I'm more than a little bemused by people who say that using formal tarot spreads "inhibits their intuition." Seems to me they're too easily diverted from their goal by undue sensitivity to the mechanics of the art; a spread is nothing more than a convenient template that offers a reasonable place to start, like an … Continue reading A Case for Positional Spreads
Tarot Spreads
The “Motivational Extremes” Problem-Solving Menu
Consider this "the spread that is not a spread." It requires the reader to exercise judgment regarding which two of sixteen "obstacle" and "opportunity" cards present the greatest challenge for the querent and the brightest hope for successful resolution in any problem-solving scenario. The result of this deliberation is a three-card reading that describes the … Continue reading The “Motivational Extremes” Problem-Solving Menu
The “Elemental Crossing” Decision-Making Spread
Here is a decision-making spread that uses Elemental Dignities and the compatible or incompatible divinatory nature of cards in combination to identify which of four resolution modes appears to be the most favorable. The central "focus" card for the decision can either be selected intentionally in advance or pulled randomly during the deal. Reversals may … Continue reading The “Elemental Crossing” Decision-Making Spread
The “Tree of Life or Strife” Mixed-Destiny Spread
In contemplating ways to bring the Qliphoth or "shells" to bear on the standard Tree of Life spread, I came up with the following 10-card "light-and-shadow" variation. It is read in two parts, first as two sub-sets according to the Qabalistic number series, and then as an "as-drawn" 10-card line with two subdivisions ("above" and … Continue reading The “Tree of Life or Strife” Mixed-Destiny Spread
The “Perfect Storm” New Relationship Spread
I'm always looking for new ways to assess relationship potential, whether in private situations or predominantly public scenarios. This spread employs a "weather forecast" model in which converging systems vie for dominance. This may seem rather cold-blooded for romantic readings, but in truth any viable long-term personal relationship has all the earmarks of a sound … Continue reading The “Perfect Storm” New Relationship Spread
The “Carrot and Stick” Situational Development Spread
This is a type of decision-making spread that examines the odds of success or failure in any significant change scenario. It requires separating the deck into two stacks, one with only the minor cards and the other with the court and trump cards. The two sets are dealt separately into a "three-plus-three" array with the … Continue reading The “Carrot and Stick” Situational Development Spread
A “Missing-Person Vignette” Spread
This spread provides a "short-form" version of my earlier spreads on the subject of "missing-person" cases. It uses a court-card "significator" to represent the absent person that is either specifically selected or carried over from a previous reading in which it appeared. Two decks are required: one to populate the three-card "narrative" row and one … Continue reading A “Missing-Person Vignette” Spread
The “Fool’s Itinerary” Success Path Spread
This spread assumes that there are two ways to contemplate the likely success of any endeavor: the "easy way" and the "hard way." It includes a three-card planning stage, a "trigger" card and a choice of paths dictated by the orientation of the trigger card, either upright or reversed. It is necessary to allow reversals … Continue reading The “Fool’s Itinerary” Success Path Spread
More Than a Blog, Not Quite a Book
For several years now I've been encouraged by my online forum-mates to compile all of my original 200-plus tarot spreads (most of which are scattered throughout the nearly 1,150 posts of this blog) into a book for public purchase. I did in fact make an attempt to interest a couple of metaphysical publishing houses, to … Continue reading More Than a Blog, Not Quite a Book
The “3-Card a la Carte” Decision-Making Spread
Those of you who follow me know that I'm not a fan of three-card readings. In my opinion they take too narrow a slice of the deck and tell too shallow a story, requiring considerable intuitive guesswork to fill in the gaps in the narrative. I prefer not to work that hard when the information … Continue reading The “3-Card a la Carte” Decision-Making Spread
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 