AUTHOR'S NOTE: This reading reflects both an update to my lunar-month predictive model and a return to "first principles." In the past I decided to remove the Major Arcana and court cards from the draw because the short-term outlook changes on roughly a 3-1/2 day frequency during the month and the Minor Arcana should therefore … Continue reading Lunar Month Look-Ahead for December 2022 – January 2023: A New Wrinkle
Situational Awareness Spreads
“Blocked Energies” in a Tarot Reading
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Some mornings I wake up with an idea in my head for a blog post. This was just such a morning. One of the assumptions we often make as tarot readers is that the energy of a reading can be "blocked" in its usual mode of expression. This occurs most commonly as one … Continue reading “Blocked Energies” in a Tarot Reading
The “Future Present” Celtic Cross Reading
I recently did a Celtic Cross reading about potential changes in my experience of an ongoing matter a year or more from now. In doing so, I realized that the normal timeline of the "cross" section didn't make any sense. The top position of the six-card cross in my standard spread design represents the "Present," … Continue reading The “Future Present” Celtic Cross Reading
A “Point-Counterpoint” Situational Awareness Spread
Here is an evolved situational awareness spread that is designed around the diurnal path of the Sun, from emerging conscious awareness of "outer" developments (Dawn) to entirely subconscious perception of the "inner landscape" of the matter (Midnight), accompanied at each step by an "intuitive" adjustment that serves as "counterpoint" to the main thrust of the … Continue reading A “Point-Counterpoint” Situational Awareness Spread
The “Essential Insights” Personal Well-Being Spread
Here is a unique "mind-body-spirit" wellness insight spread that looks at aspects of personal well-being in four ways: the functional ability to manage health maintenance on a routine, day-to-day basis; the adaptive ability or resilience to cope with any occasional "off" days; the kinds of self-help or external intervention that might be considered to enhance … Continue reading The “Essential Insights” Personal Well-Being Spread
A Single-Event Predictive Approach
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I was recently answering a question on one of the tarot forums about the best way to cover pragmatic topics in a "predictive" type of tarot reading. I've always been partial to the "Five W's" of effective creative writing that were drilled into me in high school: "Who, What, Why, Where and When?" … Continue reading A Single-Event Predictive Approach
The “Mystic Gyroscope” Developmental Insight Spread
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This spread was (or is soon to be) published in the online magazine AstroLogic, although I retain all rights. The Cosmic Tarot is copyright of AGM Urania/Königsfurt-Urania Verlag GmbH, Ringstraße 32, D-24103, Kiel, and the Rohrig Tarot is copyright of U.S. Games Systems, Stamford, CT. Here is a tarot spread designed around two … Continue reading The “Mystic Gyroscope” Developmental Insight Spread
The “Ill Wind” Troubleshooting Forecast
AUTHOR'S NOTE - Question: What tarot concept involves zodiacal elements, English proverb, folklore, Shakespeare, Dickens, the Archangel Gabriel, yard maintenance and meteorological metaphor? Answer: This spread, obviously. English idiom: "It's an ill wind that blows nobody good." I've always felt that this proverb can be easily misconstrued as an ironclad guarantee of misfortune (e.g. "no … Continue reading The “Ill Wind” Troubleshooting Forecast
Trump Indictment: A Yes-or-No Reading in Two Parts
To test my archetypal "Yes-No-Maybe" template, I asked the question "Will Donald Trump be indicted for sedition due to allegedly encouraging insurrection in Washington DC on January 6, 2021?" This was before I learned that an indictment for Espionage Act violations may be even more likely because it is seen as an "open-and-shut" case (if … Continue reading Trump Indictment: A Yes-or-No Reading in Two Parts
The “Keynote Series” Developmental Insight Spread
Here is a concept that uses three brief "mini-readings" (Past/Present/Future) to derive a fourth "keynote" spread showing a condensed developmental path for the situation. It applies Elemental Dignities to the "Present" line, which is read from the outside-in according to standard ED practice. (The center, or "principal," card is the focus; the others feed into … Continue reading The “Keynote Series” Developmental Insight Spread