The “Mandala of Revealing” Decision-Making Spread

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is another "mixed-media" spread that uses tarot cards and a single six-sided die as a "pointer." Instead of just posting the spread and following up with an example reading tomorrow, I combined the two in this post. (The images are from the Magical Tarot of the Golden Dawn by Pat Zelewski and … Continue reading The “Mandala of Revealing” Decision-Making Spread

The “Actor Out On Loan” Life-Purpose Spread

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I sometimes see online requests for "life-purpose" spreads. (For example, "What should I do with my life at this particular moment in time?") Here is my latest attempt to answer the call. (In retrospect, because the Lenormand deck includes cards that are distinctly positive, negative and neutral, it may be worthwhile to work … Continue reading The “Actor Out On Loan” Life-Purpose Spread

Cutting to the Chase: A “Thinks or Feels” Spread

AUTHOR'S NOTE: As a philosophical type with a utilitarian streak, I'm tired of seeing the glut of hopeful "What does "X" think or feel about me?" questions on every cartomancy site I frequent, often put to spreads that are ill-suited to answer them. I decided to take matters into my own hands and create a … Continue reading Cutting to the Chase: A “Thinks or Feels” Spread

The “Bridge or Tunnel” Situational Outlook Spread

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is my second spread based on the "troll under the bridge" symbolism of Scandinavian folklore. (The first one was aimed at readings for children; this one is for adults and the "troll" - here we could call it a "cave troll" - is implied rather than explicit.) The roll of a single … Continue reading The “Bridge or Tunnel” Situational Outlook Spread

The Lazy Man’s Tree-of-Life “Reality Check” Spread

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I'm calling this a "lazy man's" spread (pardon my gender exclusiveness; you can rephrase it as "lazy person's" if you like, but I was going for the "lazy-man's-lobster" allusion) because it requires only a very general knowledge of the meaning of the sephiroth on the Tree and the flow of energy thereon. An … Continue reading The Lazy Man’s Tree-of-Life “Reality Check” Spread

Qabalistic Triplets: Adapting the Triangles of the Tree of Life to the Three-Card Tarot Reading

AUTHOR'S NOTE: The Qabalistic Tree of Life presents three triangles in its symbolic architecture, one with the apex pointing upward and two pointing down. Here I've adapted these triangles to the three-card tarot reading. In the cases of Fire and Air I introduced the "hidden knowledge" of Da'ath (to which I've assigned the nebulous planet … Continue reading Qabalistic Triplets: Adapting the Triangles of the Tree of Life to the Three-Card Tarot Reading

The “Tarot of Place” Situational Outlook Spread

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Here is a spread that takes its design from the directional model of horary astrology while also offering an opportunity to bring the pendulum into play. In horary astrology, the geographic location of the astrologer and not that of the querent or the "quesited" (that which is being asked about) is a key … Continue reading The “Tarot of Place” Situational Outlook Spread

The “Devil’s Due” Square-and-Cross Conflict Resolution Spread

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Here is a conflict-resolution spread designed around the 3x3 "mini-tableau" of the Lenormand system, although I've altered the flow of the reading slightly. It can be used with any deck, but when working with Lenormand I would substitute the materialistic "Bear" (Card #15) for the equally materialistic "Devil" (Card #15) of the tarot … Continue reading The “Devil’s Due” Square-and-Cross Conflict Resolution Spread