AUTHOR'S NOTE: This essay presents the second epiphany I've gained from my reading of the 19th Century French tarot book, The Grand Etteilla. Whenever I encounter reversed cards in a reading and determine that they should be handled in a psychological rather than a pragmatic way, I often treat them as showing where subjective "inner … Continue reading Reversed Cards and “Night-Crawler Hunting”
Reversed Cards
Supporters and Detractors: A “Human Factors” Developmental Spread
The rationale behind this spread is fairly self-explanatory. None of us "live, and move and have our being" in a total vacuum. Even if other people have no direct or apparent involvement in the circumstances of the reading, we may still have cautionary feelings about them from a "what if" perspective that can color our … Continue reading Supporters and Detractors: A “Human Factors” Developmental Spread
Half-Measures
Here's another tidbit from Paul Marteau's Tarot de Marseille book. In describing the "inverted" or reversed image of the Knight of Cups, he says "The power of the card is only reduced in half, being too active for the effects to be extinguished; there are delays or impediments." One popular assumption about reversed cards in … Continue reading Half-Measures
The “Flying Wedge” Redirection Spread
I've created spreads in the past based on the idea that the appearance of reversed cards in the sequence will cause a shift in the overall focus of the reading from an overt perspective to a more covert or indirect one. But the draw always proceeded from the top of the deck, which meant that … Continue reading The “Flying Wedge” Redirection Spread
A “Psychometric” Yes-or-No Reading Approach
The dilemma of how to handle "yes-or-no" questions (or whether to even attempt answering them) is one that all tarot readers must confront sooner or later. I've tried numerous ways, both simple and complicated, to solve the problem and a few years ago I created a table of what I dubbed "Yes-Leaning," "No-Leaning" and "Maybe" … Continue reading A “Psychometric” Yes-or-No Reading Approach
The “In-Line Six” Answer Tune-up Spread
I'm on something of a fanciful kick with my recent spread development; here I'm using the analogy of the old "straight six" (cylinders, that is) automobile engine, and the notion that reversed cards indicate the need for a "tune-up." This one is an oddity for me; it has no "outcome" card and no position meanings. … Continue reading The “In-Line Six” Answer Tune-up Spread
The “Six Chambers of Chance” Answer Roulette Spread
Here is a spread based loosely on the casino game of roulette (with a thinly-veiled allusion to a more threatening form of roulette that may be a superior analogy depending on the seriousness of any potential consequences). It uses a range of three pre-selected "answer" cards and all 78 cards of the deck in the … Continue reading The “Six Chambers of Chance” Answer Roulette Spread
Two Steps Forward, One Step Back
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I would not be surprised if this has been done before (and perhaps better), but this is my own spin on it. In a previous essay I floated the idea that a reversed court card might exhibit the qualities of the preceding zodiacal sign more prominently than those of its primary astrological referent … Continue reading Two Steps Forward, One Step Back
The Unevolved Fire Signs: A Study in Vanity
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I struggled to find a polite way to say "arrogance" without actually saying it, but that would be an extreme example of my point. Also, there is an idea here regarding the reversed court cards and their Golden Dawn assignment to the Chaldean zodiac that warrants further exploration in another essay. In astrology … Continue reading The Unevolved Fire Signs: A Study in Vanity
Contemplate the Edges
Here is an ancient adage that we all know well: "There are two sides to every coin." But in my ongoing reading of The Tao of Thoth I was intrigued by the notion that it might be more fruitful to contemplate the edge of the coin that simultaneously divides and unites the obverse and reverse … Continue reading Contemplate the Edges
