Every so often we all encounter situations where we're stumped by the meaning of a particular card in a particular reading. A common practice is to pull more cards to clarify the interpretation, but I prefer to take my cue from A.E. Waite's Pictorial Key to the Tarot and use the problem card as the "Significator" in a new … Continue reading The “Monkey in the Middle” Problem Clarification Spread
Tarot Spreads
The “Dire Straits” Dilemma Assessment Spread
One of the thorniest questions facing a diviner is whether or not it is prudent and ethical to attempt predicting events or situations that could have a major adverse impact on the life of a person or other entity. The wiser heads among us almost unanimously advise against making forecasts that involve death or diagnosis of serious illness, … Continue reading The “Dire Straits” Dilemma Assessment Spread
The “Alternate Reality” Timeline Spread
I don't use the 3-card "past/present/future" spread very much because I find it lacking in detail. Trying to stuff all of the relevant nuances of a moment in time into the narrow confines of a single card is like omitting the yeast when baking bread; it can be done but the results are usually quite … Continue reading The “Alternate Reality” Timeline Spread
The “Measure of the Moment” Spread
Although this decision-making spread looks complicated, it is more so in its derivation than in its interpretation. At its simplest, it consists of four main elemental cards, each flanked by two modifiers, that represent active agents expressing the thrust of the energies in the matter of the reading. The title refers to the confluence of those energies … Continue reading The “Measure of the Moment” Spread
The “Test of Truth” Spread and Example Reading
As I've mentioned before, we are trying to sell our home and move closer to our son's family to help with childcare logistics. At the moment we have two "live ones . . . " (I mean "potential buyers) who have come our way expressing an interest in the house. In trying to judge which one … Continue reading The “Test of Truth” Spread and Example Reading
The “Last Word” Positional Awareness Spread
This is a decision-making spread and a variant of my typical "situational awareness" approach. In this case, the decision involves whether a position being maintained or contemplated by the querent in a particular situation is in fact tenable, or whether the advisability of sustaining or pursuing it should be reconsidered. The positional meanings are self-explanatory. … Continue reading The “Last Word” Positional Awareness Spread
“Head ‘Em Off At The Pass” – A Decision-Making Spread
Here is a complex. multi-input spread that is intended to be used at the "brainstorming" stage of any important initiative, either personal or professional. It takes its inspiration from the "fishbone" (or "Ishikawa") diagram used in root-cause analysis but instead focuses on developmental insights rather than forensic ones; my working title for the spread was "The Dancing Flounder," but then I … Continue reading “Head ‘Em Off At The Pass” – A Decision-Making Spread
Spread Technician: The Artist-Philosopher-Engineer at Play
Having passed the "century" mark in self-designed tarot spread creation and presently working on my second hundred, I've been thinking (when am I not?) of what it takes to develop a truly informative and compelling layout that avoids being tiresomely trite. The most common formula in use today is to take five card positions, which seems to be the … Continue reading Spread Technician: The Artist-Philosopher-Engineer at Play
The “Hidden Agenda” Developmental Insight Spread
My reserves of philosophical commentary are starting to run low, so it's time to float another new spread. This one presents a novel way to populate a three-card line. Twelve cards are dealt (and a "quintessence" card is derived), but only three cards and the pertinent quint are read. It uses the concept of an … Continue reading The “Hidden Agenda” Developmental Insight Spread
The “Whodunit” Rogue’s Gallery Spread
I spend quite a bit of time examining missing-person cases - both current and "cold" - and have encountered a few alternate situations where the police have a body but they don't have a suspect, who is actually the absent person. These victims don't qualify as missing, so neither of my spreads designed for that … Continue reading The “Whodunit” Rogue’s Gallery Spread
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 