"I'm a mog! Half man, half dog. I'm my own best friend!"- John Candy as "Barf" in the Mel Brook's comedy Spaceballs AUTHOR'S NOTE: Consider this a bit of skewed wisdom from "pseudo-Yoda the Tarot Guru." I was just reading a news feed that mentioned a growing "national loneliness crisis" as one of the main … Continue reading “Your Own Best Friend, You Are”
Tarot Techniques
Got a Bad Case of “DDD?” – There’s Always a Way Out
"These are the days you wish your bed was already made"- from Manic Monday by The Bangles "I got stones in my passwayAnd my road seem dark as night"- from Stones in My Passway by Robert Johnson AUTHOR'S NOTE: "Discouraging daily draw," that is. Although I admit to seldom doing them unless a major event … Continue reading Got a Bad Case of “DDD?” – There’s Always a Way Out
A “Life’s Big Questions” Spread
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Here is a tarot spread that should be useful for exploring any profound existential issues confronting a seeker. In it, the analytical shares equal billing with the mystical (which is my customary approach to divination). The five-fold architecture of the layout is more philosophical than pragmatic in a "fortune-telling" sense. It is to … Continue reading A “Life’s Big Questions” Spread
A Potential-Mapping Spread in Three Parts: High Road, Low Road and Middle Way
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is a spread for the analysis of situations that offer three ways to confront the ethical choices facing the querent: a "High Road" of wisdom; a "Low Road" of folly; and a "Middle Way" of apathy. There are five factors on each path that are subject to optimization or abasement according to … Continue reading A Potential-Mapping Spread in Three Parts: High Road, Low Road and Middle Way
One Oar in the Water: Reversal as “Rowing in Circles”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: In common slang, failing to have "both oars in the water" carries a meaning similar to "not playing with a full deck," but in tarot terms this nautical metaphor could imply rowing in circles, unable to find a direct route to one's destination. Here I'm applying it to the conundrum of reversed cards … Continue reading One Oar in the Water: Reversal as “Rowing in Circles”
The Mirror of Identity: An Astro-Tarot Self-Appraisal Spread
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Here I'm merging astrological principles (natal planets and rising sign) with tarot cards and insights from the casebook of psycho-spiritual mind/body awareness to create a self-appraisal tool that is intended to identify any strengths and weaknesses in one's personality that may not stand out clearly from horoscopic delineation or cartomantic examination alone. While … Continue reading The Mirror of Identity: An Astro-Tarot Self-Appraisal Spread
The “Pendulum of Revealing” Positional Yes-or-No Spread
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is the fourth in my series of "Revealing" spreads: I've done a "Mandala," a "Pentacle" and an "Onion" of Revealing in the past. I'm using the pendulum motif for this one to answer the perennial yes-or-no question, with a nod toward "maybe" and any contrary trends that might occur as shown by … Continue reading The “Pendulum of Revealing” Positional Yes-or-No Spread
Court Cards As “Loss of Control”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I've almost always viewed court cards in a reading as describing potential interaction with other people who have an interest in the matter, or as attitudes and behaviors the seeker should either adopt or avoid. But I just encountered another possibility in a sub-reddit thread. Suppose that numerous court cards in a spread … Continue reading Court Cards As “Loss of Control”
Tarot As Social Herald: The Timing of Arrival or Departure
AUTHOR'S NOTE: While re-reading Paul Fenton-Smith's Tarot Master-Class, I rediscovered his observation that the reversed 10 of Pentacles can exhibit an exceptionally attenuated "trigger point" (on the order of 18 months from the time of the reading), portraying financial distress that is likely to be more consequential in broad societal terms than intensely personal at … Continue reading Tarot As Social Herald: The Timing of Arrival or Departure
The “Split-Decision” Opportunity Advancement Spread
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Here is a spread that examines the comparative probability of success or failure for an opportunity that could go either way. Select a card to represent the "best-case" outlook and place it upright on the table. Then take the same card from a second identical or similar deck and set it reversed below … Continue reading The “Split-Decision” Opportunity Advancement Spread
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 