Douglas Gibb has started a new tutorial series on the OOTK. I have no idea what he has in store, but knowing him, it will be good.
Opening of the Key Tarot spread tutorial series
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Category Archives: Tarot Lessons
New card counting section
I have created a new section on supertarot that brings together the different styles and methods of tarot card counting. All these pages existed, but they were in different places. There is a lot more work to do, but at least a card counting resource now exists., and we can use this as the basis for developing things further. If I was starting over, I would probably rewrite everything, but with feedback we can improve things. Let me know what you think.
Exploring the OOTK Tarot Card Counting Technique
The tarot card counting technique for reading tarot cards in the Opening of the Key spread might seem a bit of a misnomer, for counting up to twelve is hardly arduous. The thing is, there are many subtleties to interpreting counting tarot cards that I have studied for many years, and I think it is time to discuss them in public.
Didn’t I write about tarot card counting in The Tarot and the Magus and Beyond the Celtic Cross? Of course! But in the course of writing the first book I discovered the concept of ‘uncounted’ cards, while in the second, it was by way of an introduction for tarot readers who are more familiar with the Celtic Cross.
What I am going to do is to go back to the original tarot reading for The Tarot and the Magus, and explore all four strings of cards. When I wrote the book, I did an analysis for all four strings, but the publisher sensibly omitted three, leaving only the Earth string. In the process I am going to go back to basics – stripping out any dogma surrounding the tarot. I spend a lot of time deconstructing the tarot, and to do this, simplicity is the foundation upon which greater complexity is built, not the other way, which can only lead to confusion.
Tucked away in a corner of supertarot are the tables laying out the four strings, and my analysis will be on the sister site, newtarot.com, because what I will be presenting is new and original. I hope you will follow and make comments. In the process, I hope your understanding of the two books will deepen as a result, and your tarot readings will be more insightful.
The Fool videos – compare and contrast
Part of the joy of putting things on the web is that you never know what will turn up as a result. The other day I was asked if my words on the Fool could be used in another video by Robert Henderson. I immediately said yes, not bothering to check how Robert would use it (it is about the Fool after all). The results are up, and I appear to have gone somewhat punkish. Can the next one have more Blondie please?
The Fool Introduction by Robert Henderson
Fool Introduction by Paul Hughes-Barlow
What do you think?
Deconstructing the Tarot
For the last six months I have been hard at work deconstructing my knowledge of the Tarot, a process that will continue for a lot longer, I suspect – probably it will never end. In case you wondered, yes, there is more than enough to warrant spending that length of time. In fact, in any spiritual discipline, the process of deconstructing (and reconstructing), is always ongoing. I hope to be sharing the fruits of my labours over the next few months. Continue reading
Taboo: talking about Death
For years there has been a taboo on discussing death and mortality to clients among tarot readers, but there are times when the subject has to be aired. It happened again to me the other day. Continue reading
Elemental Dignities – a new take
Any system of divination should be alive and dynamic, able to take in new methods and insights. And these insights should make those who already know sit up and take stock. In truth if you are a true student of tarot you should be challenged constantly. A big part of my own studies on the tarot is deconstruction: taking apart what I already know and then re-assembling it to see new insights. I find this happening each time I put up a new video on youtube, which is why there are so many hiatuses on that front.
So here is a case in point regarding Elemental Dignities. The other day, James Ricklef contacted me about his idea for “contra-positive cards”; how to deal with difficult minor cards like the 9 Swords etc using a variation of Elemental Dignities. James uses the opposing element (disks in the case of 9 Swords), and a numerological technique to come up with the balancing card. There was a part of me that had problems with this, and it is not because I was being precious about my ‘baby’. People can and should come up with their own ways of interpreting the tarot using the simple rules of EDs – the more the better. It took me a while to realise what the problem was – for balance, it should be a universal law, not just for difficult cards, and a few days later, James second post addressed those issues and develops his ideas further.
What do you think? How can you develop your own ideas on interpreting the tarot that are universal and balanced?
Card Counting and Elemental Dignities Tarot Workshop
On Sunday 25th April 2010 from 11am to 4.30pm I am holding my Card Counting and Elemental Dignities Tarot Workshop at The Academy of Tarot. The cost of the workshop is only £60.
The Workshop will be based around my new book Beyond the Celtic Cross co-authored with Catherine Chapman. You will have the opportunity to see how you can use these techniques of card counting and elemental dignities for your own tarot readings.
You will be introduced to plenty of hands on, practical and interactive uses for the techniques. The aim is for the workshop to be fun.
There will be plenty of hands on, practical and interactive uses of the techniques, lots of fun, and a discussion of how to extend the techniques, including my vision of how the tarot can be transformed in very simple ways.
New Tarot Lessons
Today I uploaded some videos to youtube. The videos are the beginning of a series of lessons on reading the tarot using Aleister Crowley’s Thoth Tarot and the Opening of the Key Spread. Elemental Dignities, card counting and card pairing will be upcoming subjects.
New Elemental Dignity Resource
Douglas Gibb and Catherine Chapman have posted a fabulous analysis of Elemental Dignities. I have been encouraging them for some time on this. We need more writers on the subject as it gives students a better chance to understand this important divination system when there are more resources. So, now you can compare and contrast Doug’s insights with mine on Supertarot.
There is another great resource Catherine Chapman’s blog that I recommend. As you now know, Cath co-authored “Beyond the Celtic Cross” published next week, which also includes a lot about Elemental Dignities.
Good luck with your Tarot studies.