Whenever I despair of coming up with fresh ideas for tarot spreads, I reach deep for inspiration. If I may say so, this one could be a winner for all the reasons I usually dismiss in spread creation: it's free-form and completely unstructured; it's nuclear rather than linear, resembling a "vortex" like the Lenormand Grand … Continue reading Rorschach Tarot
Experimental Methods
And the Band Played On
Since the American political "stew," which has been at a steady simmer for a long time, appears to be about to come to a full, raging boil again, I figured I should take a look at the Democrats' chances for impeaching Donald Trump. I used my "Enemy at the Gates" vulnerability spread with my favorite … Continue reading And the Band Played On
Aristotle’s Theorem: A Situational Gestalt Spread
I've started creating spreads specifically for use with the Tarot de Marseille (but certainly not limited to it). Here is my most recent one, a sophisticated layout that can be read in whole or in discrete parts, three cards at a time or the entire 24-point tableau plus knighting. I built it around an industrial … Continue reading Aristotle’s Theorem: A Situational Gestalt Spread
The “Innies” and the “Outies”
This essay is both a synopsis and a further exploration of some of the ideas I covered more fully in my "TdM Thumbnail" series of posts. Those of us who spend a good deal of time "navel-gazing" (by which I mean, of course, contemplating "the world in a grain of sand" . . . or … Continue reading The “Innies” and the “Outies”
My Weekly Elements
Since I haven't been very diligent about doing my daily "element-and-number" draws as described in my previous post, I decided to do a seven-day look-ahead using the same technique. If I remember to do so, I will probably add day-to-day pulls to the series for additional insight about this longer-range projection. Overall, it looks like … Continue reading My Weekly Elements
A “Pushmi-Pullyu” Example Reading
This brief reading is for an older man and woman who have decades of successful marriage behind them, so I performed it to take a snapshot of where the relationship is at present and where it may go in the future. (I have permission to post it.) I used two versions of the Thoth deck … Continue reading A “Pushmi-Pullyu” Example Reading
The “Pushmi-Pullyu” Relationship Development Spread
Rex Harrison with the Pushmi-Pullyu from "Dr. Doolittle" I was thinking over the observation from my last post about the description of the ideal human relationship (typically but not always romantic) as "two individuals revolving around a common goal in perfectly concentric orbits, moving at the same speed in the same direction in exquisite two-part … Continue reading The “Pushmi-Pullyu” Relationship Development Spread
A Tarot de Marseille Process Analysis
As I gain experience with it, I find that divination with the Tarot de Marseille (TdM) is best suited for providing a literal perspective (as with the Lenormand cards) rather than for the more symbolic, impressionistic approach used with most modern tarot decks. This is due primarily to their spare presentation that doesn't encourage much … Continue reading A Tarot de Marseille Process Analysis
A Process-Management “Playbook” Spread
This post is more academic than most in that it takes a detailed look at principles that are usually more aligned with business objectives than personal goals. The ideal querent for this approach would be a hands-on administrator in any commercial or institutional venture that is process-intensive. This spread proposes that successfully managing the development … Continue reading A Process-Management “Playbook” Spread
The “Fountain of Truth” Alternate Trending Option
Even those of us who have spent decades reading the cards are sometimes compelled to come up with creative stopgap measures to "skin the proverbial cat" when our usual approach falters. Here I'm tackling what I perceive to be an inherent weakness in the traditional Celtic Cross spread: the interpretation of the "crowning" card as … Continue reading The “Fountain of Truth” Alternate Trending Option