Teacher and independent scholar Ted Hand joins me in this episode for a deep dive into the angelology of Pico della Mirandola, followed by a crazy romp through the gnostic world of Philip K. Dick. It’s a dense episode, and (hold on to your hat!) it’s all connected! We follow Pico’s adventures through the Florentine… Read more »
As the entire Internet already knows, T. Susan Chang has incredible oracular powers, so when I tell you that she’s here on the second episode of the fledgling Arnemancy Podcast, it’s probably a sign that we’re building great things. Susan is co-host of the incredible Fortune’s Wheelhouse podcast and the author of Tarot Correspondences: Ancient… Read more »
Rosicrucian Trilogy: Fama Fraternitatis, 1614; Confessio Fraternitatis, 1615; The Chemical Wedding of Christian Rosenkreuz, 1616 Trans. Joscelyn Godwin, Christopher McIntosh, and Donate Pahnke McIntosh Weiser Books, 2016 184 pages Paperback $22.95 USA, ISBN 978-1-57863-603-7 Hardcover $45 USA, ISBN 978-1-57863-609-9 The Rosicrucian movement began with three mysterious documents published in the early 17th century in Kessel,… Read more »
Introducing the Arnemancy Podcast! Following on the heels of My Alchemical Bromance, this podcast explores esotericism, Tarot, magic, and the occult. In the inaugural episode, I visit Alexx Bollen of the Alexxcast in his foam-walled podcasting dungeon to talk Tarot. I do my first ever reading using Aleister Crowley’s Thoth Tarot and the results are… Read more »
The magician in his robe is a timeless image. From ancient wizards like Merlin to medieval conjurers, all the way up to modern depictions such as Gandalf and Harry Potter, the robe is the magician’s expected uniform. Even various schools and traditions of modern occult study emphasize the importance of wearing a robe. It is… Read more »
This post doesn’t represent a completed project, but is rather the beginning of one. While leading a discussion group on the Sefer Yetzirah recently, I was struck by many of the astrological details in that ancient text. This led me to start seeking information on the use of astrology in traditional Kabbalah. This has been… Read more »
The Western Mystery Tradition, Western esotericism, occultism — what are all of these things, and why are so many people talking about them? It can be tough to wrap your head around how much of our culture is steeped in ideas we call occult. Everything from religion to pop culture to (gasp!) science are heavily… Read more »
There are so many Tarot decks out there. There must be thousands, right? Tens of thousands? It’s not uncommon for collectors to have 80 or more decks. Once John Michael Greer showed me a huge crate full of dozens and dozens of decks that he and his wife had collected, and you’ll frequently find collectors… Read more »
The Lovers is the 7th card in the Major Arcana, so it’s number VI, because we start counting at zero with The Fool. As I frequently point out during tarot readings, every six is about love in the Tarot. Sometimes it’s not so obvious, such as with the Six of Swords, and sometimes it’s too… Read more »
Today a Tarot deck is a fairly specific deck of cards. It has around 22 Greater Arcana, from The Fool through to the World, and then 56 Minor Arcana including the pips and 16 Court Cards. However, Tarot cards aren’t the only cards out there being used for divination, insight, or other non-game purposes. Let’s… Read more »
