I created a Yes-or-No spread that started out being fairly straightforward. It had only five cards plus a "wild card, it used my traveling Significator idea as well as the concept of higher cards "trumping" lower ones, and brought in the use of Elemental Dignities and reversals. Nothing could be simpler, right? Then I got … Continue reading A “Yes-or-No” Spread for the Perennial Skeptic
Month: August 2017
The “Board Game” Gambit
I've never been satisfied with the use of Significator cards in tarot spreads. They don't seem to do much of anything, like a decorative centerpiece on a dining-room table; they may look impressive but you can't eat them. Lately I've been creating positional spreads that require the Significator to be read in combination with every … Continue reading The “Board Game” Gambit
The “Troll Under the Bridge” Spread
This story-telling spread loosely follows the plot of the Norwegian fairy-tale, "Three Billy Goats Gruff." As its centerpiece it has the protagonist, "Big Billy Goat," and the villain, "Trevor the Troll," duking it out on the bridge to decide the querent's fate. I envisioned it as being suitable for introducing children to the tarot, at … Continue reading The “Troll Under the Bridge” Spread
Hop-Frog, the Ourangoutangs and the Tower of Babel: An Allegory about Jumpers
(I hope Edgar Allan Poe forgives me for pinching his story title.) Hop-Frog (the amphibian, not the dwarf) was happily riding along in the turnip truck with 77 other itinerant farm-hands from Frog Hollow. But the driver wasn't paying attention and hit a pothole. Hop-Frog was bounced out into the middle of the road. He … Continue reading Hop-Frog, the Ourangoutangs and the Tower of Babel: An Allegory about Jumpers
“Cheap Shots” #4
Sometimes a deck - even one you've owned and used for years - seems to betray you and starts "speaking in tongues." I'm not one who believes that tarot decks have personalities, only idiosyncrasies introduced by the creator's unique perspective, so I think the fault, if it can be called that, lies with the reader's … Continue reading “Cheap Shots” #4
Tell Me No Lies
Many people like to conduct a "new deck interview" with every addition to their stable as a way to get a feel for its overall tone and ease of use. This is my version; it can be used for decks you've owned for a while as well. Everyone likes to talk about themselves! Update: The … Continue reading Tell Me No Lies
The “Luck and Prosperity” Spread
I was following up on something I read about Hindu iconography, and decided to create a "good luck" spread around the idea. The word swastika is derived from the Sanskrit root swasti which is composed of su, meaning "good, well," and asti meaning "it is, there is." The word swasti occurs frequently in the Vedas, … Continue reading The “Luck and Prosperity” Spread
The “Rest of the Story” Follow-up Spread
I went away from tarot for a few years, during which the landscape changed considerably. Ever since I learned the extent to which modern readers like to use clarifier cards when they don't understand the significance of any card in a reading, I've had an ongoing "war" with the idea. Every tarot card has layers … Continue reading The “Rest of the Story” Follow-up Spread
“Cheap Shots” #3
New Age? What "New Age?" I've been haunting the byways of the New Age phenomenon since shortly after its beginning - that's me as an art student in Central Park in 1967, the day I marched down 5th Avenue with the Hare Krishna people in their saffron robes and shaved pates, chanting "Hare Krishna, Hare … Continue reading “Cheap Shots” #3
The Lenormand 36-Card “Cube”
This is likely to be the most complicated cartomantic construct (don't you love gratuitous alliteration?) you'll ever see. I was thinking that the Lenormand 9-card square is extremely limited in knighting opportunities (only eight, and the center card originates none). The obvious solution (at least to me) was to go "3-D!" I created a four-tier … Continue reading The Lenormand 36-Card “Cube”
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 