A common practice recommended to tarot beginners is to randomly pull one card each day and contemplate its meaning over the course of that day, with the goal of gradually mastering the complex art of interpretation. Unfortunately, this approach to learning can continue long after its initial usefulness fades; the "daily draw" becomes institutionalized and … Continue reading A Creative Approach to Weekly and Daily Draws
Experimental Methods
A Missing-Person “Sectional” Suspect and Location Spread
Just when you thought I'd gone off the deep end, here is a very simple layout that I will be using in connection with my other more detailed missing-person spreads. (You will need a board-game spinner or other random "sectioning" method to work with it.) As mentioned in the accompanying text, the thrust of this … Continue reading A Missing-Person “Sectional” Suspect and Location Spread
The “Reasonable Certainty” Investment Opportunity Spread
Here is a spread for you "left-brained" types who appreciate a more deductive, methodical approach to tarot reading when warranted. It can be used when the opportunity for any kind of significant investment arises; this can be a financial initiative or any other commitment involving one's time or resources. Note that if you are of … Continue reading The “Reasonable Certainty” Investment Opportunity Spread
A “Three-Ring Circus” Business Health Reading
To test this spread, I performed a reading on the corporate health of a relative's employer. I used the Retro Thoth deck with its court-card hierarchy of Princess, Prince, Queen and Knight. The Functional Effectiveness row includes the 10 of Wands reversed; the 3 of Disks; the 2 of Disks reversed; the 3 of Wands … Continue reading A “Three-Ring Circus” Business Health Reading
The “Spirit-Mind-Body” Personality Matrix
Here is another complex layout that isn't a reading spread but a personality profile developed using the cards; it takes a bit of effort to set up but should be worth it. I've been looking at full-deck readings posted online recently and wanted to try that in a way that randomly "compartmentalizes" the cards into … Continue reading The “Spirit-Mind-Body” Personality Matrix
A “Left Brain/Right Brain” Example Reading: The Fate of Roe vs Wade
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Here is the companion piece to the spread I posted earlier today. To test my new "Left Brain/Right Brain" Split-Decision Spread, I decided to tackle one of the most highly-charged and divisive issues of our time from both a legal and emotional standpoint: the fate of the Roe vs Wade abortion law in … Continue reading A “Left Brain/Right Brain” Example Reading: The Fate of Roe vs Wade
The “Left Brain/Right Brain” Split-Decision Spread
AUTHOR"S NOTE: I will follow this up shortly with an example reading showing how it is to be used. To help resolve the endless debate (or perhaps to generate more debate) on whether an allusive, intuitive approach to reading the cards or a literal, logical one is most informative, I decided to create a spread … Continue reading The “Left Brain/Right Brain” Split-Decision Spread
Where Is Harmony? – A Tarot-Cartography View
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is one of my "bonus" posts that I will occasionally double-up on in my daily output. UPDATE: During an online conversation about this reading, someone observed that the 4 of Wands clearly means she is deceased. I responded by saying that I'm not so sure. Aleister Crowley's idea behind the title for … Continue reading Where Is Harmony? – A Tarot-Cartography View
Reversed Cards As “Interrogatories”
While working on my Pink Floyd essay, I used reversed cards to portray the questions posed in the song's lyrics as a way to distinguish them from the declarative statements made by the upright cards. "Can you feel me?" and "Would you touch me?" are two examples. This has me thinking that reversed cards might … Continue reading Reversed Cards As “Interrogatories”
A “Threepenny Opera” Followup Reading: Arm Surgery
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I have quite a few short essays jostling for inclusion here and I've been hard-pressed to maintain my self-imposed limit of one post per day. So I won't in a few special cases, mainly new spreads and example readings that are more illustrative than profoundly informative. As mentioned in my previous post on … Continue reading A “Threepenny Opera” Followup Reading: Arm Surgery
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 