AUTHOR'S NOTE: I just bought a set of Elder Futhark runes and decided to experiment with them in combination with tarot cards and standard dice. In this reading I've used six randomly-selected runes to show the "Foundation of the Matter," and six randomly-pulled tarot cards to provide "Anecdotal Commentary." A single six-sided die was rolled … Continue reading Metaphysical Syncretism: Runes, Tarot Cards and Dice
Situational Awareness Spreads
The Past/Present/Future Tarot Reading in Euclidean Space
AUTHOR'S NOTE: In his book Prometheus Rising, Robert Anton Wilson discusses three-dimensional "Euclidean space," observing that every human experience displays not only a perceived* temporal shift from the Past to the Future (conventionally graphed as left-to-right) and a non-temporal "chaotic-to-concrete" organizing principle that devolves from top-to-bottom (my Qabalistic take, not his), but also a psychological … Continue reading The Past/Present/Future Tarot Reading in Euclidean Space
Jumping Hurdles: A “Race to the Finish” Spread
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This spread was inspired by my reading of Benebell Wen's Holistic Tarot and her "Six Controversies" (aka "Six Points") spread that examines "points of contention or strife in the seeker's situation." In my own model I'm using the idea of "hurdles" as represented by figurative potholes or boulders that place obstacles in the … Continue reading Jumping Hurdles: A “Race to the Finish” Spread
The Primary/Secondary “Tarot Ledger” Spread
AUTHOR'S NOTE: A comment on one of my Medium posts led me to the idea that it would be productive to bin the cards pulled for a spread into "Primary Scope/Direct Answer" and "Secondary Scope/Rest of the Story" sub-categories, resembling a double-entry financial ledger. So here goes! I began by shuffling the deck to allow … Continue reading The Primary/Secondary “Tarot Ledger” Spread
The “Seed” Card and Directional “Pointer” – A Multi-Path Spread
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Here is another unique way to use the single "focus" (aka Signficator) card to open a tarot reading. Additional Insights: I'm now home after the trip to Italy described in the example reading below. All of the anxiety I anticipated was reserved for the vehicular mayhem we experienced in Florence (Firenze), the one … Continue reading The “Seed” Card and Directional “Pointer” – A Multi-Path Spread
A “Topical Impingement” Life-Reading Matrix
AUTHOR'S NOTE: From her book Holistic Tarot I picked up another idea from Benebell Wen's discussion of Chinese divination (this time the application of the Lo Shu Square to feng shui): a matrix that has a general life-topic card at the center (for example, "Health"), with influences feeding into it from all sides. I expanded … Continue reading A “Topical Impingement” Life-Reading Matrix
The “Cross-and-Square of Becoming” – A Force-and-Form Situational Awareness Spread
AUTHOR'S NOTE:: This spread was inspired by the discussion of the Chinese Lo Shu Square in Benebell Wen's Holistic Tarot, but I've taken it in a different direction. The objective is to first read the "force-and-form" axes from top-to-bottom and left-to-right, respectively to see how the situation will develop when unaffected by "big-picture" environmental concerns. … Continue reading The “Cross-and-Square of Becoming” – A Force-and-Form Situational Awareness Spread
Diverging Paths: A “Detour-and-Intersection” Spread
AUTHOR'S NOTE: The typical way to read a line spread is as an unbroken sequence from one end to the other. I've found that this approach does not always reflect the "redirection" that can be caused by reversal of any of the cards. Here I'm proposing that reversal can cause a detour along the way, … Continue reading Diverging Paths: A “Detour-and-Intersection” Spread
A Three-Factor “Mind/Body/Spirit” Relationship Reading
AUTHOR'S NOTE: For this reading I'm using my Celtic triskelion "Mind/Body/Spirit" spread to examine a hypothetical relationship situation. The guidance has changed slightly from my last post using this design. Choose a card to represent either the querent or the situation itself. Leave it in the deck. Shuffle the deck while concentrating on the question, … Continue reading A Three-Factor “Mind/Body/Spirit” Relationship Reading
A Three-Factor “Mind/Body/Spirit” Well-Being Assessment
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This spread uses the location in one of three sub-packs of a pre-identified Significator card representing the querent or the issue itself. The structure is based on the three aspects of the Celtic "mind-body-spirit" triskelion. It is intended to be applied when a client feels uneasy about the matter at hand but can't … Continue reading A Three-Factor “Mind/Body/Spirit” Well-Being Assessment
