AUTHOR'S NOTE: The predictive text supporting the 64 hexagrams of the I Ching is full of brief advice that occurs with regular frequency. Two of these insights are "Auspicious to proceed" and its counterpart "Ominous to proceed." There is nothing quite that formulaic in tarot divination, whose practitioners often pride themselves on avoiding such prescriptive … Continue reading “Auspicious to Proceed”
“No Future Without A Past”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: The commentary on the third (yang) line of the I Ching hexagram Tai (Harmony) reads in part: "No future is without a past." Among experienced tarot readers there seems to be a growing reluctance to use (waste?) a spread position for studying past circumstances or events that underlie a present and future situation. … Continue reading “No Future Without A Past”
The Root, the Stem and the Fruit: A Developmental Insight Spread
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is another of my "breakout" spreads that explores ways to approach and ideally resolve a known problem. The "root" of the title is the central card of the layout that describes the dilemma; the "stem" is the three-card developmental array that leads from the center; and the "fruit" is the calculated quintessence … Continue reading The Root, the Stem and the Fruit: A Developmental Insight Spread
“Moving Cards” As Symbolic Counterparts
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is my second post on the subject (the first one is linked below). My original idea was to create a four-card line spread using fixed position meanings based on the four classical elements of Empedocles, going from left-to-right and from Wands to Pentacles. Then I shuffled a deck and dealt random cards … Continue reading “Moving Cards” As Symbolic Counterparts
The “Can of Worms” and the “Can-Opener”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: As I continue to create new tarot spreads, they have become increasingly complex because I've already explored most of the simpler approaches to spread design. An online friend recently commented that one of my efforts is "complicated but interesting." I replied "Life can be a 'can of worms' and tarot is the perfect … Continue reading The “Can of Worms” and the “Can-Opener”
Randomizing and Shuffling: “Generating White Noise” and “Creating Order Out of Chaos”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: In previous posts I've mentioned in passing that the purpose of the shuffle is not to randomize the cards but rather to subconsciously arrange them in the proper order to tell the story. Judging from the responses I received (or more tellingly, didn't receive) nobody really "got" what I was trying to say. … Continue reading Randomizing and Shuffling: “Generating White Noise” and “Creating Order Out of Chaos”
Synchronizing the “Inner” and the “Outer” Self: A Tarot Mandala
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I'm not proposing this as a spread for divination but rather as a tool (a form of mandala) for meditation. It could, however, be used as a "birth-chart" for the moment of the pull and supplemented over time with additional cards that function like astrological transits to a natal horoscope. One possible way … Continue reading Synchronizing the “Inner” and the “Outer” Self: A Tarot Mandala
A “Near-Term Breakout” Spread
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Here is a spread that is intended for use when we feel becalmed or unmotivated and are looking for a definitive "breakout moment" sometime in the next month. You will need two decks for this spread, one for the fifteen "advice" cards in the top row and one for the "mode of action/inaction" … Continue reading A “Near-Term Breakout” Spread
Spread Shape as “Statement of Intent”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I've now created well over 300 tarot and Lenormand spreads, and I often mention spread format (or "shape") as one of the three main elements of my architecture: the other two are position meaning ("What do I want to know?") and number of positions ("How much do I want to know about it?"). … Continue reading Spread Shape as “Statement of Intent”
“Rule from Within:” A Tarot Paradigm
AUTHOR'S NOTE: While pursuing my study of the I Ching, I encountered the concept of "rule from within" that exploits the inner strength by which the Mind and the Will exercise control over one's external circumstances like a general in the midst of his army. This idea presented a perfect opportunity to discuss the significance … Continue reading “Rule from Within:” A Tarot Paradigm
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 