There is an old cliche that "a bad penny always turns up." This aphorism perfectly describes the barely civil dispute about the practice of reading reversed cards that is currently simmering on one of my more advanced tarot forums. The weary consensus is to just "pick your poison" (I'm full of platitudes today) and move … Continue reading Lurkers on the Threshold
Tarot Techniques
A “Mercury Reversed” Example Reading
As luck (or Fate) would have it, Mercury went retrograde on the 14th of January, 2022, giving me a perfect opportunity to test this spread. During much of the period, Venus is also retrograde but there were no Venus decan cards in the draw. It might be worthwhile to set up the "Archetypal Pattern" for … Continue reading A “Mercury Reversed” Example Reading
The “Mercury Reversed” Retrograde Period Spread
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I split this spread off from yesterday's post for better visibility, saying three times "I promise not to repeat myself . . ." As discussed at length in my previous essay, I don't buy the popular notion that Mercury going retrograde as part of the evolving "sky pattern" is automatically a harbinger of … Continue reading The “Mercury Reversed” Retrograde Period Spread
The “Hidden Path” Situational Awareness Spread
I'm fascinated by reversals and am always looking for creative ways to take maximum advantage of their subtle influence. Here is a spread that uses reversal to further the "hidden" story-line. The reading will be from two to five cards depending on how many reversals appear, and the first reversed card will set the topical … Continue reading The “Hidden Path” Situational Awareness Spread
The “One-and-Done” Single Use Dilemma
There are at least four instances (and one related case) I can think of where a card in the tarot deck is limited to a single appearance in a reading when it might be reasonable (and in some cases necessary) to assume that it warrants more than one iteration. One of these is the 12-card … Continue reading The “One-and-Done” Single Use Dilemma
“Who’s Got the Ball?” – Court Cards As “Agency”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: The ideas and practices described here are updated from those presented in at least one earlier post on the subject. It has always struck me that the court cards of a tarot deck have a fairly narrow range of usefulness in a reading (not to mention that they are often a source of … Continue reading “Who’s Got the Ball?” – Court Cards As “Agency”
A Quintessence “Thumbnail”
As I continue to post my original spreads on various sites, those layouts that include the calculation of a quintessence (aka "quint") card often receive puzzled questions and comments from tarot neophytes who have never heard of the technique. It's one I've found quite useful for neatly winding up all the threads in a reading … Continue reading A Quintessence “Thumbnail”
Harmony: The Last Word (For Now)
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I'm "shoehorning" this post in here because of strong interest in this missing-person case. I realized that I didn't perform my "last word" reading for the case of Harmony Montgomery. The spread, which I characterize as showing "the quick (alive), the dead and the in-between (suffering but still alive)," is intended to demonstrate … Continue reading Harmony: The Last Word (For Now)
A Twist on Elemental Dignities
As a continuation of my work in blending the influence of the astrological modalities into the sign-and-planet meanings of the 36 minor, or "decan" cards of the tarot, I thought it would be interesting and possibly revealing to bring this idea into the use of Elemental Dignities (EDs). Melding the various elements and modalities of … Continue reading A Twist on Elemental Dignities
My 2022 “Beef Stew” Annual Forecast Reading
This is my first use of the annual forecast spread I just created using a "beef stew" metaphor: "broth" (trump card as the background "tone" of the upcoming year); "meat/gristle" (court cards as who I should become and avoid becoming); and "veggies/sludge" (minor cards as what I should do or avoid doing - you know, … Continue reading My 2022 “Beef Stew” Annual Forecast Reading
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 