A question commonly asked by those who consult a tarot reader is "What is my life's purpose?" - often with the implicit (and more urgent) undertone "What should it be that it isn't right now?" coming from those who are completely at a loss. The typical fortune-telling spread is inadequate to address such broad inquires … Continue reading A 3×3+3 Goal-Oriented Life Purpose Spread
Tarot Spreads
The “Knowledge & Wisdom Ledger” – A Contrast and Complement Spread
I'm experimenting with elemental correspondences again. Here is a spread that examines how knowledge can become wisdom in the four main areas of life; it uses opposing positions in the attached Chaldean decan charts to show the contrasting or complementary energy for a drawn card. I had to do something different with the planetary trumps … Continue reading The “Knowledge & Wisdom Ledger” – A Contrast and Complement Spread
A “Yin-and-Yang” Holistic Well-Being Spread
I'm always seeking ethically sound (not to mention legal) ways to approach health questions, and lean toward a holistic - or "whole-health" - model rather than trying to literally "play doctor" in a narrow diagnostic way. I know next to nothing about Chinese medicine, but thought I would apply my recent contemplation of the Tajii … Continue reading A “Yin-and-Yang” Holistic Well-Being Spread
The Power of Yes and No
I continue to draw valuable insights from The Tao of Thoth. Most recently, the author described "negation" as often being a more appropriate response to circumstances than "affirmation." The observation seems to be rooted in the martial-arts principle that negating (refusing) an opponent's aggressive opening can be a more productive counter-move than directly exerting the … Continue reading The Power of Yes and No
The “Anatomy of Affirmation” Self-Actualization Spread and Example Reading
I created a self-actualization spread for rational/emotional self-work that uses a pre-selected trump card as its focus, and the idea of contrasting "hard" (rational) and "soft" (emotional) approaches with Elemental Dignities as the main determinant. I also included a tenth card under the middle "Full Face" position and called it "The Back of the Head" … Continue reading The “Anatomy of Affirmation” Self-Actualization Spread and Example Reading
The “Khayyam’s Dialectic” Spiritual Alignment Spread
As a lover of both classical poetry and metaphysical theorizing, I have long adored (not a word I use often or lightly) the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam. It's full of elegant verse and philosophical profundity (and the joy of wine). I decided to use it as the basis for a tarot spread aimed at the … Continue reading The “Khayyam’s Dialectic” Spiritual Alignment Spread
The “Road to Shambala” Self-Development Spread
"How does your light shineIn the halls of Shambala"Danny Moore, songwriter At its most basic, the tarot is a metaphysical tool (and art) of self-discovery and advancement in both a psychological and situational/motivational sense. I just picked up a quote from The Tao of Thoth that sums up this objective quite neatly: "You have to … Continue reading The “Road to Shambala” Self-Development Spread
Random Thoughts on the Celtic Cross Spread
Among the curiosities that Waite-Smith tarot neophytes will discover upon their first encounter with Arthur Edward Waite's "Ancient Celtic Method" (aka Celtic Cross or "CC") are the rather quaint subtitles he gave to most of the positions in the spread. I thought I would take some time to weigh in on my own experience with … Continue reading Random Thoughts on the Celtic Cross Spread
The Virtue of Simplicity: Redrawing the Celtic Cross
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I updated the text and graphic to clarify a couple of things. (I knew what I wanted to say but didn't quite say it.) The Celtic Cross spread is an entrenched tradition among tarot readers, but it is one many people (especially younger enthusiasts) "love to hate" due to its ungainly complexity (too … Continue reading The Virtue of Simplicity: Redrawing the Celtic Cross
The “Personality Plus” Character Analysis Spread
Here is a spread that builds on the standard four-factor identity model by allowing for an "unfolding" or "flowering" of the basic personality snapshot into multi-faceted fullness stimulated by elemental interaction between the cards pulled and the underlying "state of being" reflected in each "phase:" Fire and Wands represent the Will (including primary drives, urges … Continue reading The “Personality Plus” Character Analysis Spread
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 