AUTHOR’S NOTE: Here is an ambitious concept aimed at addressing the premise that, according to Dr. James Wanless, “There are no bad cards, only opportunities.” (Conversely, there are no entirely good cards, only fortuitous hints.) After choosing a card to represent the goal of the reading, I’m using the same four randomly-drawn cards to show both an optimistic and a pessimistic trend in the matter by establishing and then reversing their order in two countervailing spiral arrays.

The first layout is based on the daily transit of the Sun, which moves clockwise through the astrological houses from one sunrise to the next. I view it as an “ascending” spiral that advances authoritatively toward the goal. There is no “backsliding” in this scenario; it is all forward motion.

The second layout draws its inspiration from the counter-clockwise monthly travel of the Moon through the zodiac. I consider it a “descending” spiral since it delivers an unstable influence that ultimately hides itself in the “dark of the Moon.” The idea behind it is that the Moon’s waxing and waning phases convey an illusion of temporary control that must eventually be relinquished. Unlike the solar spiral, there are no “bright spots” under the light of the Moon, so the cards must be closely examined for opportunistic clues.

I performed two example readings with these patterns, but only drew one set of cards with the intent of reading them both forward and backward to describe a forthright “solar incursion” and a reticent “lunar withdrawal.” The same “Goal” card for both spirals expresses the querent’s intentions, and it would normally be selected and placed purposefully, but here I allowed it to fall randomly and it aligned nicely with my objectives. The question involved gaining control of a situation and returning it to balance as shown by Temperance (the Thoth’s “Art”); I worded it as “What are the two sides of this matter going forward?” I didn’t use reversals but one certainly could.

For the solar spiral I drew the 2 of Cups; the 9 of Wands; the Ace of Disks and the Tower. The matter begins on a harmonious note, hardens into resolve, recedes into the background to plot a course, and then strikes decisively “under the cover of night” to remove obstacles and impose control by main force. The trend echoes the lyrics of the Alice Cooper song No More Mister Nice Guy; the querent must dispense with the niceties and wield uncompromising corrective power.

For the lunar spiral I turned the sequence around so it begins with the Tower and proceeds through the Ace of Disks and the 9 of Wands to arrive at the 2 of Cups. In this “descending” order, the Tower suggests recognizing early on that circumstances exhibit ominous signs of impending collapse, demanding urgent action; the Ace of Disks shows that its foundations are in desperate need of shoring up; with the 9 of Wands it is “walking a knife’s edge” between salvation and destruction; and the 2 of Cups portends ultimately caving in to compromise in order to salvage at least a modicum of success. There is clearly a moderating trend here that might be construed as furtively “backing into victory.”