AUTHOR'S NOTE: In a recent post I mentioned that the three-card line seldom offers enough detail to support a comprehensive narrative, while a five-card line is reasonably thorough. I'm not one to use "auxiliary" cards like clarifiers or base cards to flesh out the picture unless I build them into the structure of the spread. … Continue reading The “Bend in the Road” Turning-Point Spread
Reversed Cards
Reversal As Circumvention: “Going in the Back Door”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I'm endlessly fascinated by the phenomenon of reversed cards in a tarot reading because I think it is something that is widely misunderstood and therefore mishandled. There are numerous adjectives describing its effects that go well beyond mere antithesis, although "redirection of focus" is a common theme. Here I'm using the catch-all term … Continue reading Reversal As Circumvention: “Going in the Back Door”
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
Linked Reversals As “Descent into Chaos”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: In a recent post I floated the idea that an unbroken string of reversed cards in a reading can "descend into chaos." I have numerous opinions about the significance of reversal that I've captured in over a dozen previous essays, but this is a new one. I've always felt that a reversed card … Continue reading Linked Reversals As “Descent into Chaos”
The “Creeping Darkness” Shadow Spread
AUTHOR'S NOTE: More inspiration from Benebell Wen's book, I Ching the Oracle: A Practical Guide to the Book of Changes. I was just reading about Hexagram 23 (Bo; Partition) which has five "dark" yin lines underlying a single "bright" yang line. The commentary is "Dark yin lines ascend upward to overthrow the final line of … Continue reading The “Creeping Darkness” Shadow Spread
Is the Fix In? – Prospects and Circumstances for Donald Trump’s Survival or Demise
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I almost never post twice in one day, but this is a timely subject that I wanted to get out there as soon as possible. Ever since Donald Trump was identified as the likely Republican candidate for the 2024 Presidential election, I've had concerns about a possible assassination attempt. Recent events have upgraded … Continue reading Is the Fix In? – Prospects and Circumstances for Donald Trump’s Survival or Demise
The Will and the Way: A Self-Advancement Spread
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Here is a spread that is designed to reveal the "way forward" in any situation involving a "willed" ambition or purpose. It offers both an "Open Way" that is obvious to everyone involved in the affair and a "Hidden Way" that has more clandestine dimensions and implications. Working with the Thoth deck as … Continue reading The Will and the Way: A Self-Advancement Spread
A Suit-of-Swords “Elemental Storyboard” Test Reading
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Here is an "elemental storyboard" test reading that uses the suit of Swords to represent the "base element" of Air. It involves a hypothetical client who intends to leverage his intellectual property by compiling a group of previously-published essays into a formal book. (It's not me, I've already "been there, done that" . … Continue reading A Suit-of-Swords “Elemental Storyboard” Test Reading
A “Storyboard” Approach to Elemental Progression in Tarot Reading
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Some time ago I created a set of "storyboards" for the Minor Arcana of the Waite-Smith tarot, from which I scripted a narrative "roller-coaster ride" that began with the Ace and ended with the Ten of each suit. Here I'm blending that idea with the concept of Elemental Dignities as they occur across … Continue reading A “Storyboard” Approach to Elemental Progression in Tarot Reading
The “Need to Know” Barometer of Consequence Spread
AUTHOR'S NOTE: In the practice of horary astrology, one of the ironclad tenets is that the querent must have a legitimate need to know the information being sought. Idle-curiosity questions are frowned upon and generally ignored as inconsequential. Those who seek a tarot reading are usually much less fussy about it and often cast their … Continue reading The “Need to Know” Barometer of Consequence Spread
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 