While at a Maine beach yesterday I was thinking about how the tarot might be used for planning any kind of daily outing or event, covering circumstances such as weather, general comfort level, crowds and access (meaning "getting there and getting in"). It applies the 40 "elemental" minor cards and the astrological correspondences for the … Continue reading A Utilitarian “Day-Trip” Event Planning Spread
Tarot Spreads
The “Time Capsules” Event Timing Spread
Tarot master Enrique Enriquez once said that reading the cards is an "irrational" act, and this is nowhere more evident than in our attempts to perform timing of future events using the tarot. In the past I've taken several shots at coming up with a more sensible approach that doesn't produce ludicrous results, and this … Continue reading The “Time Capsules” Event Timing Spread
The “End Game” Spread (aka “Life’s Big Questions”)
Few tarot readers will attempt to answer "Life's Big Questions." Either they're spooked by the possible outcome or they feel it's unethical to delve into such matters. I don't think any of us would say to a client "This is the Death card. Better update your will." It reminds me of the old, faintly vulgar … Continue reading The “End Game” Spread (aka “Life’s Big Questions”)
A Mixed-Media Situational Posture Spread
Here is a spread that uses dominoes and tarot cards to project the best posture to adopt in any situation. It is based on the assumption that odd numbers are "active" while even numbers are "passive."
The “War or Peace” Conflict-Resolution Spread
Here is a spread that can serve as a "first cut" to assess the advisability of taking a contemplated course of action in a conflict scenario. It's one of my "mixed-media" spreads that uses both tarot cards and dice. The outcome will either strengthen or weaken the initial urge to adopt a particular stance in … Continue reading The “War or Peace” Conflict-Resolution Spread
The “Flying Wedge” Redirection Spread
I've created spreads in the past based on the idea that the appearance of reversed cards in the sequence will cause a shift in the overall focus of the reading from an overt perspective to a more covert or indirect one. But the draw always proceeded from the top of the deck, which meant that … Continue reading The “Flying Wedge” Redirection Spread
The “Blame Game” Spread
The idea of assigning accountability (or more bluntly, "blame") for challenges encountered in a situation being addressed in a tarot reading continues to fascinate me. Not that I think we need to do it, or that it's even productive, just that it's often on a sitter's mind when the matter at hand is particularly elusive … Continue reading The “Blame Game” Spread
A Different Take on the “Past/Present/Future” Outlook
One of my "pet" notions is that people seeking a tarot reading who are experiencing difficulties in their lives love to identify someone or something else to blame for their troubles, whether or not they choose to admit it. The usual "past/present/future" spread design is somewhat imprecise in pinning down the likely "drivers" for these … Continue reading A Different Take on the “Past/Present/Future” Outlook
A “Psychometric” Yes-or-No Reading Approach
The dilemma of how to handle "yes-or-no" questions (or whether to even attempt answering them) is one that all tarot readers must confront sooner or later. I've tried numerous ways, both simple and complicated, to solve the problem and a few years ago I created a table of what I dubbed "Yes-Leaning," "No-Leaning" and "Maybe" … Continue reading A “Psychometric” Yes-or-No Reading Approach
The “Nature of the Evidence” Situational Challenges Spread
This spread uses the rank (minor, court or trump) of a majority of the cards pulled to show the projected urgency or intensity of any challenges present or anticipated in a developing situation. Because it is likely that "ties" will occur (such as a "2-2-1" distribution), one or two "tie-breaker" cards should be pulled and … Continue reading The “Nature of the Evidence” Situational Challenges Spread
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 