Oldcastle’s New Clothes

Question: What harsh truths do you prefer to ignore? Card:The Emperor IV Sir John Falstaff from The Shakespeare Tarot Answer: In some ways it makes sense that I pulled this card for this question, since The Emperor is one of my least favourite cards. I tried to make the fourth Arcanum more complex and alluring by having him represented

A shaggy-dog tale that wags the wags

Can animals have morals? Deck: The Golden Age of Hollywood Tarot Card: The Fools 0 The Marx Brothers featuring Lassie Answer: Naturally! The very question belies a set of arrogant presumptions. For starters, not all animals are created equal – lumping them all together is tantamount to asking a bitter misogynist if a woman could be different than

Champagne vs. Real Pain

What life-altering things should every human ideally get to experience at least once in their lives? Deck:The Alfred Hitchcock Tarot Card:6 of Cups Champagne/Downhill Answer: As unexpected or counter-intuitive as it sounds, every human ideally should experience dejection, destitution, and misery. In both Champagne and Downhill, the otherwise privileged central characters experience social rejection, penury, and what it means

Good for what ales ya

Question: How far can the government have the right to prevent us from harming ourselves? Deck:The Shakespeare Tarot Card:IX of Cups – Toby Belch, Twelfth Nighttb.jpg (26.78 KiB) Viewed 2513 timesAnswer: Here we see the scene of midnight revelry enjoyed by Toby Belch, Andrew Aguecheeck, and the maid of the house Maria. The play is Twelfth Night, and

A Joke In Search Of A Punchline

Question: What is the difference between a narcissist and an artist? Deck:The Charles Dickens Tarot Card for the narcissist: 3 of Earth – Seth Pecksniff Card for the artist: 6 of Earth – John Jarndyce Answer: The narcissist is a lying, conniving, envious fake who cares only about his own well-being. S/he has no scruples when it comes to

As you from crimes would pardon’d be, let your indulgence set me free

If freedom is simply being able to do what you want, are animals freer than humans? Deck: The Shakespeare Tarot Card: 5 of Crowns Caliban Answer: No. Curiously, I had planned to answer this question about a week ago, but got caught up with other things. This morning I decided to tackle the question again and

Is Idealism A Crime?

Question: Is idealism* a crime**? Deck:The Charles Dickens Tarot Card:The Tower XVI – The Staplehurst Train Disaster Answer: Yes. In 1865, a train running from Folkstone to Charring Cross plummeted off a bridge into a gorge. Dickens was on this train, returning to London from France with his secret mistress of 13 years, Ellen Ternan. Dickens sustained

Mind The Gap

Question: If the body has a mind of its own, does it follow that the mind has a body of its own, even if it is like nothing we can see around us or have ever seen?* Deck:The Charles Dickens Tarot 1: does it follow? Card: 4 of Earth – Josiah Bounderby (with Tom and Louisa Gradgrind) Answer: No.

Gist For The Mill

Question: If the real world is a metaphor, what is it a metaphor for? Deck: The Charles Dickens TarotCard: 5 of Air – Thomas Gradgrind Answer: As a student of Shakespeare and as something of an artist myself, I know that metaphor is often a metaphor for more than one thing, or rather one thing with many layers. On

Is Tolerance For Paradox The Mark Of A Civilized Mind?

Question: Is a tolerance for paradox the mark of a civilized mind? Deck:The Charles Dickens Tarot Card: The Hierophant V Social Mores Answer: Yes. On the Hierophant card we see two vicars – one sincere and kind, the other a fraud and a cad. This is symbolic of the dual opinion of religion, religious people, and God Dickens