AUTHOR’S NOTE: In the First Operation of the Golden Dawn’s “Opening of the Key” method there is a step by which the diviner attempts to “intuit” (aka “guess”) the reasons behind the querent’s request for a reading based on which of four elemental sub-packs the Significator card appears in after the shuffle and cut. The objective is to “tell the Querent why he has come,” which – if correct – will validate the legitimacy of the forthcoming divination, and if incorrect will terminate the session. Because I assume that the querent knows his or her own mind and I don’t need to fully comprehend it for the purpose of the reading, I usually ignore this stipulation and just look at this step as giving a heads-up about the general “area of life” to be explored, one that may or may not be apparent to the seeker in advance.

Here is a spread with a slightly different approach to the elemental-selection process; it has as its goal advising the client how to best embrace the incentive shown by the most auspicious of four randomly-pulled cards that suggest four ways to proceed toward the target: energetic (Fire); sensitive (Water); thoughtful (Air) or pragmatic (Earth). It employs a “target-shooting” motif that emulates “drawing down” on the objective with the right ammunition, the right angle of approach to the target and the right “touch” on the trigger, resulting in a “hit” or a “miss.” (In infantry small-arms training the commands are “Lock and load” (the ammunition) followed by “Ready, Aim, Fire,” while in archery they are “Nock, Draw, Release.”) All of these factors are expressed by the cards placed in those positions.

Begin by shuffling the deck and dealing twenty cards face-down in the pattern shown. Reversals may be used, but I wouldn’t bother with them for the “Incentive” column since these cards are only “pointers” and are not a formal part of the reading.

Next, turn the four “Incentive” cards face-up and determine which of them is most favorably positioned as the preferred mode of pursuit. Do this by finding the one that matches the element of its position. If there are two or more cards in this condition, choose the one that is more advantageous due to its inherent nature. If no cards satisfy the elemental criterion, reshuffle and pull again. (Note that I’m making no distinction according to relative rank here; it’s all about elemental alignment. Obviously, rank will be a consideration between two cards of the same element.)

Once this card is identified, turn the four cards to the right of its position face-up and read them as a narrative that explores: 1) What the querent brings to the table in the form of resources (“Loading the ammunition”); 2) What the objective looks like (“Acquiring the target”); 3) How the querent should initiate action (“Pulling the trigger”); and 4) What the likely outcome of this initiative will be (a “Hit” or a “Miss”).

Here is an example reading that assumes I’m a client who wants to know how to best allocate my energies over the next couple of months. I don’t have any pressing issues and would just like to see how I can be most effective in my endeavors.

The “Incentive” cards that were most closely attuned to their elemental position were the 10 of Swords and the 4 of Disks. The latter was the most encouraging, so I chose “Pragmatic Focus” as the preferred mode of pursuit and “Achievement of Satisfaction” as its most fulfilling expression.

The four cards of the reading proper were the 7 of Disks (Failure) reversed; the Moon; the 2 of Swords (Peace); and the Ace of Wands (Root of the Power of Fire). The reversed 7 of Disks as the “Ammunition” strongly suggests that I’m “shooting with blanks.” I know exactly what this is referring to. The Moon as the “Target” is perversely equivocal and won’t present a “clean shot.” The 2 of Swords* as the “Triggering Event” conveys the shooter’s admonition to “squeeze the trigger” gradually and deliberately rather than abruptly jerking it. Surprisingly, despite the defective ammunition and the evanescent target, the reading predicts “hitting the bullseye” as a result of having a steady “finger on the trigger.” This is an optimistic but totally unexpected forecast.

*Another way to look at the 2 of Swords is that, when sighting a rifle, there are two adjustments that can be made: elevation (up or down) and windage (left or right). The two crossed swords resembling a “crosshairs” in the image could suggest “finding the sweet spot” before pulling the trigger.