This is a type of decision-making spread that examines the odds of success or failure in any significant change scenario. It requires separating the deck into two stacks, one with only the minor cards and the other with the court and trump cards. The two sets are dealt separately into a "three-plus-three" array with the … Continue reading The “Carrot and Stick” Situational Development Spread
Decision-making Spreads
The “Fool’s Itinerary” Success Path Spread
This spread assumes that there are two ways to contemplate the likely success of any endeavor: the "easy way" and the "hard way." It includes a three-card planning stage, a "trigger" card and a choice of paths dictated by the orientation of the trigger card, either upright or reversed. It is necessary to allow reversals … Continue reading The “Fool’s Itinerary” Success Path Spread
The “3-Card a la Carte” Decision-Making Spread
Those of you who follow me know that I'm not a fan of three-card readings. In my opinion they take too narrow a slice of the deck and tell too shallow a story, requiring considerable intuitive guesswork to fill in the gaps in the narrative. I prefer not to work that hard when the information … Continue reading The “3-Card a la Carte” Decision-Making Spread
Should I or Shouldn’t I? – A “Measure of the Moment” Reading
After having spent most of the last month in my house, going nowhere but into the back yard, I've been itching to get into the outdoors and do something active. The governor here has been encouraging it, but so many people are following his advice that the parks and trails are crowded, defeating the purpose … Continue reading Should I or Shouldn’t I? – A “Measure of the Moment” Reading
The “Ring Pass Not” Critical Decision-Making Spread
I'm a firm believer in the idea that tarot can aid us in making momentous and potentially life-changing decisions as long as a judicious method is devised for applying its testimony. Like the old caveat about astrology ("The stars don't compel, they impel"), the cards in a reading should be treated as either encouraging or … Continue reading The “Ring Pass Not” Critical Decision-Making Spread
An “Agree to Disagree” Example Reading
To test this spread, I asked how effective the US government's response to the COVID-19 crisis is going to be. I used the dazzling Tabula Mundi Colores Arcus Tarot (a Thoth clone), with reversals. Note that, in this case, the only relevant aspects of the two court cards are their facing and orientation; they aren't … Continue reading An “Agree to Disagree” Example Reading
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
The “Hopscotch” Multi-Tier Situational Awareness Spread
As is most likely apparent, I enjoy spreads that take unexpected twists and turns at some point in their journey from question to answer. This one uses reversed cards to change the direction of the flow from a typically linear, left-to-right model to a more complex, multi-tiered affair that can descend into situational ambiguity as … Continue reading The “Hopscotch” Multi-Tier Situational Awareness Spread
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 