AUTHOR'S NOTE: Rising on the planes is an act of ceremonial magic performed on the Middle Pillar of the Qabalistic Tree of Life. Here I'm using it as the inspiration for a tarot spread that looks at practical/physical, mental/emotional and spiritual/philosophical approaches to decision-making and problem-solving, with an eye toward optimizing one of them. Begin … Continue reading “Rising on the Planes” – A Three-Tier Decision-Making and Problem-Solving Spread
Decision-making Spreads
The One-Card Draw as Thematic Stage-Setter
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 … Continue reading The One-Card Draw as Thematic Stage-Setter
Uncomfortable Questions and Hidden Variables: Tarot and Lenormand on the Witness Stand
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Although the inspiration for this essay came from reading about the design of scientific experiments in quantum physics, I identified parallels between that model and my style of cartomantic interpretation. The opinion of the experimental researcher was that mainstream physicists are typically unwilling to contemplate uncomfortable questions or probe hidden variables if those … Continue reading Uncomfortable Questions and Hidden Variables: Tarot and Lenormand on the Witness Stand
The “Quantum Theory” of Tarot Reading
“All around me golden sunflakes/Settle on the ground.”- from Granchester Meadows by Pink Floyd AUTHOR'S NOTE: I was just reading a fascinating description of the behavior of visible light from a quantum physics perspective. Luminosity has been portrayed by scientists as quasi-particulate in that it is transmitted and received in "packets" of massless particles called … Continue reading The “Quantum Theory” of Tarot Reading
Purposeful Divination
AUTHOR NOTE: I was answering a question on one of the occult forums regarding what kind of magic I've found most effective, and I came up with the following response. Although I haven't performed any ritual magic since the mid-1980s, I realized that I now pursue what might be called "purposeful divination" as a form … Continue reading Purposeful Divination
The Conditional Future: A “Retrocausation” Spread
AUTHOR'S NOTE: In his book Real Magic, Dean Radin introduced me to the idea of "time running backward" and its corollary, "retrocausation," in which the future reaches back into the present and shapes current circumstances to align with its long-range outlook. I covered this in my previous essay "Predisposition in Tarot Reading," and here I'm … Continue reading The Conditional Future: A “Retrocausation” Spread
Warping Reality: The Role of Intention in Tarot Reading
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 … Continue reading Warping Reality: The Role of Intention in Tarot Reading
The Pros, The Cons and The Reality: An Opportunity and Challenge Spread
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Here is a another "best-case/worst-case" decision-making spread that includes a "reality check" card intended to mediate between the two and serve as the resolution of the matter. The "A" cards represent the "Opportunity" arc in three phases, while the "B"cards show the "Challenge" arc, also in three phases. These cards are to be … Continue reading The Pros, The Cons and The Reality: An Opportunity and Challenge Spread
A Multi-Path “Coin-Flip” Spread
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Here is a multi-path spread that uses a twist on the three-coin I Ching hexagram creation technique to select which sub-pack to read for the answer: short, medium or long-range approach to resolution. Card-back images are from the Retro-Thoth Tarot (privately published) The idea is to shuffle the deck (reversals may be used) … Continue reading A Multi-Path “Coin-Flip” Spread
“Opportunity Presented” – A Multi-Path Decision Making Spread
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Upon reading Benebell Wen's observation in Holistic Tarot that each of the Aces symbolizes "an opportunity presented" (but not yet acted upon), I realized that this concept could be put to use in a decision-making spread with three distinct outcome chains depending on how the opportunity is handled. Card backs are from the … Continue reading “Opportunity Presented” – A Multi-Path Decision Making Spread
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 