love? Ahh, wouldn’t it be nice if we had a decisive answer to this question. How much wisdom we would gain about perhaps the most popular questions put before the Tarot cards. Can Tarot cards predict my love or that of another? First, there is a quotidian and normal, non-mysterious sense … Read more
This is the first question any reasonable person should have when first thinking about Tarot: Are Tarot Cards BS? For X to be BS means that it is not true. That it is a lie. A myth. Does not correspond to the world. Does not do what it claims to do. Is a sham. Load … Read more
Readers of this blog know that I am open to non-reductionist theories of Tarot. In other words, I don’t necessarily think it’s possible to reduce the operation of Tarot reading to just “psychology.” Nevertheless, I believe that having a solid grounding in the psychology of Tarot is necessary for understanding possibilities beyond psychology. Addressing skeptics First, when … Read more
Should you read your own Tarot cards? This is a common question for Tarot beginners. We can distinguish between two questions: “can you?” vs “should you?” Can you read your own Tarot cards? Absolutely. There is no metaphysical “rule” preventing this. But the more important question is: should you? If you follow the advice of … Read more
How does Tarot work? Is there anything truly magical or special about this particular set of 78 cards and their unique imagery? Why are there 22 cards in the Major Arcana? Is that some super special hidden Qabalistic-hermetic number with ancient magical properties, the meditation upon which can lead to enlightenment and occult powers? Is … Read more
The Financial Times recently published an article, “Why Tarot is trending again.” The article mostly explains that it is popular but is light on explanation of why Tarot is so popular. Their best shot is a quote from popular Tarot publisher US Games’ Lynn Araujo, editorial and communications director, who said, “tarot and oracle decks are readily … Read more
Among younger generations in the West, there is a tremendous amount of consternation surrounding religious and spiritual identity. We want to find our home. We want to know who we are, where we come from. We want to reconcile with our Western, colonialist impositions from Christianity that so many of us were brought up with. … Read more
A common concern for people interested in learning Tarot is that reading Tarot is difficult, with a steep learning curve. I disagree. I believe the Tarot is extremely easy to learn but difficult to master. And therein lies the key difference. How to get started Once you get over a few common myths surrounding … Read more
Taking Tarot into the 21st Century and Beyond “For Tarot to evolve on any meaningful scale into the 21st century (and beyond) it must have a stronger application emphasis, utility, and accessibility; that is, it must speak compellingly to people’s lives. In this regard clinical usage would seem a natural context for a technique which, … Read more
Tarot and fortune-telling often go hand-and-hand in popular cultural but many Tarot experts like Benebell Wen, author of Holistic Tarot, argue powerfully that Tarot is not in the business of fortune-telling. This post is an analysis of Benebell Wen’s criticism of fortune-telling. First, I want to say I have major respect for Benebell Wen. I think she … Read more