"When the day goes to sleep and the full moon looks/ The night is so black that the darkness cooks" - from The Green Manalishi by Peter Green AUTHOR'S NOTE: In my ongoing study of I Ching divination (a lifetime pursuit similar to astrology and tarot but much more scholarly), I discovered the premise that … Continue reading The “Inner Question” Spread: Darkness at the Center
Experimental Methods
The Wall and the Keyhole: A Way Through
AUTHOR'S NOTE: While studying the text for Hexagram 20 (Guan; Observation) in Benebell Wen's book I Ching the Oracle: A Practical Guide to the Book of Changes, I encountered a description of the lower trigram (Kun, or Earth) with its three yin lines forming a "keyhole" (suggestive of an unobstructed line-of-sight) through which a glimpse … Continue reading The Wall and the Keyhole: A Way Through
“Pass-Through” Processing – An Energy Translation Spread
AUTHOR'S NOTE: As I've mentioned before, there are several ways to read a three-card line. My favorite is to approach it as a developing scenario that evolves from Point A to Point C, with "processing" of the energy-in-transit to occur at Point B, thus grooming the outcome to achieve its maximum potential. I will sometimes … Continue reading “Pass-Through” Processing – An Energy Translation Spread
“Making It Real” – The Tarot Talks About Female Presidents
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Although it may not happen during this election cycle, the United States will eventually have a female President; even I, as an "Old White Male," can see that the paradigm has pretty much run its course. (This time around, the likely Democratic nominee is not a particularly strong candidate if performance [or nonperformance] … Continue reading “Making It Real” – The Tarot Talks About Female Presidents
The “Feast or Famine” Trending Fortunes Spread
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Here is a spread that uses the nominal "positive, neutral or negative" qualities of the cards to determine whether a developing situation will remain steady over time or exhibit a falling or rising trend in its fortunes. It looks like it should be a nine-card reading, but once the trends are sorted out … Continue reading The “Feast or Famine” Trending Fortunes Spread
The “Bend in the Road” Turning-Point Spread
AUTHOR'S NOTE: In a recent post I mentioned that the three-card line seldom offers enough detail to support a comprehensive narrative, while a five-card line is reasonably thorough. I'm not one to use "auxiliary" cards like clarifiers or base cards to flesh out the picture unless I build them into the structure of the spread. … Continue reading The “Bend in the Road” Turning-Point Spread
Imbibing Fire: A Self-Advancement Ritual
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I've owned a crystal ball for several years with the goal of "scrying in the astral vision" but I've despaired of ever getting the light-to-dark ratio in the room just right so I can see something other than reflections or, alternatively, utter darkness in the sphere. However, I think I've found a different … Continue reading Imbibing Fire: A Self-Advancement Ritual
A Suit-of-Pentacles “Elemental Storyboard” Test Reading
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Here is my final "elemental storyboard" test reading that uses the suit of Pentacles to represent the "base element" of Earth. An objective I've been working toward is at the point of requiring concrete action, so I'm going to look at how I might proceed and what my prospects for success are. Radiant … Continue reading A Suit-of-Pentacles “Elemental Storyboard” Test Reading
Sharpening the Focus: A Three-Card Daily Profile Spread
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Here is a simple spread that captures my personal view of the "daily draw." As my regular readers know, I don't have much use for the single-card daily draw because it is entirely too static. Even a three-card pull can be overly generic due to being scattered across a full deck of 78 … Continue reading Sharpening the Focus: A Three-Card Daily Profile Spread
Linked Reversals As “Descent into Chaos”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: In a recent post I floated the idea that an unbroken string of reversed cards in a reading can "descend into chaos." I have numerous opinions about the significance of reversal that I've captured in over a dozen previous essays, but this is a new one. I've always felt that a reversed card … Continue reading Linked Reversals As “Descent into Chaos”
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 