I've worked with the Aleister Crowley/Frieda Harris Thoth deck since 1972 and have been consistently impressed by how evocative the Minor Arcana are, mainly through their use of color and mood along with Crowley's Golden-Dawn-derived titles and brief explanations in The Book of Thoth. I never felt any need for scenic illustrations and their encapsulated … Continue reading The Thoth Minor Arcana
The “Hidden Key” Advice Spread
I decided to tackle the subject of two-card readings. Because the number Two can be more about polarity and division than cooperation and resolution (depending on whether the "pendulum" in a situation is swinging in or out), two-card spreads can seem static, especially if the cards are of similar rank, number and element. I created … Continue reading The “Hidden Key” Advice Spread
“Cheap Shots” #11: Prescriptive vs. Improvisational
In considering the limited role of intuition in reading the Lenormand cards, I hit upon the term "improvisational" as the best way to describe my method of putting together card combinations. Taken one at a time, Lenormand cards are quite literal in meaning. They are descriptive, not suggestive in the way tarot cards can often … Continue reading “Cheap Shots” #11: Prescriptive vs. Improvisational
The Perfect Lenormand
This isn't a recommendation, it's a lament: I have yet to find my ideal Lenormand deck. When I first started reading the Lenormand cards in 2011, I bought the Piatnik and then Laura Tuan's very large Lenormand Oracle (which I still use primarily to lay out a "foundation" of houses to spread the reading cards … Continue reading The Perfect Lenormand
5×5 Tableau Sample Reading
I performed a sample reading to test the usefulness of the previously-posted Lenormand 5x5 spread. I used two decks, one for the foundational "moving houses," and another for the reading layout. 5x5 Tableau Practice Reading
Elemental Dignity Permutations by Suit
In the Liber Theta discussion of Elemental Dignities, Jim Eshelman uses the term "permutations" for the three-card combinations that can be made with cards of elementally friendly, unfriendly and neutral nature. Although I diverge in my view of the "neutral and supportive" category, instead considering those cards to be "complementary opposites" - one suit provides … Continue reading Elemental Dignity Permutations by Suit
Demystifying Elemental Dignities
In preparing material for a presentation handout on Elemental Dignities, I amassed quite a bit of detail on the background of the subject. Following the presentation, I had further thoughts on application of the Golden Dawn rules provided in Liber T and the amplification given by Jim Eshelman in Liber Theta. Demystifying Elemental Dignities
The “All Points” Travel Advisory Spread
Whenever I take a long trip, whether by road or by air, I like to do a tarot reading to look at the nature of the upcoming journey and any issues or obstacles that may arise. The typical 5-card line works well enough for this, but I figured a spread that is aimed more specifically … Continue reading The “All Points” Travel Advisory Spread
“Let Me Face It”
I once had a friend whose English pronunciation was a bit on the ragged side. He added an "s" to many singular nouns (those of you from a certain part of the world will relate) and instead of the common idiom "Let's face it," he always said "Let me face it." Looks like a ready-made … Continue reading “Let Me Face It”
The “Up Close and Personal” 5×5 Tableau
This is a Lenormand version of the 5x5 spread I created for use with the Voyager Tarot; I stripped out the tarot annotation and plugged in Andy Boroveshengra's "near/far" designations, as well as adopting suitable color coding for rows, columns, diagonals and knighting locations. Note that every card in this spread can be linked to … Continue reading The “Up Close and Personal” 5×5 Tableau
