An interesting question came up on Saturday while I was giving a presentation on the Golden Dawn's Opening of the Key spread. It's been said that, due to its extreme complexity (and, I might add, its redundancy), the members of the Order almost never did all five operations of the OotK, contenting themselves with the … Continue reading Personalizing the Astrological Spread
Experimental
Company in the Cross-hairs: A SWOT Road-map
The subject of "SWOT" analysis (Strengths/Weaknesses/Opportunities/Threats) comes up fairly often on the tarot forums, usually in the context of personal circumstances rather than the corporate affairs for which it was originally intended. I can see the appeal, but I think it's a bit mechanistic for that purpose and have created many SWOT alternative spreads that … Continue reading Company in the Cross-hairs: A SWOT Road-map
Win, Lose or Punt?
To punt (Informal): To cease doing something; give up. ("Let's punt on this and try something else.") Predicting the scores for opposing teams in sporting events is a fascinating minor sidelight to our more ponderous cartomantic excursions, and - at least in my experience - one that seldom yields accurate results. I've come to believe … Continue reading Win, Lose or Punt?
Joe and Jill: A “Moral Dilemma” Example Reading
All images © U.S. Games Systems, Inc, Stamford, CT and Lo Scarabeo, Torino, Italy This is a hypothetical reading addressing a common real-world scenario that I worked up to demonstrate my "Moral Dilemma" spread. The principals in this reading are entirely fictional. I used the Night Sun Tarot to populate the "Left-Hand Path" (or "dark" … Continue reading Joe and Jill: A “Moral Dilemma” Example Reading
The “Devil Made Me Do It” Moral Dilemma Spread
Every once in a while we all face a moral dilemma. They don't have to be life-changing issues (unless they snowball, of course), they can be little things. Do I tell that white lie to save someone's feelings or do I tell the plain truth and let the chips fall where they may? The basic … Continue reading The “Devil Made Me Do It” Moral Dilemma Spread
Casting Lots
There are many forms of divination I know little about, but I'm constantly trying to educate myself. One such practice is lithomancy (the art of casting stones), for which these is very little published literature. One of the best resources I've found is this one by Gary Wimmer. http://garywimmer.com/writer/litho_book.htm Although Gary uses stones thrown onto … Continue reading Casting Lots
Knighting “On the Diagonal”
While working up my previous post on using intersection with cards in a Lenormand Grand Tableau that have a diagonal rather than right-angle relationship with one another, I touched on the subject of approaching knighting from an oblique perspective instead of the usual squared-off "chess-move" pattern. Here is a visual comparison of the two. Diagonal … Continue reading Knighting “On the Diagonal”
A Study in Facing, Part 3: Pip Cards
The Minor Arcana, or "pip" cards, of the RWS deck are by far the most diverse population from a directional standpoint, since there are more cards that I would classify as "ambiguous." This includes cards with posture/gaze misalignment and cards with multiple figures that give no clear sense of facing or "visual flow." There are … Continue reading A Study in Facing, Part 3: Pip Cards
A Study in Facing, Part 2: Trump Cards
I separated the Major Arcana cards of the RWS deck into three subgroups: those cards that have either a pronounced or insinuated "lean" to the left (the past), those that are gazing or aligned straight out of the card, facing the observer (the present), and those that favor the right side (the future). The key … Continue reading A Study in Facing, Part 2: Trump Cards
A Study in Facing, Part 1: Court Cards
Facing or directionality in the cards of the tarot has always intrigued those who use the cards for divination. One convention that takes advantage of this phenomenon is the assumption that the cards to the left in a line reading represent the past, the focus card in the center shows the present, and the cards … Continue reading A Study in Facing, Part 1: Court Cards
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 