My wife recently fell and fractured both bones of her forearm near the wrist. They're calling it an "unstable" fracture that will require two plates to be inserted into her arm; that surgery is scheduled for today. I performed my "Threepenny Opera" multi-deck selection method to a three-card line asking about the outcome of the … Continue reading A “Threepenny Opera” Example Reading: Arm Surgery
Tarot Spreads
The “Tarot-Cartography” Relocation Spread
Here's a little less-complicated fun with reversals. It's based on the "Astro-Cartography" model from the 1970s. This approach to relocation assumes that we have an urge to move but don't know exactly where we want to go to find the best "fit." It uses a process of elimination based on the appearance of reversed cards … Continue reading The “Tarot-Cartography” Relocation Spread
The “Mercury Reversed” Retrograde Period Spread
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I split this spread off from yesterday's post for better visibility, saying three times "I promise not to repeat myself . . ." As discussed at length in my previous essay, I don't buy the popular notion that Mercury going retrograde as part of the evolving "sky pattern" is automatically a harbinger of … Continue reading The “Mercury Reversed” Retrograde Period Spread
The “Hidden Path” Situational Awareness Spread
I'm fascinated by reversals and am always looking for creative ways to take maximum advantage of their subtle influence. Here is a spread that uses reversal to further the "hidden" story-line. The reading will be from two to five cards depending on how many reversals appear, and the first reversed card will set the topical … Continue reading The “Hidden Path” Situational Awareness Spread
A Tarot Spread “4-Pack”
At the rate I'm creating new content, I may never catch up on my backlog of essay drafts because I try to post only once each day to avoid spamming my readers. Since tarot spread creation is a "fill-in" activity between my more involved literary efforts, they tend to languish in the queue, now more … Continue reading A Tarot Spread “4-Pack”
“You’ll Fall Right In . . .” (b/w “The Beef Stew Annual Forecast Spread”)
A discussion I've been following on the "r/tarot" reddit board brought up the point that the tarot can be overused (or improperly used) in the search for personal awareness and advancement. It is a fascinating thread for what it reveals about the extremes some people will go to in overthinking their daily lives rather than … Continue reading “You’ll Fall Right In . . .” (b/w “The Beef Stew Annual Forecast Spread”)
The “A La Carte” Business Development Spread
Here is a twist on the business startup spread. The premise behind this layout is that the reader has some leeway (and responsibility) in hand-picking (from a randomly-drawn sub-set) the best cards to support an entrepreneur's objectives in mounting a new business venture, as represented by an intentionally-selected "Business Venture" trump card. The idea is … Continue reading The “A La Carte” Business Development Spread
“Passing the Monkey” – A Problem-Solving Spread
We have all been in situations that make us squirm uncomfortably, wishing with all our heart that we could "get off the hot seat" or "out from under the microscope." I was just reading some commentary about an old Harvard Business Review book titled Management Time: Who’s Got the Monkey? by William Oncken and Donald … Continue reading “Passing the Monkey” – A Problem-Solving Spread
The “Three-Part Cacophony” Reading Method: One Part Melody, Two Parts Counterpoint
Here's one from "way out in left field;" I chose "Cacophony" because "harmony" is never a foregone conclusion in a tarot reading. This layout has some similarities to the Celtic Cross (CC) in the way it is read, but the structure differs, the number of "developmental" cards is flexible and there are fewer fixed position … Continue reading The “Three-Part Cacophony” Reading Method: One Part Melody, Two Parts Counterpoint
The “Stones in My Passway” Situational Spread
Here is another "tricksy" (pardon me, I'm channeling my "inner Gollum") situational spread that employs a redirected flow, this time according to elemental assignments and their "active" or "passive" nature. All of the explanatory text and instructions are included in the spread graphic. This spread is not all that different from reading a straight multi-card … Continue reading The “Stones in My Passway” Situational Spread
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 