This isn't a spread per se, it's a simpler substitute for the initial step of the "First Operation" of the Golden Dawn's Opening of the Key method. Instead of separating all 78 cards into four stacks and finding the Significator, only sixteen cards including the Significator are selected for the matrix, four in each elemental … Continue reading “In the Court of the Crimson King” 3-D Elemental Matrix
At Home with the Wanderer
A request recently came up on one of the astrological forums wanting to know what our favorite natal planetary placement is (that is, in our own birth charts). Since I don't give much weight to the three modern planets these days, my decision was fairly straightforward, and not the one you might expect. First-house Jupiter … Continue reading At Home with the Wanderer
Cold Reading Then and Now
"Cold-reading" is an interesting subject; it seems to mean something entirely different now than in the past. In my own experience, it used to describe reading with zero prior knowledge or information, simply drawing insight from the cards or other tools of divination with no preliminary "warm-up" clues from the sitter. But it now implies … Continue reading Cold Reading Then and Now
“Is this love, or is it just confusion?”
Jimi Hendrix could have been channeling a dysfunctional 2 of Cups when he wrote the lyrics to "Love or Confusion:" Oh my head is pounding pounding Going 'round and 'round and 'round and 'round Must there always be these colors? Without names without sound? My heart burns with feelin' but Oh but my mind is … Continue reading “Is this love, or is it just confusion?”
Hangin’ Out
It has always seemed to me that the Hanged Man gets a bad rap. After all, patience is a virtue and in my experience the “sacrifice” almost universally applied to interpretation of this card often means relinquishing time or initiative rather than irretrievable loss of anything more concrete. Inaction can even be the most prudent … Continue reading Hangin’ Out
“Double Whammy” Yes-or-No Sample Reading
I performed a test reading with the "Yes-or-No" spread posted earlier, using the Fournier Tarot de Marseille. I asked a simple question about whether an upcoming activity would turn out well. (Note that where the cards are bi-directional, I consider them to be upright). Card #1: 10 of Cups - Cups = Yes; Upright = … Continue reading “Double Whammy” Yes-or-No Sample Reading
The “Double Whammy” Yes-or-No Spread
This is an intense little spread that is more complicated than it looks. It uses only the 56 suit cards and also two standard dice, and is designed around the astronomical Earth-Sun-Moon cycle. The waxing lunar cycle builds toward "Yes" and the waning cycle fades toward "No." The idea is to first lay out the … Continue reading The “Double Whammy” Yes-or-No Spread
2017 Solar Eclipse in the Sibly USA Chart
I just compared the 2017 Total Solar Eclipse chart to the Sibly USA birth-chart. The degree of the eclipse in the USA 9th House is opposed the USA natal Moon within a little more than one degree. Looks like a time of great emotional unrest (but also awareness), hand-wringing and gnashing of teeth. It will … Continue reading 2017 Solar Eclipse in the Sibly USA Chart
2017 Total Eclipse Event Charts
Here are the event charts I cast for the Total Solar Eclipse tomorrow. I used John Halloran's Astrology Deluxe Report Writer. For the first chart, I applied a time of 19:30 British Summer Time at Greenwich, England. It matches the AstroDienst chart erected for 18:30.06 UT at London, England. The second chart provides the map … Continue reading 2017 Total Eclipse Event Charts
Eclipse Mania
There are two ways to look at transiting "sky events." The more common one is to see how they relate to the natal chart positions of a person, organization, country, etc. If there are no meaningful contacts, there are usually no events (and quite often there are no events even when there are such contacts; … Continue reading Eclipse Mania
