When querents bring a planning question to the table, they typically have at least a rough idea of what they want to do, although it may be founded more on hope and conjecture than clear-eyed foresight. Most are aware they need a fall-back position, or "Plan B," to which they can resort if things don't … Continue reading The Best-Laid Plans: An Alternative Action Spread
Decision-making Spreads
The “Devil Made Me Do It” Moral Dilemma Spread
Every once in a while we all face a moral dilemma. They don't have to be life-changing issues (unless they snowball, of course), they can be little things. Do I tell that white lie to save someone's feelings or do I tell the plain truth and let the chips fall where they may? The basic … Continue reading The “Devil Made Me Do It” Moral Dilemma Spread
A Simple Question-and-Answer Spread
Those of us who create a lot of spreads sometimes get so caught up in the game that we neglect the simple stuff. This spread is a substitute for the three-card and five-card line that puts a different spin on the reading: not so much "past/present/future" as countervailing influences that will push the answer one … Continue reading A Simple Question-and-Answer Spread
The “Hold ‘Em or Fold ‘Em” Gambler’s Option Spread
Here's a fun spread that makes use of Joseph Maxwell's numerological approach to odd-numbered and even-numbered cards; the former actively seek change leading to equilibrium , while the latter strive to maintain the present balance. In decision-making space, the two extremes spell the difference between an aggressive approach to the solution and a more passive … Continue reading The “Hold ‘Em or Fold ‘Em” Gambler’s Option Spread
The “Strummer’s Wishbone” Simple Choice Spread
I have a fascination with complex spreads, but they are usually too large and elaborate for simple decision-making. I decided to create a two-pronged decision tree with only three cards in each chain: situation, choice and outcome, plus an optional "quintessence" card for each as advice. The title refers to the fact that, in 1981, … Continue reading The “Strummer’s Wishbone” Simple Choice Spread
A Simple Yes-or-No Spread
Answering straightforward yes-or-no questions in a clean, simple way has never been easy with the tarot because the cards are highly nuanced, telling complex stories rather than pronouncing clear-cut verdicts. Different approaches have been tried, including single-card pulls that rely on the general positive or negative nature of the card drawn, or - even more … Continue reading A Simple Yes-or-No Spread
The “Sword and Shield” Decision-Making Spread
This is an earlier and more complex 15-card version of the "active-or-passive" decision-making spread I previously posted as the Balance of Forces spread. It is a study in its own right, in that it uses a qabalistic Tree of Life format with my own take on Adam Kadmon, the "Heavenly Man," standing within the Tree … Continue reading The “Sword and Shield” Decision-Making Spread
The “Second Opinion” Moving Line Spread
This is a "Majors-Only" spread in which only four of the cards are drawn from the 22-card deck; the rest are derived from the card first drawn in each row. It adopts the concept that all of the Major Arcana cards except the Fool as "0" have one or more "numerological counterparts" based on the … Continue reading The “Second Opinion” Moving Line Spread
The “Double Whammy” Yes-or-No Spread
This is an intense little spread that is more complicated than it looks. It uses only the 56 suit cards and also two standard dice, and is designed around the astronomical Earth-Sun-Moon cycle. The waxing lunar cycle builds toward "Yes" and the waning cycle fades toward "No." The idea is to first lay out the … Continue reading The “Double Whammy” Yes-or-No Spread
The “Fool’s Insight” Spread
This spread uses the Fool card from a second deck as a kind of impartial observer of the situation described in the reading. It represents an archetypal Inner Fool “holding up a mirror” ( the cards in the spread) to reflect the querent's wisdom or folly in the matter at hand. The idea for the … Continue reading The “Fool’s Insight” Spread
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 