Although he had more dire implications in mind, ee cummings might have been talking about the fortune-teller's art in his poem what of a much of a which of a wind (for example, "blow soon to never and never to twice"). http://plexipages.com/reflections/whatif.html One of the greatest challenges facing those who try to discern past, present … Continue reading The “What of a Much of a Which” Event Analysis Spread
Miscellaneous Spreads
The “Destiny’s Dartboard” Event Timing Spread
The first thing almost every sitter wants to know from a reading is whether something will happen. But right on the heels of that objective is usually an anxious "If so, when?" The timing of a projected event is one of the thorniest questions facing any diviner, and numerous attempts have been made by spread … Continue reading The “Destiny’s Dartboard” Event Timing Spread
The “Friend or Foe” Two-Deck Comparison Spread
We're all familiar with the "new deck interview" technique, in which questions are put to a newly-acquired deck by running it through a special spread created for that purpose. The idea is to determine how effective the deck will be to read with. But I have never seen a spread designed to compare the degree … Continue reading The “Friend or Foe” Two-Deck Comparison Spread
“In the Court of the Crimson King” 3-D Elemental Matrix
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
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
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
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
Like Night and Day . . .
As an astrologer, I'm fascinated with creating tarot spreads that mimic the diurnal path of the Sun through the sky. Here are three of them. For me, the main "diurnal" spread is Eden Gray's version of the Celtic Cross (see The Tarot Revealed), in which the time line starts at "Midnight" (the "beneath" position, or … Continue reading Like Night and Day . . .
The “Troll Under the Bridge” Spread
This story-telling spread loosely follows the plot of the Norwegian fairy-tale, "Three Billy Goats Gruff." As its centerpiece it has the protagonist, "Big Billy Goat," and the villain, "Trevor the Troll," duking it out on the bridge to decide the querent's fate. I envisioned it as being suitable for introducing children to the tarot, at … Continue reading The “Troll Under the Bridge” Spread
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 