Since it appears that we will be avoiding public contact until sometime in May due to the COVID-19 pandemic, I thought I would do a "health and wellness" reading to see what this means for my personal state of physical and mental fitness. I used my "All Well and Good, But . . ." spread … Continue reading COVID-19 “Health & Wellness” Reading
Tarot Techniques
The “Elemental Checkpoint” Subject Location Spread
Although I find horary astrology much more effective than tarot for locating misplaced objects or missing people, there is something to be said for using the elemental properties of the minor and court cards as pointers for where to look for the subject of a reading. I built this spread around the suggestions of astrologer … Continue reading The “Elemental Checkpoint” Subject Location Spread
Should I or Shouldn’t I? – A “Measure of the Moment” Reading
After having spent most of the last month in my house, going nowhere but into the back yard, I've been itching to get into the outdoors and do something active. The governor here has been encouraging it, but so many people are following his advice that the parks and trails are crowded, defeating the purpose … Continue reading Should I or Shouldn’t I? – A “Measure of the Moment” Reading
A “Hanged-Man Moment”
I've been immersed lately in one of the more active Facebook tarot pages, where the question of reversed cards comes up with predictable frequency. New readers who don't use them wonder anxiously if they should, while more experienced diviners who do are confident that they are worthwhile (I've been one of the latter for almost … Continue reading A “Hanged-Man Moment”
The “Ring Pass Not” Critical Decision-Making Spread
I'm a firm believer in the idea that tarot can aid us in making momentous and potentially life-changing decisions as long as a judicious method is devised for applying its testimony. Like the old caveat about astrology ("The stars don't compel, they impel"), the cards in a reading should be treated as either encouraging or … Continue reading The “Ring Pass Not” Critical Decision-Making Spread
The “Unwanted Attention” Interrogation Spread
This spread is intended for use whenever confronted by either the occurrence or the possibility of unwelcome attention of any kind, whether at home or in public. It is designed as a set of questions to be asked via the cards about an absent second party who either has been making such advances or is … Continue reading The “Unwanted Attention” Interrogation Spread
“Theosophical Reduction” or “Casting Out Nines?”
I've touched on this subject before but wanted to spend some time going over the details. There are situations (particularly the "quintessence" calculation) where we add together the numerical values of all the cards in a spread to arrive at a single trump card that can provide a summary "roll-up" of the combined energies at … Continue reading “Theosophical Reduction” or “Casting Out Nines?”
“Gut” or “Gourd” – Your Choice
As I frequent larger Facebook tarot groups, I encounter advice for reading the cards that recommends to beginners "Just go with your gut, don't think about it," which seems to be book-ended by "There is no right or wrong way, so whatever feels right is "right for you." As a thinking person, I have some … Continue reading “Gut” or “Gourd” – Your Choice
Reversed Cards As Psychological Cues
I know I'm repeating myself here, but I draw few psychological inferences (not none, but certainly not many) from my tarot readings. I'm an "action-and-event" kind of guy, and would rather explore what could potentially happen in a situation and not what someone else "thinks or feels" might happen, since (putting it kindly) they may … Continue reading Reversed Cards As Psychological Cues
An “Agree to Disagree” Example Reading
To test this spread, I asked how effective the US government's response to the COVID-19 crisis is going to be. I used the dazzling Tabula Mundi Colores Arcus Tarot (a Thoth clone), with reversals. Note that, in this case, the only relevant aspects of the two court cards are their facing and orientation; they aren't … Continue reading An “Agree to Disagree” Example Reading
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 