There is constant argument on the tarot forums and pages about whether the cards can or should be used to address "yes-or-no" questions. I strongly believe that any inquiry can be put to the tarot as long as we are perceptive and sensitive about how we interpret the verdict. Simply saying "The tarot is ineffective … Continue reading An Archetypal “Yes-No-Maybe” Template
Yes-or-No Spreads
The “Environmental” Yes-or-No Answer
I'm mildly amused by people who say "Tarot isn't meant for yes-or-no questions." I suspect that back in the 18th and 19th Centuries (before we went "all psychological and spiritual" with it) tarot wasn't used for much else but binary questions. The cards will basically do anything we require of them as long as we … Continue reading The “Environmental” Yes-or-No Answer
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 “Reasonable Certainty” Investment Opportunity Spread
Here is a spread for you "left-brained" types who appreciate a more deductive, methodical approach to tarot reading when warranted. It can be used when the opportunity for any kind of significant investment arises; this can be a financial initiative or any other commitment involving one's time or resources. Note that if you are of … Continue reading The “Reasonable Certainty” Investment Opportunity Spread
A Best-Case/Worst-Case “Offset” Spread
Here's an unusual spread that requires a "prepared" deck with favorable and unfavorable sub-packs; the cards' nominal "good" and "bad" qualities are based on my personal system, which applies Aleister Crowley's essays and keyword meanings from the Book of Thoth. The model also employs some occult number theory (see Joseph Maxwell's The Tarot), in that … Continue reading A Best-Case/Worst-Case “Offset” Spread
Fortuna’s Spiral: A “Make-Your-Own-Luck” Spread
I find inspiration for new spreads in some unusual places. While reading a long dissertation by C.S. Lewis on De Consolatione Philosophiae by 6th-Century Roman statesman/philospher Anicius Manlius Severinus Boethius, I encountered a passage contrasting "Fortune" (here called "Providence") and "Destiny" (or "Fate"): "That which 'in the citadel of the divine simplicity' is Providence, when … Continue reading Fortuna’s Spiral: A “Make-Your-Own-Luck” Spread
A “Binary Dilemma” Example Reading
I was asked to do a reading to determine whether the casual acquaintances between a couple and two others can be expected to blossom into real friendship. This "yes-or-no" question presented a perfect opportunity to test-drive my new approach to binary inquiries. I selected the Conver Ben-Dov Tarot de Marseilles for this reading, and used … Continue reading A “Binary Dilemma” Example Reading
The “Light-and-Shadow” Decision-Making Spread
The "Holy Grail" of decision-making advice is the simple, straightforward "yes-or-no" answer: "Should I or shouldn't I? Will she or won't she? Is it or isn't it?" There are numerous short spreads that strive for this goal; this isn't one of them. It recognizes that every sunny street has a shady side, and a ray … Continue reading The “Light-and-Shadow” Decision-Making Spread
A “Simple Yes-or-No Spread” Update
I don't do many yes-or-no readings because I think the tarot is more effective at telling stories. But today we had a contractor scheduled to come and hydro-seed our new lawn, and they hadn't arrived yet as of 10:00 AM. Because contractors in our area can be notoriously hard to pin down to a commitment, … Continue reading A “Simple Yes-or-No Spread” Update
A Simple Yes-or-No Spread
Answering straightforward yes-or-no questions in a clean, simple way has never been easy with the tarot because the cards are highly nuanced, telling complex stories rather than pronouncing clear-cut verdicts. Different approaches have been tried, including single-card pulls that rely on the general positive or negative nature of the card drawn, or - even more … Continue reading A Simple Yes-or-No Spread
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 