AUTHOR'S NOTE: I'm always looking for new ways to bring elemental attributes into tarot spread creation. This experimental layout uses both elemental attunement and midpoint numerology to arrive at an adjusted conclusion that does not end with a lopsided "best case" or "worst case" outlook but rather a compromise position that should ideally be more … Continue reading “This Is The Way:” A “Middle-Ground” Approach to Life-Reading
Elements
The Elemental Divide: A “Temporal Shift” Decision-Making Spread
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Here is another spread that employs four randomly-selected "elemental" cards to offer guidance in making a well-informed decision. The card that presents the most favorable alignment with the central "Focus" (aka "Decision") card, as determined by elemental alignment and/or cooperative polarity, number, rank and inherent nature, becomes the preferred incentive for driving the … Continue reading The Elemental Divide: A “Temporal Shift” Decision-Making Spread
“Six-ness” and the Sextile
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I recently came across two online questions that I've merged into a single essay. The first involved the blending of astrology with tarot, and the second inquired whether the 6 of Swords is a favorable card. In thinking about this topic, it struck me that in astrology the sextile aspect (60 degrees of … Continue reading “Six-ness” and the Sextile
Any Convenient Excuse
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I can't seem to escape gathering a fresh crop of intriguing notions every time I open Alejandro Jodorowsly's The Way of Tarot (at least on this, my second time through; the first adventure into his thinking felt more like an overwhelming tsunami of oddities). Somewhat like Aleister Crowley (although both would likely deny … Continue reading Any Convenient Excuse
A Fish Out of Water
"The fish in the water, the bird in the sky . . ." AUTHOR'S NOTE: When I encountered the above truncated haiku (which is apparently a fragment and maybe only a loose translation of a "traditional Japanese poem"), it brought me back to contemplation of the value of Elemental Dignity in tarot reading. This time … Continue reading A Fish Out of Water
Swords and Wands As “Present” and “Future”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Here's another unusual twist from Alejandro Jodorowsky. Although I certainly don't love everything he's written since so much of it is mystically obtuse (when it isn't merely peculiar), he does come up with some thought-provoking notions. In comparing the Ace of Swords to the Ace of Wands in The Way of Tarot, Jodorowsky … Continue reading Swords and Wands As “Present” and “Future”
A “Point-Counterpoint” Situational Awareness Spread
Here is an evolved situational awareness spread that is designed around the diurnal path of the Sun, from emerging conscious awareness of "outer" developments (Dawn) to entirely subconscious perception of the "inner landscape" of the matter (Midnight), accompanied at each step by an "intuitive" adjustment that serves as "counterpoint" to the main thrust of the … Continue reading A “Point-Counterpoint” Situational Awareness Spread
The Archetypal Celtic Cross
AUTHOR'S NOTE: The deck in the photograph is the Waite-Smith Centennial Edition in a Tin, which is copyrighted by U.S. Games Systems Inc. of Stamford, CT, used by permission and in accordance with the provisions of Fair Use. In The Way of Tarot, Alejandro Jodorowsky characterizes the Magician as dwelling entirely in the present, and … Continue reading The Archetypal Celtic Cross
The “Crucible” Problem-Solving Spread: An Alchemical Approach
While thinking about using the Temperance card as a kind of "talisman" for my reading sessions (an adaptation of another of Alejandro Jodorowsky's ritualistic ideas), I decided to create a spread based loosely on alchemical principles, specifically Aleister Crowely's assumption that the vigorous interaction of Fire and Water release Air. The premise is that one's … Continue reading The “Crucible” Problem-Solving Spread: An Alchemical Approach
The “Keynote Series” Developmental Insight Spread
Here is a concept that uses three brief "mini-readings" (Past/Present/Future) to derive a fourth "keynote" spread showing a condensed developmental path for the situation. It applies Elemental Dignities to the "Present" line, which is read from the outside-in according to standard ED practice. (The center, or "principal," card is the focus; the others feed into … Continue reading The “Keynote Series” Developmental Insight Spread
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 