One of my favorite aphorisms is "I'm a student of human nature, so of course I'm a cynic." I believe that every individual has a private script (and usually a personal agenda) of some kind running at any given moment (they're basically starring in their own movie, although I don't think that's exactly what Aleister … Continue reading Students, Cynics and the Tarot Court
Courts
The “Agree to Disagree” Decision-Making Spread
Here is a spread designed to examine situations where an individual must interact with another person or entity to undertake an initiative of some kind when one or both of them may not be fully on-board with the arrangement. I could see using it in any scenario involving controversial legislative action in the present US … Continue reading The “Agree to Disagree” Decision-Making Spread
The “Let Me Face It” Action/Initiative Decision-Making Spread
This spread is named in honor of a French-Canadian acquaintance who always said "Let me face it" instead of the rhetorical "Let's face it" when making a point. It uses the facing of the court cards to indicate which of four rows of face-down cards to select for the reading. The court cards are separated … Continue reading The “Let Me Face It” Action/Initiative Decision-Making Spread
“Stirring the Pot” – A Developmental Insight and Action Spread
Here is another split-deck decision-making spread. It formalizes the involvement of other people who may have a stake in the matter, whether to aid, obstruct or take advantage of the seeker. This is accomplished by separating the court cards from the deck and dealing them into specific positions reflecting the above possibilities. Human beings are … Continue reading “Stirring the Pot” – A Developmental Insight and Action Spread
A Horse of a Different Color
To my knowledge, other than the small dog in Le Mat, the lion in La Force, the two canines in La Lune and the two horses in Le Chariot, there have been few attempts to rope the Tarot de Marseille animals into the narrative of a reading and give them a starring role. I was … Continue reading A Horse of a Different Color
My Daily Element
As I mentioned recently, I seldom do daily draws any more because my life just doesn't change enough to warrant that detailed level of scrutiny. But I do believe there can be value in looking at the elemental tone and the numerical vibration of the upcoming day, not to see what will happen and why, … Continue reading My Daily Element
A Tarot de Marseille Process Analysis
As I gain experience with it, I find that divination with the Tarot de Marseille (TdM) is best suited for providing a literal perspective (as with the Lenormand cards) rather than for the more symbolic, impressionistic approach used with most modern tarot decks. This is due primarily to their spare presentation that doesn't encourage much … Continue reading A Tarot de Marseille Process Analysis
The Repurposed Significator: A Comprehensive Overview
In previous posts I've mentioned the idea of reinstating the Significator card in my Celtic Cross readings (something I did away with as unnecessary a while ago) for the sole purpose of identifying through its facing whether the querent is consciously focused (or unconsciously fixated) on the past, the present or the future of the … Continue reading The Repurposed Significator: A Comprehensive Overview
Where Is Dewey? – A Missing Person Reading
An 84 (or 82, depending on which part of this article you believe) year-old man with dementia has gone missing in Tamworth, NH. https://www.wmur.com/article/search-for-missing-tamworth-man-is-suspended/23164418 I performed my "World of Hurt" missing-person spread to see if I can learn anything about his status; the deck is the Golden Universal. The first King to appear in the … Continue reading Where Is Dewey? – A Missing Person Reading
The “Monkey in the Middle” Problem Clarification Spread
Every so often we all encounter situations where we're stumped by the meaning of a particular card in a particular reading. A common practice is to pull more cards to clarify the interpretation, but I prefer to take my cue from A.E. Waite's Pictorial Key to the Tarot and use the problem card as the "Significator" in a new … Continue reading The “Monkey in the Middle” Problem Clarification Spread
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 