AUTHOR'S NOTE: A while back I came to the realization that the so-called "quintessence" calculation is anything but when applied to a group of input cards that doesn't consist of the traditional four-card "cross." (Quintessence in tarot terms simply means "fifth expression," not "without equal"). I came up with alternative nomenclature for the numerical synthesis … Continue reading Incentivizing the Shadow: A “Numerical Synthesis” Pros-and-Cons Spread with Resolution
Problem-solving Spreads
“Bursting the Bubble” – A Problem-Solving Spread
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Here is a spread for those who feel like they're "living in a bubble" of arrested development, and who are looking for a way to escape as the atmosphere grows stale and the internal pressure increases. It adopts the pyramidal structure of the ten-card "tetractys" spread that I created earlier, but instead flows … Continue reading “Bursting the Bubble” – A Problem-Solving Spread
“Pulling the Trigger” – An Allocated-Action Spread
AUTHOR'S NOTE: In the First Operation of the Golden Dawn's "Opening of the Key" method there is a step by which the diviner attempts to "intuit" (aka "guess") the reasons behind the querent's request for a reading based on which of four elemental sub-packs the Significator card appears in after the shuffle and cut. The … Continue reading “Pulling the Trigger” – An Allocated-Action Spread
“Hold Him While I Hit Him” – A Summary-Justice* Spread
*Summary Justice: "A . . . judicial action accomplished swiftly and without observance of certain formalities of legal procedure, with the connotation of arbitrary and unfair judgment." (If you've been unjustly harmed in a lopsided conflict and are seeking the advice of the tarot, you can ignore that last part and [like "Judge" Roy Bean, … Continue reading “Hold Him While I Hit Him” – A Summary-Justice* Spread
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
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
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
Pre-Reading Prep – “A Moment of Silence”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Questions come up frequently in the online tarot community regarding what, if any, special preparations experienced diviners make before they embark on a reading session. This is usually focused on spiritual practices like prayers, invocations or meditation; environmental considerations like lighting, seating and music; and "props" like crystals or incense. Around the time … Continue reading Pre-Reading Prep – “A Moment of Silence”
A “Meaning of Life” Example Reading
AUTHOR'S NOTE: To demonstrate the "Meaning of Life" spread I posted yesterday, here is a fictional reading based on real-life circumstances. A 47-year-old New Hampshire man was living in his mother's basement. She bought him a Playstation 5 for his birthday, but he jacked up the volume so high while playing that it annoyed her. … Continue reading A “Meaning of Life” Example Reading
A “Near-Term Breakout” Spread
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Here is a spread that is intended for use when we feel becalmed or unmotivated and are looking for a definitive "breakout moment" sometime in the next month. You will need two decks for this spread, one for the fifteen "advice" cards in the top row and one for the "mode of action/inaction" … Continue reading A “Near-Term Breakout” Spread
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 