AUTHOR'S NOTE: A couple of years ago I performed a careful analysis of the Waite-Smith tarot to determine which cards express some kind of active movement. In the end I came up with five Major Arcana, six court cards and ten Minor Arcana as indicators of either acceleration or deceleration in a querent's affairs. (All … Continue reading Range of Motion: An Action-Driven Reading Matrix
Situational Awareness Spreads
Situational Precision in General Readings
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I know there is an oxymoron in there somewhere (almost-but-not-quite Pink Floyd's "random precision"), but bear with me. General readings are not usually noted for their situational exactness, so I'm taking this "outside the box." When clients come to me for a reading they are usually experiencing some kind of distress, so I … Continue reading Situational Precision in General Readings
Here’s Looking at You! – Gaze as a Directional Indicator
AUTHOR'S NOTE: The concept of facing, gaze or regard has a long history of use with the Tarot de Marseille, although fans of more modern decks tend to disregard it. Here is a spread that applies the facing and orientation of one of the 16 court cards to choose which of four 3-card sets becomes … Continue reading Here’s Looking at You! – Gaze as a Directional Indicator
Refreshing the French Cross Spread
AUTHOR'S NOTE: The five-card French Cross spread (traditionally known as the tirage en croix) is one of my favorite smaller layouts because it reveals what needs to be known about a situation without being overly analytical. It provides a slightly different level of detail than my customary five-card line, and through constant use I've tweaked … Continue reading Refreshing the French Cross Spread
Cresting the Wave: A Case for Odd-Numbered Lines
AUTHOR'S NOTE: When it comes to designing line spreads for tarot reading, I typically employ an even number of cards only in situations that require a choice between two options, or when invoking the four classical elements represented by the suits. One thing I learned from Lenormand reading is that an odd-numbered line will always … Continue reading Cresting the Wave: A Case for Odd-Numbered Lines
An “Open Field” Tarot Tableau
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This array is a "prepared" layout that randomly selects 25 cards from the population of 78 to set up a more limited range of probable circumstances. It is an outgrowth of my extensive work with the Lenormand Grand Tableau spread. Once the 5x5 arrangement is established, a second step locates the "starting point" … Continue reading An “Open Field” Tarot Tableau
“Grounding the Archetypes” – A Three-Card Daily Draw Spread
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I just encountered the idea that whenever we receive a Major Arcana (aka "trump") card in a reading, we should immediately pull another card to describe its practical (as opposed to its universal or spiritual) significance for the querent's future. I'm no fan of using clarifying cards in my work, but I can … Continue reading “Grounding the Archetypes” – A Three-Card Daily Draw Spread
The “Ace in the Hole” Developmental Arc Spread
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This spread is intended to show the development of an opportunity along the most favorable elemental lines. The "Ace in the Hole" card is a wild card that is dealt face-down and then aligned with the most advantageous path when it is turned face-up. The idea is to build a five-card reading around … Continue reading The “Ace in the Hole” Developmental Arc Spread
An “Upside/Downside” Situational Reading
"I've got a feeling, and I know I'm rightThat tomorrow will bring the darkest night.I've been around too long,I've got to get away."- from I've Been Around Too Long by Marmalade AUTHOR'S NOTE: Here is an example reading to test the spread I posted yesterday. I inquired about a situation that has been vexing me … Continue reading An “Upside/Downside” Situational Reading
The “Upside/Downside” Situational Roadmap: A Cartomantic Spread
AUTHOR'S NOTE: In the cinematic cartography of the buccaneers favored by Hollywood, treasure maps invariably displayed an "X" where the prize could be found (i.e. "X marks the spot"). On a different arc, there have been many tarot spreads that use the "best case/worst case scenario" to indicate how a situation can be expected to … Continue reading The “Upside/Downside” Situational Roadmap: A Cartomantic Spread
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 