AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is my second post on the subject (the first one is linked below). My original idea was to create a four-card line spread using fixed position meanings based on the four classical elements of Empedocles, going from left-to-right and from Wands to Pentacles. Then I shuffled a deck and dealt random cards … Continue reading “Moving Cards” As Symbolic Counterparts
Tarot Readings
A “Near-Term Breakout” Spread
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Here is a spread that is intended for use when we feel becalmed or unmotivated and are looking for a definitive "breakout moment" sometime in the next month. You will need two decks for this spread, one for the fifteen "advice" cards in the top row and one for the "mode of action/inaction" … Continue reading A “Near-Term Breakout” Spread
The “Hourglass of Opportunity” Three-Way Spread
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Here is an elegant spread that offers three possible paths to resolution: the left-hand path of intuitive insight, the right-hand path of rational judgment, and the central or "ideal" path that blends the two into a perfectly coordinated "middle way" between them. All three pass through a central "lens" (Key #2) that represents … Continue reading The “Hourglass of Opportunity” Three-Way Spread
Planetary Energies and the Tarot: Seven Daily Meditations
AUTHORS NOTE: The seven days of the week all have a planet associated with them, and there are seven "planetary" trump cards in the tarot. Both the planetary energy-of-the-day and the related trump card create an environmental theme or situational backdrop against which the events of the 24-hour period play out. Thirty-six of the Minor … Continue reading Planetary Energies and the Tarot: Seven Daily Meditations
Full-Immersion Tarot Reading: Engaging the Five Senses
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I recently encountered the idea that, when we set out to do a tarot reading, we should crank up our creative imagination by holding in our mind's eye and contemplating the notion that we can see, hear, touch, taste and smell the object of our divination. (You'll notice that the "sixth sense" of … Continue reading Full-Immersion Tarot Reading: Engaging the Five Senses
Trumps and Trigrams: A Syncretic Exercise
AUTHOR'S NOTE: In my recent essay (linked below) on syncretism between Western astrology and the I Ching, I correlated the twelve Ptolemaic signs of the zodiac with the eight I Ching trigrams and, via synthesis between consecutive signs, with twelve of the 64 hexagrams. In doing so I resorted to a good deal of inspiration, … Continue reading Trumps and Trigrams: A Syncretic Exercise
Up-slopes, Down-slopes and Flat-lines: A Three-Tier Tarot Spread
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Here I'm posing the question "Which of three typical 'motifs' will form the core of a tarot reading and have the most to say about the situation?" In this experiment I'm attempting to craft an approach that separates the cards pulled for a reading into three situational scenarios indicating the path the narrative … Continue reading Up-slopes, Down-slopes and Flat-lines: A Three-Tier Tarot Spread
“The Fix is In!” – Invoking Tarot Energy
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This tarot-based technique for magically imposing one's personal Will on circumstances is based on the concept of intention. If we "intend" something strongly enough we will ideally achieve its realization without "getting our hands dirty." As long as it isn't harmful to others (and if it is, the Wiccan "Three-fold Law" might kick … Continue reading “The Fix is In!” – Invoking Tarot Energy
The “Reset Arc” – Daily Draw x 7
". . . every day resets itself, from sunrise to sunset to sunrise again."Benebell Wen, I Ching, the Oracle: A Practical Guide to the Book of Changes AUTHOR'S NOTE: The above quote should be the guiding principle behind every daily draw in tarot reading. But too many readers trust the one-card pull to satisfy this … Continue reading The “Reset Arc” – Daily Draw x 7
Emotional Bias in Cartomancy: A Case Study
AUTHOR'S NOTE: The adverse impact of intense emotional upset on the task of shuffling the cards is a topic that often surfaces in conversation. I've seen endless hand-wringing in online discussions over whether being distressed when consulting the cards should be viewed as a "show-stopper." Most people who bring it up are afraid that their … Continue reading Emotional Bias in Cartomancy: A Case Study
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 