A couple of days ago a client asked me if I have any "chaos-based" spreads. I replied that I don't but then remembered that at an earlier time I had casually researched chaos theory, so I went back for another look. Although I have a few designs that nibble around the edges, I have none … Continue reading A “Chaotic Complex” Random-Variable Life-Reading Spread
Experimental Methods
A 2022 NFL Tarot Prediction: Los Angeles Rams vs Buffalo Bills
UPDATE: Although the point-spread prediction was inaccurate, this reading did get three things right: 1) the Bills won (by a larger margin than expected); 2) the score was tied at halftime; and 3) the Bills defense shut down the Rams offense during the entire second half. The Bills didn't exactly "break it wide open," but … Continue reading A 2022 NFL Tarot Prediction: Los Angeles Rams vs Buffalo Bills
The “What-If?” Alternate Reality Lessons-Learned Spread
Yesterday I came across a question on the r/tarot sub-reddit asking whether we can put "what-if" questions to the tarot. For example, "What would have happened if I had made a different decision than the one that landed me where I am now?" An ideal specific subject might be "Where would I be in life … Continue reading The “What-If?” Alternate Reality Lessons-Learned Spread
The “Gatekeeper and Keymaster” Best-Case Scenario Spread
The title of this spread comes from the two demonic characters ("Zuul" and "Vinz Clortho") played by Sigourney Weaver and Rick Moranis in the first Ghostbusters movie. The premise was rife with thinly-veiled sexual innuendo about the "gate" and the "key," but it seemed like a good basis for a tarot spread. The spread uses … Continue reading The “Gatekeeper and Keymaster” Best-Case Scenario Spread
Daily Patterns: “Moon-Day,” “Mars-Day,” Etc.
As an astrologer of long standing, I've always been fascinated by the internal or secondary structure in my tarot readings offered by the symbolic architecture of the astrological correspondences developed by the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn at the end of the 19th Century (see the chart below). Some of them work better than … Continue reading Daily Patterns: “Moon-Day,” “Mars-Day,” Etc.
A Domino-and-Cards Example Reading: House Sale
To test this spread I chose a real-life situation in which acquaintances have just started the process of trying to sell their current house and move to a bigger one. The deck here is the RWS Centennial Edition in a Tin (copyright U.S. Games, Stamford, CT, used by permission) that I shuffled to introduce random … Continue reading A Domino-and-Cards Example Reading: House Sale
“Hot” Cards
Many of my ideas about Lenormand reading spring from my numerous fertile conversations on the Aeclectic Tarot forum with authors Andy Boroveshengra and Mary K. Greer before they both moved on - and then we all did. This one is no exception. I've written on this subject before (links below) but I wanted to sharpen … Continue reading “Hot” Cards
An Experiment in “Symbolic Parallels”
Here is a 15-card spread that explores the notion that cards will complement one another according to the position they hold within the 78-card series, essentially creating pairs of "symbolic parallels." It is intended to show the querent's psychological orientation to the subject of the reading as it develops over time, from initial awareness to … Continue reading An Experiment in “Symbolic Parallels”
“Up the Down Staircase” – The Reversed Quintessence Card
A number of years ago, a young woman who went by the online name of "Amanda" on the now-defunct Aeclectic Tarot forum gave me the idea of subtracting the face value of any reversed cards in a spread when doing the "quintessence" calculation, which can result in a negative total and therefore a reversed "quint" … Continue reading “Up the Down Staircase” – The Reversed Quintessence Card
A “Psychometric” Yes-or-No Reading Approach
The dilemma of how to handle "yes-or-no" questions (or whether to even attempt answering them) is one that all tarot readers must confront sooner or later. I've tried numerous ways, both simple and complicated, to solve the problem and a few years ago I created a table of what I dubbed "Yes-Leaning," "No-Leaning" and "Maybe" … Continue reading A “Psychometric” Yes-or-No Reading Approach
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 