AUTHOR’S NOTE: A comment on one of my Medium posts led me to the idea that it would be productive to bin the cards pulled for a spread into “Primary Scope/Direct Answer” and “Secondary Scope/Rest of the Story” sub-categories, resembling a double-entry financial ledger. So here goes!
I began by shuffling the deck to allow for reversals while silently asking what the progress of my ongoing quest would be over the next six months to a year. Then I pulled ten cards in a single row as the “pool” for the rest of the process. (Card backs are from the Retro-Thoth Tarot, privately published; card faces are from the Thoth Tarot, copyright of US Games Systems Inc, Stamford, CT.)
I turned all of the cards face up and decided which of them spoke most directly to the question and which provided secondary insights, shown as “A” and “B” selections.
I moved the “A” selections to the top five-card chain of a new layout, and the “B” selections to the bottom chain.
Card A1: Since the question had to do with ambitions, the very first card spoke directly to it. “Valour” has to do with extraordinary courage in the face of daunting odds. Although the situation doesn’t come across as quite that “do-or-die” at the moment, it certainly could become so.
Card A2: In the original pull, three of the Princes together in a group showed potent intentions, but the one that stood out as most pertinent to my objective was the Prince of Wands.
Card A3: I had a choice of either Adjustment reversed or the Queen of Swords reversed for Card 3, both of which convey the idea of exacting conditions surrounding a decision. I chose Adjustment as being more definitive, and also because it appears to be thoughtfully withholding judgement regarding the fate of the Princess of Disks in sympathy with my cause.
Card A4: The gracious Princess of Disks symbolizes my aspirations in the matter.
Card A5: The 6 of Cups as “Pleasure” speaks for itself. Aleister Crowley named it “one of the best (cards) in the pack.”
As the “Primary Scope” this series of cards puts the best face on the outcome. Next comes the rebuttal or “Rest of the Story,” which adds nuance as the “Secondary Scope.” It exhibits a volatile mixture of elemental dissonance between Air and Earth.
Card B1: The Prince of Swords suggests an impatient attitude that goads the Prince of Wands to step up, grab the virile 7 of Wands in both hands, and get moving.
Card B2: The Prince of Disks reversed seems to be saying “Now wait just a darn minute, I really don’t want to stick my neck out.”
Card B3: In my system of trump-and-court-card counterparts, the Queen of Swords is the “little sister” of Justice/Adjustment and she is just a bit less prudent in her deliberations. The implication is that the decision might be taken out of my hands by her unbalanced (i.e. reversed) impulsiveness.
Card B4: The Tower could be the upshot of the Queen of Swords using a bit too much manipulation to get her way, creating disruption. The Princess of Disks might be placed in an uncomfortable position.
Card B5: The 5 of Disks (“Worry”) reversed seems to show lingering remorse that is not pronounced enough to dispel the “pleasure” of the 6 of Cups. Somebody could be feeling distressed but it may not be me.
Summary: The effectiveness of this technique is encouraging. I think I’m going to add it to my regular repertoire.
