AUTHOR'S NOTE: Here is my final "elemental storyboard" test reading that uses the suit of Pentacles to represent the "base element" of Earth. An objective I've been working toward is at the point of requiring concrete action, so I'm going to look at how I might proceed and what my prospects for success are. Radiant … Continue reading A Suit-of-Pentacles “Elemental Storyboard” Test Reading
Tarot Theory
Sharpening the Focus: A Three-Card Daily Profile Spread
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Here is a simple spread that captures my personal view of the "daily draw." As my regular readers know, I don't have much use for the single-card daily draw because it is entirely too static. Even a three-card pull can be overly generic due to being scattered across a full deck of 78 … Continue reading Sharpening the Focus: A Three-Card Daily Profile Spread
Linked Reversals As “Descent into Chaos”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: In a recent post I floated the idea that an unbroken string of reversed cards in a reading can "descend into chaos." I have numerous opinions about the significance of reversal that I've captured in over a dozen previous essays, but this is a new one. I've always felt that a reversed card … Continue reading Linked Reversals As “Descent into Chaos”
The “Creeping Darkness” Shadow Spread
AUTHOR'S NOTE: More inspiration from Benebell Wen's book, I Ching the Oracle: A Practical Guide to the Book of Changes. I was just reading about Hexagram 23 (Bo; Partition) which has five "dark" yin lines underlying a single "bright" yang line. The commentary is "Dark yin lines ascend upward to overthrow the final line of … Continue reading The “Creeping Darkness” Shadow Spread
A Suit-of-Cups “Elemental Storyboard” Test Reading
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Here is an "elemental storyboard" test reading that uses the suit of Cups to represent the "base element" of Water. I'm tackling the age-old (and largely inscrutable) subject of "true love" (as in finding and keeping). I'm stating it coyly as "Under what circumstances will I (or won't I) find emotional fulfillment in … Continue reading A Suit-of-Cups “Elemental Storyboard” Test Reading
The Three-Card Reading: Omelet or Scrambled Eggs?
AUTHOR'S NOTE: At its best, preparation of a breakfast omelet is a carefully-planned affair: wisely-chosen ingredients (usually involving eggs, cheese and various fillings - herbs, vegetables, mushrooms, meats, etc) introduced in just the right order at just the right time. Scrambled eggs, on the other hand - although they may include the same components or … Continue reading The Three-Card Reading: Omelet or Scrambled Eggs?
Pre-Reading Prep – “A Moment of Silence”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Questions come up frequently in the online tarot community regarding what, if any, special preparations experienced diviners make before they embark on a reading session. This is usually focused on spiritual practices like prayers, invocations or meditation; environmental considerations like lighting, seating and music; and "props" like crystals or incense. Around the time … Continue reading Pre-Reading Prep – “A Moment of Silence”
Shouting into the Void: Intuition vs. Analysis in Divination
AUTHOR'S NOTE: My themes seem to be getting more pugnacious lately. Don't take it to heart; I'm basically respectful of diverse theories, just not too tolerant of what I see as sheer metaphysical folly. I've long maintained that, while our physical senses bring us raw input, the cognitive faculties remain the only reliable tool we … Continue reading Shouting into the Void: Intuition vs. Analysis in Divination
Complementary Opposites: “Neutral and Supportive” Elemental Dignities
AUTHOR'S NOTE: According to the Golden Dawn's esoteric worldview, the classical elements of Empedocles (Fire, Water, Air and Earth) as used in the tarot are distinguished by four unique degrees of compatibility that dictate how potent a card will be in performing its role when bracketed by certain other cards in a spread. This is … Continue reading Complementary Opposites: “Neutral and Supportive” Elemental Dignities
Psychological Parallels in Tarot: The Mechanics of Redirection
AUTHOR'S NOTE: First a disclosure. After studying and working with the tarot cards for over five decades, I'm convinced that they aren't ideal for psychological profiling and character analysis (or, put less academically, what someone else "thinks or feels"), in which capacity they are too much like "mind-reading-with-props." That's why I use natal astrology for … Continue reading Psychological Parallels in Tarot: The Mechanics of Redirection
