AUTHOR'S NOTE: Here is a spread that is intended for use when we feel becalmed or unmotivated and are looking for a definitive "breakout moment" sometime in the next month. You will need two decks for this spread, one for the fifteen "advice" cards in the top row and one for the "mode of action/inaction" … Continue reading A “Near-Term Breakout” Spread
Crisis-Management Spreads
Tarot Reading for Businesses: A Conceptual Overview
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Not long ago a new acquaintance, upon hearing that I read tarot cards, asked whether I do readings for business-related questions. I responded that I have yet to do so in a professional capacity but I certainly could, and I have in fact created quite a few experimental spreads for just that purpose. … Continue reading Tarot Reading for Businesses: A Conceptual Overview
Up-slopes, Down-slopes and Flat-lines: A Three-Tier Tarot Spread
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Here I'm posing the question "Which of three typical 'motifs' will form the core of a tarot reading and have the most to say about the situation?" In this experiment I'm attempting to craft an approach that separates the cards pulled for a reading into three situational scenarios indicating the path the narrative … Continue reading Up-slopes, Down-slopes and Flat-lines: A Three-Tier Tarot Spread
Chasing Fate: Pulling the Thread on Trends
AUTHOR'S NOTE: It's a well-worn cliche that nothing presented in a tarot reading is carved in stone; any outcome is subject to adjustment by timely action (and, it must be said, negligent inaction) of the seeker. However, there are cards that lean toward a fortunate outcome no matter how ill-favored they are by surrounding cards, … Continue reading Chasing Fate: Pulling the Thread on Trends
The “Bridge or Tunnel” Situational Outlook Spread
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is my second spread based on the "troll under the bridge" symbolism of Scandinavian folklore. (The first one was aimed at readings for children; this one is for adults and the "troll" - here we could call it a "cave troll" - is implied rather than explicit.) The roll of a single … Continue reading The “Bridge or Tunnel” Situational Outlook Spread
The “Ill Wind” Troubleshooting Forecast
AUTHOR'S NOTE - Question: What tarot concept involves zodiacal elements, English proverb, folklore, Shakespeare, Dickens, the Archangel Gabriel, yard maintenance and meteorological metaphor? Answer: This spread, obviously. English idiom: "It's an ill wind that blows nobody good." I've always felt that this proverb can be easily misconstrued as an ironclad guarantee of misfortune (e.g. "no … Continue reading The “Ill Wind” Troubleshooting Forecast
The Case for the “Rescue Person” (A Crisis-Intervention Spread)
The modern phenomenon of the "rescue dog" (or cat, rabbit, hamster, pig, horse, etc) is well-known. These are domestic animals that are captive strays or that are being abandoned by their owners, who don't want or for some reason can't keep them. Older or infirm pets are frequently on the road to euthanization and rescue … Continue reading The Case for the “Rescue Person” (A Crisis-Intervention Spread)
The “11th Hour Epiphany” Crisis Management Spread
I liked the layout of my "Roadkill Penguin" spread so much that I decided to do another spread based on it, this time to be read in a linear left-to-right fashion with "sidebar" cards adding more detail. The "crisis" of the title reflects the almost inevitable fact that every human endeavor runs into complications at … Continue reading The “11th Hour Epiphany” Crisis Management Spread
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 