There is a line from Shakespeare's The Merry Wives of Windsor where the braggart Pistol obliquely threatens Falstaff when the latter refuses to lend him money: "Why then the world's mine oyster, Which I with sword will open" I figured this quote is a good inspiration for a spread aimed at exploring unknown territory that … Continue reading “The Oyster and the Sword” Eye-Opener Spread
Problem-solving Spreads
An “Astrological Lemniscate” Problem-Solving Spread
I've become rather bored with the traditional 12-position astrological spread; it often turns into a case of too much information, to the point that you "can't see the forest for the trees." But I do believe a good deal of interpretive mileage can be gained from blending the active and passive natures of the twelve … Continue reading An “Astrological Lemniscate” Problem-Solving Spread
“A Little Magic” Prepared-Deck Spread
As a long-time user of the Golden Dawn's "Opening of the Key" method of reading (or at least the First Operation), I'm always looking for novel ways to apply the "four elemental sub-packs" model to other spreads. I've also been intrigued by the notion that the deck can be separated into four equal sub-packs with … Continue reading “A Little Magic” Prepared-Deck Spread
The “High Road/Low Road” Major Dilemma Spread
While discussing the "high road" and "low road" options available to the querent when encountering the "crossroads" of the Lovers card and its implied decision, I realized that I haven't posted the spread I created around that metaphor. Here it is; it's intended for major decision-making scenarios. https://www.dropbox.com/s/85knsmooibcnlgh/P2B-Major%20Dilemma%20Spread.pdf?raw=1
The “Palace of Joys and Sorrows” Conditional Awareness Spread
Here is another spread that uses a three-part separation of the deck into trumps-only, court-only and minors-only sub-packs, each with a different focus in the reading. It's built on the idea of a "best-case/steady-state/worst-case" scenario in each of three areas - Central Issue or Conflict, Key Player or Quality, and Functional Status of the situation … Continue reading The “Palace of Joys and Sorrows” Conditional Awareness Spread
The “Inconvenient Truths” Personal Encounter Spread
Now back to our regular programing . . . This spread is designed to examine head-on encounters between two people with potentially very different agendas and expectations. It's purpose is not so much to find common ground as to minimize negative exposure to the querent. https://www.dropbox.com/s/ty1wbq0b42ljg6t/The%20Inconvenient%20Truths%20Personal%20Encounter%20Spread.pdf?raw=1
“Enemy at the Gates” Vulnerability Spread
This spread was developed specifically to examine confrontations between two antagonists in any kind of contest (politics and sports come to mind). I've used it twice so far for major political situations, once to analyze the Macron and Le Pen face-off for French President, and again to explore the adversarial relationship between the Trump Administration … Continue reading “Enemy at the Gates” Vulnerability Spread
The Yin and Yang of It
The structure of this spread is self-explanatory. It's best used for situations that are balanced "on a knife's edge" and could go either way. Galaxy of Good and Evil 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 . . .
A Change-up: The 3-Point Landing Spread
Just when you thought it couldn't get any worse . . . it doesn't! Here is a very (deceptively) simple three-card spread (plus Significator) built on the "thesis-antithesis-synthesis" model (or, if you prefer, "action-reaction-resolution"). It's unique twist is that it brings the central Significator card into an active role by pairing it with each of … Continue reading A Change-up: The 3-Point Landing Spread
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 