Black Mirror Alchemy: The Path of the Digital Hermit

Welcome Back, Dear Readers In this week's blog post, we are diving deeper into the Four Kings Method and beginning our exploration of the different aspects of masculine development portrayed in the tarot. As I mentioned last week, the four kings of the tarot represent mastery of each of their elements and serve as models for us, as men, to begin working through and developing expertise in each domain of our lives. Regarding the element of fire, represented by the wands, we’ll be exploring the emotional, sexual, and creative aspects of our lives. When we zoom out, there are several ways society tries to control and suppress the fire of men. First, cultural norms limit the kinds of emotions men are allowed to express. Secondly, social mechanisms control male sexuality, turning it into a resource for value extraction. Lastly, the structure of work and commodified leisure ensnares the creative energy of m

Welcome Back, Readers! Today marks the beginning of a new series on Black Mirror Alchemy ! Over the course of five posts, we will explore the theme of masculinity in the tarot and how men can—and should—start integrating this spiritual practice into their lives. In our current historical moment, tarot occupies a curious position in Western culture. On one hand, it's often shunned as something "of Satan," a remnant of the 1980s Satanic Panic and the waning influence of Evangelical Christianity. On the other hand, tarot has experienced a significant resurgence. A diverse array of practitioners, artists, and metaphysical businesses have emerged to meet the growing consumer demand for this once-obscure deck of cards. Tarot also carries a gendered dimension, primarily associated with women and femininity. The stereotypical image of a tarot reader is a woman dressed like Stevie Nicks, clacking her long nails against her dec

Greetings, dear readers! For my husband and me, and likely many of you, the midpoint of August signals the start of a new academic term. I love this time of year because it offers a chance to plan the projects and goals I want to achieve over the next nine months. Planning is one of my favorite activities, which is probably no surprise given that my sun sign is Virgo. In my day job as a psychology professor, I’ve learned a lot about setting goals and planning. I’ve had some stellar years where I accomplished everything I set out to do, and I’ve had years where nearly everything I touched seemed to fall apart. In addition, I get to watch and teach students how to plan their terms, celebrate their successes, and console them in their setbacks. In the spirit of going back to school, I thought it would be a great idea to explore how tarot can be used as a practical tool—not just for self-actualization and spiritual development, but for organizing our lives and achieving our goals. Ta

The Age of Aquarius: Navigating a New Era The Age of Aquarius: Navigating a New Era Today, I want to expand on some observations about the current Aeon in which we live. As you might have heard, the Age of Aquarius is upon us—or it already is here—or it won't be here for another 100 years! The arrival of this notorious astrological age has been highly sought after and debated for the last century, by everyone from astrologers and astronomers to cultists and occultists. It anticipates a great leap forward for humanity and the world—a coming age of neo-enlightenment, progress, and fulfillment of the realized, individualized self. From Pisces to Aquarius: The Shifting Paradigm The Age of Aquarius follows what is known as the Age of Pisces, which was primarily marked by the rise and fall of Christianity across the globe. The Piscean age prioritized the element of water. Deep feelings and explorations of consciousness were key themes. Con

Using Psychology in Tarot Readings: The King of Swords Welcome back, dear readers! We did it! We are at the end of our series about using psychology in your tarot readings for others! In our past three posts, we explored the details of cognition with the Page of Swords, systems of motivation and emotion with the Knight of Swords, and understanding personality with the Queen of Wands. Now we turn our attention to the King of Swords. In tarot, kings are invested in the superstructure of their suits. While queens foster growth, kings organize that energy into systems of meaning. From a bird's eye view, the King of Swords sees patterns and draws understanding. For tarot readers, the King of Swords challenges us to consider larger systems of meaning, not just individual differences. One powerful way to achieve this is through Social Identity Theory. Social Identity Theory Humans have a drive for high sel

Black Mirror Alchemy - No Reading is Truly a Cold Reading, Part 3 Welcome back to Black Mirror Alchemy, dear reader! Today, we are going to explore the third installment of our "No Reading is Truly a Cold Reading" series. If you missed the first two posts, make sure to check those out! Part 1: Biases and Heuristics Part 2: Motivation and Emotion In this post, we are exploring the complex world of personality with the help of the Queen of Swords. The Queens in the Minor Arcana embody the nurturing, feminine principle that promotes the growth of their suit. The Queen of Swords, in particular, guides us to bring forth ideas, knowledge, and voices to foster clarity and understanding in our readings. In our past two posts, we have looked at the smaller details of human psychology. The Page of Swords focused on the small details of human cognition, while the Knight of Swords synthesized those details into workabl