Black Mirror Alchemy: The Path of the Digital Hermit

Welcome back to Dark Mirror Alchemy! We will take a quick break this week from The Hermit's Journey to discuss the combined arts of reading tarot and reading people. I have had the pleasure and privilege to learning tarot while also getting my degrees in psychology. So, I wanted to share in this blog series how the different levels of psychology can help us read tarot better; especially if you are in situation where you are giving a reading to a stranger.  With the help of the court cards in the suit of swords, this series will be comprised of four posts, which will explore each of the following levels of human psychology:  Biases and Heuristics with the Page of Swords  Motivation and Emotion with the Knight of Swords  Personality and Identity with the Queen of Swords  Groups and Culture with the King of Swords The first two installments of this series will teach you about the very basics of human behavior. If you like mixed metaphors, we are going to look under the h

Welcome back to The Hermit's Journey! In this blog post, we will discuss the significance of ritual in our lives and how tarot can aid you in engaging in ritual for psychological benefits. Ritual plays a crucial role in our human experience, allowing us to connect with the hyper-real in a controlled space, keeping us oriented to the real world. So, in this week's post, we will explore the definition of ritual, how tarot can help you establish your own rituals, and some next steps for nurturing your spiritual life. Ritual Rituals can be seen as a series of formalized acts and utterances that create a holistic performance. According to Dr. Matt Rossano, ritual has been instrumental in the development of our social-cognitive functions, helping us understand ourselves, others, and the world around us. Typically, rituals possess four characteristics, which serve as key indicators for creating our own tarot rituals: Rituals are meant to be attention-grabbing to outsiders. Rituals fol

Welcome back to the Hermit's Journey! Today, we will be discussing the Minor Arcana suits and exploring how to best interpret these important cards. For reference, this discussion will encompass the aces up to the king cards in the suits of swords, wands, cups, and pentacles. The Minor Arcana cards can be quite intimidating for those learning tarot, as they make up the bulk of the full tarot deck, and sometimes their meanings can blur together a bit. As a beginner, nuance is not your friend, so I will do my best to provide clear guidance to help you navigate the essence of tarot. As mentioned previously in the blog, there are two ways to divide the Minor Arcana. The first is through numerology, which we have already covered in depth. We know that each of the four sets of cards in the Minor Arcana can be clustered together with a shared meaning. For example, when it comes to the 3s, we know that each of them deals with some sort of creative burst of energy. But, what is that energy

 Welcome back to the Hermit's Journey!  In today's post, we will explore the theoretical underpinnings of tarot cards to understand how they might work and why your readings tend to be correct.  When I first started to explore tarot cards, I immediately began to notice that my readings tended to be more accurate than not. While this was incredibly affirming to me and helped keep me motivated to learn more about the tarot, it did cause me to question the forces that were at work which made these readings so spot on. Was Satan himself picking the cards out of the deck for me? Was this an elaborate game of self-fulfilling prophesy? Or was there something more mechanistic in the architecture of the deck at work here?  In the past ten years I've tried to answers these questions and find my footing with regards to tarot. Over my life I have found myself in a particularly awkward position where I was raised southern Baptist with all the dogma and superstitions which come along wit

Welcome back to the Hermit's Journey series.  Today, we will discuss the Major Arcana cards in your tarot deck in a little more depth. The Major Arcana cards can be thought of as cornerstones in a reading as they take precedence and influence all of the Minor Arcana cards. I liken the Major Arcana to waves in the ocean. They are forces of nature that we cannot control, but we do have the choice of how we deal with them. Will they toss us into the tide and drag us out to sea, or will we choose to ride the wave and see where it takes us? Either way, the Major Arcana will be taking us to our destination, willing or not.  As mentioned briefly in the first Hermit's Journey, there are a few ways to interpret the Major Arcana cards. In this post, we will explore deeper into two of the three methods: archetypes and astrology. However, these methods are not mutually exclusive. In my readings, I often layer the meanings on top of each other to provide a more comprehensive interpretation.

  Welcome back to The Hermit's Journey!  In today's post, we will discuss the minor arcana cards and provide quick tips to help you learn their meanings, improving your interpretations. The content we will cover comes from The Way of Tarot by Jodorowsky and Costa, which will introduce the basics of numerology. Although the book offers an in-depth exploration of this topic over 536 pages, we can lay some groundwork today that will greatly assist you. Elements: Before discussing the numbers, let's first revisit the suits and their corresponding elements. Swords/Air: The suit of swords represents the mind, including communication, language, thoughts, and knowledge. When swords appear in a reading, you are prompted to contemplate your life philosophy, how you communicate with others, and the myths or traditions you follow. Swords often address inner anxiety or existentialism. They cut through deception, leaving you exposed, and guide you to the edge of knowledge, where the unk

Introduction to the Major Arcana Now that we have an understanding of tarot as a whole, let's take a closer look at the Major Arcana. As mentioned in the previous post, the Major Arcana cards are trump cards. When these cards appear in a reading, they signify the major themes from which you draw your interpretation. Initially, it can be helpful to use key words for each Major Arcana card and approach them similarly to the Minor Arcana. However, as you progress, you'll need to adapt your strategies to enhance your interpretations. With this in mind, let's explore each of the cards that make up the Major Arcana. I will provide you with some basic key words to support your learning. Towards the end of the post, we will discuss three different methods you can use to contemplate and elevate your understanding of tarot. Additionally, I will share the first spread you can start using today.  Major Arcana Key Words The Fool (0) New beginnings, naiv