AUTHOR'S NOTE: When confronted with a situation that can take one of several different paths as it plays out, seekers typically look to "get a leg up" on which way it's going to develop so they can establish a suitable position. Here is a spread that uses a "prepared" tarot deck that is segmented according … Continue reading “Which Way Will It Go?” – A Situational Vector Spread
Tarot Readings
Intention and Reaction: Putting Tarot to Work
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Poking a little further into the practice of setting a conscious intention when shuffling and pulling the cards, here is a spread with two parallel five-card lines, one with purposely-chosen cards to convey the querent's stated goals regarding the topic of interest and the other with a randomly-drawn series to show the reaction … Continue reading Intention and Reaction: Putting Tarot to Work
General Life-Reading As “Logic Puzzle”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: It's a common practice, when a client arrives for a reading with no specific question or topic of interest in mind, for the reader to offer a "general life-reading" that explores the environmental theme or tone of the period for which it is performed. Some argue that this type of prediction is of … Continue reading General Life-Reading As “Logic Puzzle”
“One Ringy-Dingy” – A Tarot “Patch-Through” Spread
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Those who (like me) are "older than dirt" will remember Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In with Lily Tomlin as "Ernestine" the telephone switchboard operator and her iconic line "One ringy-dingy, two ringy-dingy" as she patched a call through and waited for the receiving party to pick-up. In this spread I've used the "patch-cord" motif … Continue reading “One Ringy-Dingy” – A Tarot “Patch-Through” Spread
The Conditional Future: A “Retrocausation” Spread
AUTHOR'S NOTE: In his book Real Magic, Dean Radin introduced me to the idea of "time running backward" and its corollary, "retrocausation," in which the future reaches back into the present and shapes current circumstances to align with its long-range outlook. I covered this in my previous essay "Predisposition in Tarot Reading," and here I'm … Continue reading The Conditional Future: A “Retrocausation” Spread
A “Week Ahead” Forecast: Active and Passive Days
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I seldom perform single-card daily draws but they do have a place in the seven-card weekly reading to show how the period might trend. Here I've added the idea of "active" and "passive" days that adjust the energy level delivered by the cards. This is another mixed-media spread that employs tarot cards and … Continue reading A “Week Ahead” Forecast: Active and Passive Days
A Timing Prediction with Tarot, Dominoes and Pendulum
AUTHOR'S NOTE: An acquaintance of mine who is pregnant and due to deliver on or about July 30 asked me to do a reading to predict whether the baby will arrive on-time. I decided to pose the question three ways: will the event occur within one week, two weeks or three weeks on either side … Continue reading A Timing Prediction with Tarot, Dominoes and Pendulum
Leaving the Treadmill: Separation, Compensation and Neutralization
AUTHOR'S NOTE: In its lengthy dissertation on the reciprocal "separating and compensating" action of a swinging pendulum as envisioned in Hermetic thought, The Kybalion observes that it is the goal of an aspiring master to "get off the treadmill" (my own phrase for it) by rising above the mindless tide of repetition and refusing to … Continue reading Leaving the Treadmill: Separation, Compensation and Neutralization
Statement of Intent: A Mixed-Media Social Orientation Spread
AUTHOR'S NOTE: When we've met or are about to meet someone new, regardless of the circumstances under which it occurs, it's useful to obtain a heads-up about the person's likely social orientation and distinctive habits, particularly if we have no other source of information about them (such as a mutual friend or associate). For example, … Continue reading Statement of Intent: A Mixed-Media Social Orientation Spread
A “User Profile” Spread and Table: Stalking the Wild Sociopath
AUTHOR'S NOTE: In a recent post I explored the subject of "using" and "being used" in a socially-manipulative way. Here I'm making good on two "oh-by-the-way" suggestions I made in that essay. One was to create a spread to examine the social priorities of a target individual (or entity) and the other was to bin … Continue reading A “User Profile” Spread and Table: Stalking the Wild Sociopath