This spread uses the Fool card from a second deck as a kind of impartial observer of the situation described in the reading. It represents an archetypal Inner Fool “holding up a mirror” ( the cards in the spread) to reflect the querent's wisdom or folly in the matter at hand. The idea for the … Continue reading The “Fool’s Insight” Spread
Location is Everything
As most experienced tarot readers know, the cards are less than stellar at identifying where an event forecast in a reading is likely to take place. Locations determined solely from the images are often far afield from the reality of the querent's circumstances. A related question is where a missing item has concealed itself. I … Continue reading Location is Everything
“Cheap Shots” #12: Running on Empty
Must be time for another cheap shot at something. I'm running out of things to rant about. Let's see . . . how about the disappearance or "mainstreaming" of New Age bookshops? It's not just the relentless rise of Amazon; it seems to me the "blush is off the rose" more than just a little. … Continue reading “Cheap Shots” #12: Running on Empty
The “Truth vs. Lies” Conflict-Resolution Spread
This spread weighs whether the true or false aspects of the querent's situation and environment will have the upper hand in determining who comes out on top in a conflict. (As I like to say when performing divination, "The good guys don't always win.") It has the feel of a "trial by combat" to it. … Continue reading The “Truth vs. Lies” Conflict-Resolution Spread
The “Spirit Contact” Communication Spread
This is an odd one inspired by discussions on the Aeclectic Tarot forum about using tarot cards to contact ancestral spirits. It takes into account the hazards of invoking the Lower Astral plane when indiscriminately opening oneself up to unfiltered psychic influences. P7D-Ancestor Spread
An Astrological Crossroads
When I was first learning astrology in the early '70s, the psychological approach of writers like Dane Rudhyar and Marc Edmund Jones was in its ascendancy; the ideas of Carl Gustav Jung colored nearly every consideration, and the "modern" planets Uranus, Neptune and Pluto were receiving intense analysis, to the point of meriting whole books … Continue reading An Astrological Crossroads
The “Balance of Forces” Decision-Making Spread
This is a slightly fanciful spread designed around the model of a Medieval "high fantasy" court, with King, Queen, Mage, Priest, Knights (War Chief and Queen's Guard) and Realm, along with the the advisory inputs of Justice, Mercy and other forms of counsel based on elemental "jurisdiction." But it has a serious objective: whether to … Continue reading The “Balance of Forces” Decision-Making Spread
The Art and Science of Divination: An Opinion
Aleister Crowley stated it succinctly and perversely in the front-piece to “A Description of the Cards of the Tarot” from The Equinox, Volume 1, Number 8: “All divination resembles an attempt by a man born blind to obtain sight by getting blind drunk.” In his 1907 motto for the Astrum Argenteum, while also taking an … Continue reading The Art and Science of Divination: An Opinion
The “Money Matters” Enterprise Spread
The goal of this spread is to provide broad insights into the prospects for success of any start-up business venture. It is taken in the most straightforward sense, without consideration of the myriad subtle factors that can make or break a new business. For example, environmental variables like emerging trends, business competition, marketplace logistics and … Continue reading The “Money Matters” Enterprise Spread
The “Career Crossroads” Spread
This 9-card (+2) spread is designed for examination of career-change potential, including both external opportunity and internal readiness considerations. The main thrust of the reading follows the horizontal axis (Yellow), while inputs to the decision come from the vertical axis (Red = external and Blue = internal). Optional factors include the advisability of additional occupational … Continue reading The “Career Crossroads” Spread
