AUTHOR'S NOTE: We're often told that "there are two sides to every story" and that we must understand both if we are to effectively defuse a controversy. In this light, although I'm not purposely focusing on conflict-resolution scenarios, I've created a new spread that examines the opposite faces of a situation, one overt or readily … Continue reading “Two Sides to Every Story” – An Explicit/Implicit Approach to Tarot Reading
Tarot Spreads
An Elemental Career-Path Alignment Spread
AUTHOR'S NOTE: While answering a career-related question in one of the online tarot communities, I was inspired to develop a spread that is based on "matching" between one of four elemental "career-path" cards and the querent's significator. It's not exactly a process of elimination; call it a "process of affiliation." I spent some time trying … Continue reading An Elemental Career-Path Alignment Spread
Range of Motion: An Action-Driven Reading Matrix
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
The “Spiritual Tribunal” Astral Contact Spread
AUTHOR'S NOTE: All of the spirit-contact methods I'm aware of assume that we're going to encounter precisely the entity we're seeking (ancestor, god-form, elemental figure, spirit guide, etc.) whenever we ask. But I've never been convinced that disembodied beings are lurking at the threshold of the Astral Plane, just waiting for us to reach out, … Continue reading The “Spiritual Tribunal” Astral Contact Spread
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
Functional Spread Design
AUTHOR'S NOTE: In a previous essay I described topical readings aimed at exploring "department-of-life" conditions (romance, career, finances, health, education, etc.) as often involving a "functional" dimension that presents the seeker an opportunity to pursue; a situation to understand; an agenda to advance; a decision to make; a problem to solve; a crisis or conflict … Continue reading Functional Spread Design
“Attitudes and Behaviors:” A Themed Tarot Profile in Four Arcs
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This spread adopts my current view that the Major Arcana in a reading seldom show significant events in their own right, but rather overarching themes and environmental backdrops for the mundane conditions reflected in the court and pip cards. (During more than 50 years of practice I've encountered very few instances where major … Continue reading “Attitudes and Behaviors:” A Themed Tarot Profile in Four Arcs
Chains of Conjecture: A Multi-Path Decision-Making Method
AUTHOR'S NOTE: A single run of cards can be silent, inconclusive or even contradictory in its testimony when the querent is facing a "multiple-choice" dilemma within a decision-making scenario. This is where having two or more chains of cards to analyze as a group comes into its own. Each option offers a separate narrative regarding … Continue reading Chains of Conjecture: A Multi-Path Decision-Making Method
“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
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 