My Tarot reading, using PKD cards

When I'm not trying to explain to my friend Ted Hand that RAW's libertarianism is a feature not a bug, we often chat on Twitter and elsewhere about RAW-related and cultural matters.

Ted has been offering Tarot readings for $10, using the new Philip K. Dick Tarot cards he helped create. My newspaper has just been sold to a new owner, Ogden Newspapers, so I'm going through a period of transition. In the mood for input and willing to experiment, I paid him for a reading. When I got the results, I realized that I'm currently reading the PKD section of Erik Davis' new High Weirdness book, a mild synchronicity.

Above are the three cards he drew, and here is his reading:

Here's your PKD Tarot reading. Cut off in the corner is the phrase "issues of scale can also be (a matter of) point of view," which is interesting given your situation with the paper being sold.

Indicator card is Joe Chip from Ubik, the quintessential PKD "small protagonist" who gets a sort of gnostic message from graffiti on the bathroom wall. That feels like some kind of a comment on your seeking out a Tarot reading!

Past card is Four of Swords, "The War with the Fnools." On the side of the cards is the I Ching correlation, interesting that it's minor setback. I'd take that as encouraging.

Future card is "The Dark Haired Girl" which is in traditional tarot the High Priestess, representing intuition or divine inspiration.

Joe Chip correlates with Hanged Man, which represents a situation of stuckness and/or self sacrifice. Can indicate something needs changing in your life or your approach.

Four of Swords in traditional Tarot is Truce.  Can indicate things having been brought to a resting point. Like once a problem has been solved. 

There's some kind of weird allegory about "the changes in the media business" here. I'm also seeing some play on that in Joe Chip's "impossible message." Doing journalism is such a challenging task in this brave new world.

 Dominance of Trumps in a reading indicate "forces beyond your control." So I'm seeing a pointer toward the goddess figure within, the Jungian anima.  There is an opportunity here to open yourself to some strange new ideas.

I guess my advice would be to keep seeking out ways to engage the "lunar consciousness" of weird intuition. Gaze at the moon, get high, find some spooky music. Dip into the irrational.

RAW's interest in spirals

The above is a photograph took of the wall in Robert Anton Wilson's last apartment, in Capitola. Rasa explains:

"RAW's daughter Christina told me that Bob always made murals of his favorite graphics on a nearby wall. The photo of his living room wall just above the TV was taken when he was in Capitola where he lived for the last years of his life (we used the photo in the first RAW Auction). I was amused when I went to visit him one time and saw a goofy photo of one of our favorite neighborhood deer that I had sent him. Among other items on the wall is the "Disney" cartoon published by Paul Krassner, a photo of Bob and his son Graham, a photo of Bob and Arlen eating dinner at an Italian restaurant, a "Just Say No to Thugs" photo with Rumsfeld, Bush and Cheney, and the Ace of Cups Tarot card from the Crowley Thoth deck, but that Tarot card has a spiral added to it. "

Rasa was looking at it the other day, but  one thing puzzled him. Why did that Tarot card have a spiral on it?

Christina Pearson, RAW's daughter, came to the rescue with an explanation, and with her permission I share the answer here:

"Ah, yes!  Bob was aware of the spiral from early on in life when he began to read Joyce; it was just reconfirmed over and over again in his studies as how important the spiral is in nature, alchemy, and consciousness. What is so funny is during Bob's last year, when moneys were running low, Eddie Nix came up with the idea of selling individual tarot cards from the Crowley deck (Bob's favorite), each imprinted with a stamp that Bob himself imprinted. (Back-story comment: that stamp was made by Eddie carving a potato half, with the spiral on Bob's ring). And each and EVERY card was hand-stamped by Bob himself, who really enjoyed the process. Eddie probably had to carve a number of potatoes as wee sent out a lot of cards!   This was done because although Bob could no longer sign his name as he had difficulty holding a pen, he could absolutely push down on the carved half-potato!"

Thought some of you might want a better look at one of the photos. Bob Wilson and Arlen Wilson at an Italian restaurant in Capitola, photo by Bastian.

Note: I originally wrote that Rasa took the wall photo; he did not (see photo) so I've corrected the post.