AUTHOR’S NOTE: In his book Real Magic, Dean Radin discusses synchronicity, the simultaneous occurrence of events or situations that are unrelated from a cause-and-effect standpoint but that are inherently similar in nature and can be thematically linked as is done in astrology with its “As above, so below” premise. He goes on to associate this phenomenon with apparent coincidences as encountered during divination. As part of a brief excursion into the “observer effect” in quantum physics , he makes the following assertion about the “synchronistic serendipity” experienced in his own entrepreneurial career,:

” . . . we thought that intense intention also warps or distorts aspects of reality. Events that might otherwise be completely separate and never meet are naturally drawn together by the resulting warp in space-time.”

As I perform them, tarot readings involve an act of focused concentration by the person shuffling the cards, after which the diviner consults the pattern searching for an unknown answer that speaks directly to the seeker’s question or topic of interest. But in the past I’ve created spreads that employ a purposely-chosen card to represent the sitter’s desire to receive a favorable outcome or avoid the consequences of a less salutary one.

This card is placed in a sensitive position of the spread as the “significator” that symbolizes the goal, and the randomly-pulled cards that follow comment on the likelihood, improbability or uncertainty of the hoped-for result. The more plausible its realization seems to be, the more strongly the querent is encouraged to actively pursue the objective.

Below is a link to one of those spreads that I created in 2023. It is broader in scope than the above scenario, using three pre-selected cards to represent the desired “best case,” the feared “worst case” and the present state of affairs. It is read from the center out as a “downward trend” (toward the worst case at the left) and an “upward trend” (toward the best case at the right). The testimony of the random cards pulled for each arc will either validate or discredit the envisioned end of the matter. A decision about projected future conditions (whether “good” or “bad”) is then made based on which set of cards yields the strongest case for its unimpeded development.

Chasing Fate: Pulling the Thread on Trends