AUTHOR'S NOTE: I've encountered many productive parallels between the oracular character of the Chinese Book of Changes and that of the Western tarot cards, but this one seems particularly useful. (In this context I've consulted both the classic Wilhelm/Baynes English translation and Benebell Wen's recent book, I Ching, The Oracle: A Practical Guide to the … Continue reading Sink or Swim? – An I Ching Approach to the Tarot
Tarot Techniques
What Happened to Devon? – A Horary and Tarot Case Closure
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Roughly a year ago I was approached by a person with an interest in the case of Devon Marsman, who at that time had been missing from Halifax, Nova Scotia for more than two years. He was last seen entering a relative's house in Halifax at night, apparently for a party that the … Continue reading What Happened to Devon? – A Horary and Tarot Case Closure
Hollow in the Middle: A Mid-Course Correction Spread
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hexagram 61 of the I Ching is composed of two yin (or "broken") lines sandwiched between a quartet of yang (or "solid") lines, giving the impression of a hollowed-out center. Benebell Wen's commentary notes: "One is faced with an equal and opposing adversary. This is a war between equals. There is currently a … Continue reading Hollow in the Middle: A Mid-Course Correction Spread
The “Skirmish Line” Head-to-Head Conflict Resolution Spread
AUTHOR'S NOTE: In ground combat, an expeditionary skirmish line exists when a sparse detachment of infantry faces a larger enemy force across contested terrain. This is not a pitched battle, a melee in which all available resources are thrown into the fray by both sides, but rather a "scouting, feinting, harrying or blocking" mission such … Continue reading The “Skirmish Line” Head-to-Head Conflict Resolution Spread
“Wang Hai’s Cattle”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: While contemplating the Chinese legend of Wang Hai, who lost his livestock (not once but twice!) to jealous rivals in the kingdom of Yi, I decided to create a tarot spread that addresses this possibility in present-day terms. In the past I've used the upright or reversed orientation of the cards in a … Continue reading “Wang Hai’s Cattle”
“Home-Court Advantage” in Tarot Reading
AUTHOR'S NOTE: A staple of tarot reading is the "dual-path" spread that is intended to highlight the more auspicious of two choices for the querent's consideration. They come in many shapes and sizes (typically parallel rows or columns, and sometimes "forked" arrays) but are usually brief. Ideally, each path will be neutral before the cards … Continue reading “Home-Court Advantage” in Tarot Reading
Devil, Devil, Who’s Got the Devil?
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Sometimes you just know something fishy is going on but you can't put your finger on it where to look for it. Here is a spread that mimics the Clue motif (we recently attended the stage performance in Boston); it uses the Golden Dawn's method of deciding on a "significator" card, then dealing … Continue reading Devil, Devil, Who’s Got the Devil?
Playing to Strength, Caving to Weakness: Aspiration and Temptation in Tarot Reading
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Here is a spread that offers a "high road" and a "low road" for approaching the outcome of a reading; these are parallel routes, each with an itinerary that features either optimism for a successful arrival or pessimism over the risk of being detoured into failure. It could be useful when contemplating whether … Continue reading Playing to Strength, Caving to Weakness: Aspiration and Temptation in Tarot Reading
Multiple Reversals as “Covert Operations”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I've written often about the myriad ways in which one can interpret reversed cards in a tarot reading; I now have over 200 general keywords in 15 major categories to describe it that go well beyond "blocked" or "delayed." One common assumption is that reversal suggests a covert influence entering the matter, usually … Continue reading Multiple Reversals as “Covert Operations”
The Awakening: A Spiritual Transformation Spread
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Here is a tarot spread that uses the concepts of entrenched inertia (pip cards), personal make-over (court cards) and mystical transformation in the form of both transcendent opportunities and spiritual pitfalls (trump cards). It is one of my "mixed-media" spreads that employs both tarot cards and dice in its execution. Begin by separating … Continue reading The Awakening: A Spiritual Transformation Spread
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 