AUTHOR’S NOTE: As a take-away from my recent post on the Aces, I decided to create a situational-awareness spread designed around the baseball motif I used in that essay. I was an avid baseball player until my late 30s and I’m still a fan, so I’m very familiar with the mechanics of the game and the jargon. (All card images are from the Waite-Smith Centennial Edition, copyright of US Games Systems Inc, Stamford, CT.)

The spread has an astrological structure but doesn’t use the sign and house definitions, only the effect of the aspects in 30-degree increments from the conjunction (0 degrees) to the opposition (180 degrees), with an “Improving Trend” hemi-cycle (“+” notation) and a “Declining Trend” hemi-cycle (“-” notation). The cards are shuffled and dealt face-down and reversals can be used. I had to press a 12-sided Dungeons & Dragons die into service to make this work. I’ve never been a D&D player so I have no clue whether the sigils mean anything and I just assigned the numbers 1-through-12 randomly to the faces. (See the photos.)

The position meanings are a mix of generally (or at least marginally) positive consequences (the 60-degree sextile and 120-degree trine aspects); decidedly more negative implications (the 90-degree square and 180-degree opposition aspects); and minor conditions of little import (the 30-degree semi-sextile and 150-degree inconjunct aspects).

The “pitcher” card shows what life will most likely throw at the querent in the way of challenges and opportunities (fastballs, curve-balls, sliders, change-ups, etc.) and the “batter” card reflects how well-positioned the individual will be to address the “pitch” before any potential outcomes are examined. The “batter” card can be selected intentionally to signify the sitter’s current status or randomly pulled to show the type of incentives that could be tapped. (I recommend the latter.)

A single roll of the 12-sided die is performed to indicate which of the 12 scenarios will dominate the matter as it works itself out. Some positions will advance the situation in a favorable manner and others will present setbacks, although the nature of the card revealed could either take the “shine” off an optimistic outlook or soften the blow of a pessimistic one.

Just a word on the “Home Plate” or “zero-degree” position should it be called out by a random “1” roll. In the worst case I can see it showing the querent never “getting out of the batter’s box” (we used to call a pitcher who came to bat an “automatic out”), but a favorable card here could just mean being replaced with a pinch-hitter as a strategic move with no prejudice. Thus, it could entail walking away from the encounter before anything comes of it, with nothing lost and nothing gained.

The rest of the positions depict undertaking some kind of initiative although, as the saying goes, the sitter’s “mileage may vary.” There is no definitive “final answer” card in this spread, just a progress report that the querent should take under advisement going forward and decide how much effort to put into it. Some positions advise “full speed ahead” but the card received could “take the wind out of the sails;” some convey an abortive attempt that might be partially salvaged by an encouraging card; some bring the matter to a “full stop,” ending the affair regardless of the card’s testimony.

Here is a legend with a few possible interpretations:

“Pitcher” (No Trend) – Incoming challenges and opportunities.
“Batter” (No Trend) – The querent’s status or the incentive to advance.
“Walk” (Improving Trend) – Gaining a small advantage with little effort.
“Minor Hit” (Improving Trend) – Making slightly more headway based on merit.
“Reached on Error” (Improving Trend) – An error or oversight creates a lucky break.
“Major Hit” (Improving Trend) – The chance to “knock it out of the park.”
“Pop-up/Weak at-Bat” (Neutral Trend) – A halfhearted swing; it might drop in.
“Sacrifice Fly” (Neutral Trend) – Giving up something to get something of greater value.
“Ground Out” (Neutral Trend) – No gain but at least it had a chance.
“Fly Out/Nice Try” (Declining Trend) – A strong showing that comes up short.
“Strikeout” (Declining Trend) – A complete loss of mojo; worst-case scenario.
“Intentional Walk” (Declining Trend) – A free pass denying the opportunity to excel.
“Picked Off Base” (Declining Trend) – Blindsided by circumstances; back to the dugout.

I performed an example reading by asking what might result if I pursue an initiative I’ve been contemplating. The “pitcher-batter” duo gave me the 4 of Pentacles and 3 of Pentacles respectively, suggesting that it is something I would have to work for to gain the reward but it isn’t out-of-reach. The die roll produced a “4,” which singled out the 90-degree “square” aspect in the “Improving Trend” hemi-cycle. The square is a challenging aspect that usually means “Not just no, but hell no!” However, the prognosis is uncertain (Moon) and in this case I might just catch a break if I’m persistent. Nonetheless, the Moon offers a murky projection that doesn’t gain any traction from the improving trend. I’m thinking that, while all is not lost, it may be a waste of time and not worth the effort. Oh, well . . .

Summary Reading: A chance for material success is dangled in front of me (4 of Pentacles) but I would have to exert myself to claim it (3 of Pentacles) and the reception my effort would receive is indeterminate (Moon).