I've often pondered what Macgregor Mathers intended by the description "blended pleasure" as a pejorative for the emotional state shown in the 4 of Cups. I had to stop and think "Blended with what, and to what end?" The purpose of blending two things is usually to improve the quality of one or both of … Continue reading “Pleasure with Pain for Leaven:” Blended Satisfaction
Experimental Methods
The “One-Act Play” Example Reading: A Three-Way Conflict
I decided to test this spread on a hypothetical scenario in which three individuals are engaged in a disagreement. To do this I randomly pulled three court cards for the middle position instead of one. I used the magnificent Golden Art Nouveau Tarot with reversals. The situation assumes that two junior individuals are up against … Continue reading The “One-Act Play” Example Reading: A Three-Way Conflict
The “Life’s One-Act Play” Situational Awareness Spread
A long time ago there was a song by British blues band Savoy Brown titled "Life's One-Act Play." It struck my as a perfect idea for a small spread that shows the outcome of a single "act" or "scene" in the life of the seeker. It is a three-carder at heart, with an additional summary … Continue reading The “Life’s One-Act Play” Situational Awareness Spread
A “5:30” Situational Development Example Reading
To test this spread, I chose as my topic the current status of a long-running initiative involving the sale of property. A non-local couple expressed an interest in buying some land early last year in order to be close to relatives when they visit, but a number of obstacles have intervened to prevent it from … Continue reading A “5:30” Situational Development Example Reading
The “5:30” Mixed-Media Situational Development Spread
One weakness of the traditional method of drawing from the top of the deck is that it leaves a large majority of the cards out of the running for selection. Although I trust the shuffle to bring the "right" cards to the top, I'm always looking for ways to enhance the credibility of the process. … Continue reading The “5:30” Mixed-Media Situational Development Spread
An All-Purpose “One-on-One” Relationship Spread
Relationship questions are the "bread-and-butter" of professional tarot reading, but most of them relate to romantic matters rather than to the more routine type of interpersonal contact. Here is a spread that examines one-on-one connections of any kind from five different perspectives: 1) the overall health of the relationship, along with its condition from 2) … Continue reading An All-Purpose “One-on-One” Relationship Spread
Incremental Court Cards
As I continue my study and practice of playing-card divination, I'm gaining some insights into the nature and application of the court cards that can be readily integrated into my knowledge of the tarot courts. The main idea is one of the progressive or incremental unfolding of the hierarchical and numerical energy in human terms. … Continue reading Incremental Court Cards
Trump’s Fate: A “Friends-and-Enemies” Example Reading
I'm probably going to disappoint the Trump-haters again, but I try to "just read the cards" with these sociopolitical readings and not grind any axes. As a "third-party" (Libertarian) sympathizer who subscribes to the maxim "Government is not the solution, it's the problem," I like to put US politics under the tarot microscope. There is … Continue reading Trump’s Fate: A “Friends-and-Enemies” Example Reading
The “Friends & Enemies” Situational Awareness and Response Spread
Multi-person conflicts can be tricky because the querent doesn't always know going into the situation exactly who is a staunch friend and who an undeclared enemy, and how the involvement of each will affect the outcome; in addition there may be veiled factions in both camps that could act as "wild cards," radically changing the … Continue reading The “Friends & Enemies” Situational Awareness and Response Spread
Card-Learning Tricks: “Sensory Complexion”
The title is a misnomer. There are no "tricks" or reliable shortcuts for instantly absorbing and retaining the gist of the 78 cards of the tarot, but there are some convenient alternatives to memorizing reams of keyword text. This fanciful method was brought to my attention yesterday, and I thought I would elaborate on the … Continue reading Card-Learning Tricks: “Sensory Complexion”
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 