AUTHOR’S NOTE: In my opinion, the one-card pull as a daily reading practice is relatively useless except as a way to show the environmental backdrop or atmosphere of the forthcoming 24-hour period. It is static and therefore can’t effectively display potential developments in the situation unless we imagine (aka “intuit”) them. However, I’m proposing another technique that will squeeze more value from it.

I’ve mentioned before that I sometimes use the initial step of the First Operation of the Golden Dawn’s “Opening of the Key” method as a heads-up regarding the likely focus of the main spread that follows. This is usually an elemental “pointer” that highlights the primary theme of whichever element stands out in the draw. I take this indication under advisement as a suggested emphasis that may or may not be borne out by the subsequent reading, and if it isn’t corroborated I hold it in reserve for later reference as appropriate.

Pulling a single card for this purpose after a preliminary shuffle would accomplish the same thing without going through the elaborate iterations of the Golden Dawn”s “four elemental sub-pack” approach that uses a pre-selected significator card.

Before the spread for the actual reading is thrown, a single card can be drawn (perhaps from a “fan” array) and its elemental correspondence, number or rank, polarity and orientation, astrological association and inherent nature can be brought to bear on divining the background tone of upcoming circumstances that will underscore the querent’s engagement with the matter as it unfolds.

At present, I’m thinking that I would hold it aside to set above the definitive layout as a kind of “touchstone” for assessing the extent to which the rest of the cards follow its lead. (See the photo below.) But if I want to keep that card in the deck for the final shuffle so its influence won’t be prevented from appearing sequentially in the overall forecast, it may be best to pull a stand-alone “theme” card from a second pack of cards so I don’t have to worry about how I reinsert it (i.e. whether upright or reversed) into the randomized arrangement of the original deck.

Here is an example reading that applies this innovation:*

The question was “How will a particular situation play out by the end of August, and what signs of progress will there be as September arrives, if any?

The random “theme” card was the 2 of Cups (“Love”) reversed, which I’m interpreting as “Muted Anticipation.”

The “Mental State” card was the 9 of Swords (“Cruelty”) reversed, suggesting instability and anxiety, possibly self-inflicted.

The “Emotional State” card was the Fool reversed, showing a “toss-up” with no “leg to stand on.” Nothing will be resolved and the sense of futility may again be self-imposed.

The “Physical State” card was the Hanged Man, indicating deferral of judgment in the matter, and a forced “wait-and-see” attitude.

The most interesting sign in this spread is the similarity in appearance and import between the Hanged Man as “Elemental Water”(or Neptune in modern esoteric tarot) and the reversed 2 of Cups as Venus in Cancer since both planets have a connection to Pisces (sign of the mystical and mysterious) in rulership and exaltation, respectively. There is no clarity to be found here, only uncertainty in the near future.

Add to this the topsy-turvy Fool and the reversal of 75% of the population, all of which signify dithering and delay. (One of my general definitions for reversal is “having a Hanged-Man moment.” Another is the “dying cockroach” paradigm in which the legs are waving impotently in the air, unable to gain traction; the reversed Fool feels it keenly and the reversed 9 of Swords cuts him no slack, but the upright Hanged Man is accustomed to that awkward posture and can wait it out since there is no inclination to rush.)

If I perform the “numerical essence” calculation for these cards, I come up with the decisive Magician as the archetypal overview (not shown in the image). This seems to be indicating that the ball is in the querent’s court, which does not square well with the general equivocation of this outlook. Advising the seeker to “step up to the plate” or “just go for it” would not be prudent.

To summarize, this reading is saying that nothing substantial in the way of closure will occur by the end of the month, so the question should be revisited in September. The cards have a “vote-of-no-confidence” feel to them. The reversed 2 of Cups offers faint hope but everything after it belies that optimism.

*This layout can also be read left-to-right as a “Mind/Spirit/Body” sequence with Spirit occupying the key middle position as a supplemental “theme” card with Mind and Body on either side acting in a reciprocal fashion as either modifying or modified factors that: 1) provide “guardrails” for Spirit so it doesn’t wander off into an excess of mysticism; or 2) are steered by Spirit toward a common goal. In this reading, the Fool conveys “aimlessness” as a secondary theme and neither of the adjacent cards offers a corrective for it.