GR's Tarot and other stuff

[Shirley Lim]

All this talk of GR's tarot inspired me to go back and actually look up
all Pynchon's tarot talk. Now, I haven't read all of Weissberger so this
might not be anything new, but I've come across something real
interesting. It's about Blicero's Tarot reading on page 8hundered and
something in my Bantam paperback, just a hop and a skip from the end.
Pynchon's interpretation of the cards talks about how it all prophecies
success, but the cards themselves show frustration. Tom's playing a real
sick joak on all of us. For example, the card that shows the future
(before [and did P reverse 'before' and 'behind' in his card listing,
assuming he lists them in the order they're turned up?]) is read by TRP as
plenty (i.e. wine and women), but the card itself, as well as my sources
point to plenty, but unsatisfying plenty, gluttony without reward. And his
hopes and fears (two of swords) are read by P as an angry woman with two
swords, but my sources tell me that it's balance and friendship that
Blicero is turning away from. And the final result: the world. Pynchon
leaves that as simply the world, but it means merely change (passing to
the other side?). The tarot reading seems to me to compact P's entire
critique of western culture into ten cards. I'll post a complete reading
later if anyone shows interest. So, any occult practitioners out there who
have more that just my passing knowledge? What're yer takes?

Oh yeah, the inverted three of pentacles mentioned some pages earlier
stands for, you guessed it, lack of distinction, being a feeb.

And as for Pynchon and chicks, all of my female friends haven't even heard
of the guy, and I've only turned one or two onto him. Guess I'll just have
to rely on my good looks and natural charm...

	Gershom Bazerman(If you don't get it, Gershom Bazerman is my name,
and I'm writing from a different address, so remember, like Airplane
always sez "And don't call me shurely!")