AUTHOR'S NOTE: Whenever the meaning of the "outcome" card in an online spread analysis is unclear, I expect to encounter advice from the community to "look at the rest of the cards in the reading for the answer." This is wise counsel since no single card operates in a vacuum when accompanied by one or … Continue reading Point/Counterpoint: The Interplay of Cards in a Reading
Elements
“Two Sides to Every Story” – An Explicit/Implicit Approach to Tarot Reading
AUTHOR'S NOTE: We're often told that "there are two sides to every story" and that we must understand both if we are to effectively defuse a controversy. In this light, although I'm not purposely focusing on conflict-resolution scenarios, I've created a new spread that examines the opposite faces of a situation, one overt or readily … Continue reading “Two Sides to Every Story” – An Explicit/Implicit Approach to Tarot Reading
Force Over Form: Leveraging the Elements
AUTHOR'S NOTE: "Leveraging" is the act of pressing one's advantage in ways that optimize the benefit in practical terms; it's the concept behind the Biblical proverb of "moving mountains" with simple conviction and affirmation (aka "faith" but I don't subscribe to that concept, preferring to say that I'm a "man of certainty"). Here I will … Continue reading Force Over Form: Leveraging the Elements
Syncretic Card Selection: Alternatives to the “Straight Deal”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: In The Book of Thoth, Aleister Crowley discussed metaphysical syncretism as it applied to spiritual beliefs and practices across a wide range of ancient cultures, drawing parallels between them when it struck him as significant. At a more humble level, I employ syncretism ("the merging or assimilation of several originally discrete traditions") in … Continue reading Syncretic Card Selection: Alternatives to the “Straight Deal”
Elemental Correspondences: Keys to the Kingdom
AUTHOR'S NOTE: If asked by a tarot beginner to identify the least tedious way to become more familiar with reading the cards, my advice (other than "practice, practice, practice") would be to acquire a fundamental understanding of each card (no more than one or two keywords similar to the way Lenormand cards are read) and … Continue reading Elemental Correspondences: Keys to the Kingdom
Repurposing the Chaldean Decans for Tarot Reading
AUTHOR'S NOTE: The Golden Dawn's alignment of the tarot cards with the astrological (aka "Chaldean") decanates (36 ten-degree segments of the zodiac beginning on the Vernal Equinox) has intrigued me since I first picked up the tarot in 1972 to complement my practice of astrology, but I have never been satisfied with its customary application … Continue reading Repurposing the Chaldean Decans for Tarot Reading
The Star as “Organic Nurturing”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: File under "Fanciful and Farfetched Philosophical Finagling." Forgive me for having a little fun with this one, but I just came across a remark in Paul Fenton-Smith's Tarot Master-Class about the Star bringing "nurturing" that sent me down this path. A great deal has been written about the fact that the woman in … Continue reading The Star as “Organic Nurturing”
The “Ace in the Hole” Developmental Arc Spread
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This spread is intended to show the development of an opportunity along the most favorable elemental lines. The "Ace in the Hole" card is a wild card that is dealt face-down and then aligned with the most advantageous path when it is turned face-up. The idea is to build a five-card reading around … Continue reading The “Ace in the Hole” Developmental Arc Spread
Decanic Intervals: A Unique Approach to Tarot Timing
AUTHOR'S NOTE: The Golden Dawn's system of tarot timing relies on the zodiacal position of 68 of the cards within the "Chaldean" array of twelve astrological signs. In this essay I'm going to challenge the conventions that have been established for its use. The series of 36 minor cards begins in Aries on or about … Continue reading Decanic Intervals: A Unique Approach to Tarot Timing
A Comprehensive Wellness Assessment Spread
AUTHOR'S NOTE: It is generally accepted in professional tarot circles that the cards should not be consulted for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes related to matters of health and wellness. However, in keeping with my belief that divination can be used to address any question as long as it is phrased with sufficient care, I see … Continue reading A Comprehensive Wellness Assessment Spread
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 