The idea of assigning accountability (or more bluntly, "blame") for challenges encountered in a situation being addressed in a tarot reading continues to fascinate me. Not that I think we need to do it, or that it's even productive, just that it's often on a sitter's mind when the matter at hand is particularly elusive … Continue reading The “Blame Game” Spread
Tarot Techniques
A Different Take on the “Past/Present/Future” Outlook
One of my "pet" notions is that people seeking a tarot reading who are experiencing difficulties in their lives love to identify someone or something else to blame for their troubles, whether or not they choose to admit it. The usual "past/present/future" spread design is somewhat imprecise in pinning down the likely "drivers" for these … Continue reading A Different Take on the “Past/Present/Future” Outlook
Left or Right? A Matter of Orientation
There is a tradition in tarot reading that visually scanning from the left to the right in a linear spread presents a past-to-future panorama of circumstances signifying an urge to move forward, while looking from right to left suggests a need to first deal with past events in the situation that may still be unresolved … Continue reading Left or Right? A Matter of Orientation
A “Psychometric” Yes-or-No Reading Approach
The dilemma of how to handle "yes-or-no" questions (or whether to even attempt answering them) is one that all tarot readers must confront sooner or later. I've tried numerous ways, both simple and complicated, to solve the problem and a few years ago I created a table of what I dubbed "Yes-Leaning," "No-Leaning" and "Maybe" … Continue reading A “Psychometric” Yes-or-No Reading Approach
The “Nature of the Evidence” Situational Challenges Spread
This spread uses the rank (minor, court or trump) of a majority of the cards pulled to show the projected urgency or intensity of any challenges present or anticipated in a developing situation. Because it is likely that "ties" will occur (such as a "2-2-1" distribution), one or two "tie-breaker" cards should be pulled and … Continue reading The “Nature of the Evidence” Situational Challenges Spread
A Developmental “Reality-Check” Model
I consider the ten suit cards from Ace to Ten to show the developmental ideal for advancement of any conceivable situation. In order to do this we have to put a "good face" (or as good a face as possible) on all of them. This is easier to do with pip decks than with scenic … Continue reading A Developmental “Reality-Check” Model
“White On This Side”
Being an "action-and-event-oriented" tarot reader reminds me of the "Fair Witnesses" in Robert Heinlein's novel, Stranger in a Strange Land: they were absolutely incorruptible observers who could be called on to help assess the truth or falsehood of any situation. If you pointed to a white house and asked "What color is that house?" they … Continue reading “White On This Side”
A Chess-Inspired Major Problem-Solving Spread
When I think of it (which is often) our handling of a complex problem might be equated to the moves in a chess game, where we are angling for position and control of the "board." Here is a layout that amounts to an "exploded" version of the standard "action/reaction/resolution" spread that gives a detailed picture … Continue reading A Chess-Inspired Major Problem-Solving Spread
“The Initial Sweep of the Divinatory Eye”
While reading an Amazon review of the gold-enhanced, 78-card Oswald Wirth deck (which I had been thinking of buying but now I'm not so sure), I happened upon the phrase "the initial sweep of the divinatory eye" in a criticism of the uninspired non-Wirth pip cards that drag this deck down. The author noted that … Continue reading “The Initial Sweep of the Divinatory Eye”
Big Little Spreads
I have to confess to shamelessly manipulating the title of John Crowley's "otherworld" book, Little, Big, for this essay. Sometimes a chance opportunity is too good to pass up. I recently came across a question on one of the Facebook tarot pages, "What is a good two or three-card spread?" As a great fan of … Continue reading Big Little Spreads
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 