Here is a two-phase spread that uses a normal shuffle and face-down deal of tarot or oracle cards to "set the stage" for the three-card reading and a random draw of dominoes to choose which cards to read. This turned out to be more complex than using dice for the selection step since any number … Continue reading An Experiment with Dominoes and Cards
Tarot Techniques
An Experiment in “Symbolic Parallels”
Here is a 15-card spread that explores the notion that cards will complement one another according to the position they hold within the 78-card series, essentially creating pairs of "symbolic parallels." It is intended to show the querent's psychological orientation to the subject of the reading as it develops over time, from initial awareness to … Continue reading An Experiment in “Symbolic Parallels”
The “Double-Entry” Situational Bottom-Line Spread
I had intended to make this spread emulate a double-entry book-keeping ledger with a "credit" (profitable) side and a "debit" (less-rewarding) side, in which the "bottom line" would be a "zero-sum" proposition using the "quintessence" method. But the only way I could get a numerical zero out of it was to use the reversed version … Continue reading The “Double-Entry” Situational Bottom-Line Spread
“Adjectivitis” – The Tarot Writer’s (and Reader’s) Albatross
I have to confess that the comma is my enemy, particularly when it is used to link an endless array of modifiers that would be best boiled down into a single compelling noun or trenchant adjective (for that matter, the more sophisticated semi-colon is at most a "friend with benefits" and not a faithful consort … Continue reading “Adjectivitis” – The Tarot Writer’s (and Reader’s) Albatross
Do the “Loosen Up”
While writing my recent post about the the ability of the court cards to receive "inspiration and support from Above," I stumbled upon an epiphany that deserves further exploration. At the end of the essay I wrote: "I will continue to see tarot royalty as hobbled by their inability to “loosen up;” in practical reading … Continue reading Do the “Loosen Up”
Half-Measures
Here's another tidbit from Paul Marteau's Tarot de Marseille book. In describing the "inverted" or reversed image of the Knight of Cups, he says "The power of the card is only reduced in half, being too active for the effects to be extinguished; there are delays or impediments." One popular assumption about reversed cards in … Continue reading Half-Measures
“Up the Down Staircase” – The Reversed Quintessence Card
A number of years ago, a young woman who went by the online name of "Amanda" on the now-defunct Aeclectic Tarot forum gave me the idea of subtracting the face value of any reversed cards in a spread when doing the "quintessence" calculation, which can result in a negative total and therefore a reversed "quint" … Continue reading “Up the Down Staircase” – The Reversed Quintessence Card
Tarot as “Projection”
There is a common belief among those who dismiss tarot reading as a naive exercise in self-deception that the results are merely a fanciful "projection" of the seeker's fondest dreams or deepest fears, and that the agency of the cards cannot reliably come up with unbiased testimony about future circumstances. In my opinion, this argument … Continue reading Tarot as “Projection”
The Case for the “Rescue Person” (A Crisis-Intervention Spread)
The modern phenomenon of the "rescue dog" (or cat, rabbit, hamster, pig, horse, etc) is well-known. These are domestic animals that are captive strays or that are being abandoned by their owners, who don't want or for some reason can't keep them. Older or infirm pets are frequently on the road to euthanization and rescue … Continue reading The Case for the “Rescue Person” (A Crisis-Intervention Spread)
A Utilitarian “Day-Trip” Event Planning Spread
While at a Maine beach yesterday I was thinking about how the tarot might be used for planning any kind of daily outing or event, covering circumstances such as weather, general comfort level, crowds and access (meaning "getting there and getting in"). It applies the 40 "elemental" minor cards and the astrological correspondences for the … Continue reading A Utilitarian “Day-Trip” Event Planning Spread
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 