AUTHOR'S NOTE: Here is a spread that is intended for use when we feel becalmed or unmotivated and are looking for a definitive "breakout moment" sometime in the next month. You will need two decks for this spread, one for the fifteen "advice" cards in the top row and one for the "mode of action/inaction" … Continue reading A “Near-Term Breakout” Spread
Tarot Techniques
Spread Shape as “Statement of Intent”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I've now created well over 300 tarot and Lenormand spreads, and I often mention spread format (or "shape") as one of the three main elements of my architecture: the other two are position meaning ("What do I want to know?") and number of positions ("How much do I want to know about it?"). … Continue reading Spread Shape as “Statement of Intent”
“Rule from Within:” A Tarot Paradigm
AUTHOR'S NOTE: While pursuing my study of the I Ching, I encountered the concept of "rule from within" that exploits the inner strength by which the Mind and the Will exercise control over one's external circumstances like a general in the midst of his army. This idea presented a perfect opportunity to discuss the significance … Continue reading “Rule from Within:” A Tarot Paradigm
General Life-Reading: A Convenient Fallback
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I often see consternation brewing among tarot neophytes over the fact that, although they want to "get serious" when it comes to divination with the cards, they are unsure how to proceed because they have no pressing questions to ask. Following is a summary of ways to offset that shortcoming through a "general … Continue reading General Life-Reading: A Convenient Fallback
Deeper Than You Realize: Reversals As Hidden Messages
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I just came across the intriguing notion that it could be instructive, after performing a reading that allows for reversed cards, to go through the rest of the deck and find additional instances of reversal that didn't make it into the reading. (In other words, they didn't surface during the pull.) The assumption … Continue reading Deeper Than You Realize: Reversals As Hidden Messages
The “Hourglass of Opportunity” Three-Way Spread
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Here is an elegant spread that offers three possible paths to resolution: the left-hand path of intuitive insight, the right-hand path of rational judgment, and the central or "ideal" path that blends the two into a perfectly coordinated "middle way" between them. All three pass through a central "lens" (Key #2) that represents … Continue reading The “Hourglass of Opportunity” Three-Way Spread
Off-Topic Tarot Readings: Crossing the Conceptual Divide
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Here I'm tackling the evasive defense (OK, it's a convenient excuse) that is often trotted out to justify why tarot readings yield advice that seems valid while not even remotely addressing the question we asked: "They're responding to a different issue that may be more important but that wasn't recognized by the querent." … Continue reading Off-Topic Tarot Readings: Crossing the Conceptual Divide
“But Does It Work?”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: If dismay among junior members of the online tarot community is any indication, it's not uncommon for beginners to expect far more factual accuracy and predictive discernment from a tarot reading than it is reasonably able to deliver, causing many new readers to question its usefulness. Lack of observable success leads to disillusionment, … Continue reading “But Does It Work?”
Ascending and Descending Energies as Ruling and Yielding Principles in the Tarot
AUTHOR'S NOTE: As I pursue my study of the I Ching, I'm encountering numerous new ideas that demand scholarly attention while also creating a wealth of intriguing notions that I intend to fold into my ongoing exploration of the syncretism between the tarot and the Book of Changes. Here is the latest example. In general, … Continue reading Ascending and Descending Energies as Ruling and Yielding Principles in the Tarot
“No Blame” – Between the Ideal and the Irredeemable*
*Between the ideal and the irredeemable lies the imperfect or slightly flawed that, with prompt corrective action, can still be salvaged. (A creative rewrite of Benebell Wen's I Ching text.) AUTHOR'S NOTE: I've been thinking about the often-repeated advice of the I Ching that "there is no blame," in essence meaning that, although mistakes have … Continue reading “No Blame” – Between the Ideal and the Irredeemable*
