“Making It Real” – The Tarot Talks About Female Presidents

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Although it may not happen during this election cycle, the United States will eventually have a female President; even I, as an "Old White Male," can see that the paradigm has pretty much run its course. (This time around, the likely Democratic nominee is not a particularly strong candidate if performance [or nonperformance] … Continue reading “Making It Real” – The Tarot Talks About Female Presidents

The “Feast or Famine” Trending Fortunes Spread

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Here is a spread that uses the nominal "positive, neutral or negative" qualities of the cards to determine whether a developing situation will remain steady over time or exhibit a falling or rising trend in its fortunes. It looks like it should be a nine-card reading, but once the trends are sorted out … Continue reading The “Feast or Famine” Trending Fortunes Spread

The “Bend in the Road” Turning-Point Spread

AUTHOR'S NOTE: In a recent post I mentioned that the three-card line seldom offers enough detail to support a comprehensive narrative, while a five-card line is reasonably thorough. I'm not one to use "auxiliary" cards like clarifiers or base cards to flesh out the picture unless I build them into the structure of the spread. … Continue reading The “Bend in the Road” Turning-Point Spread

Reversal As Circumvention: “Going in the Back Door”

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I'm endlessly fascinated by the phenomenon of reversed cards in a tarot reading because I think it is something that is widely misunderstood and therefore mishandled. There are numerous adjectives describing its effects that go well beyond mere antithesis, although "redirection of focus" is a common theme. Here I'm using the catch-all term … Continue reading Reversal As Circumvention: “Going in the Back Door”

A Suit-of-Pentacles “Elemental Storyboard” Test Reading

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Here is my final "elemental storyboard" test reading that uses the suit of Pentacles to represent the "base element" of Earth. An objective I've been working toward is at the point of requiring concrete action, so I'm going to look at how I might proceed and what my prospects for success are. Radiant … Continue reading A Suit-of-Pentacles “Elemental Storyboard” Test Reading

Sharpening the Focus: A Three-Card Daily Profile Spread

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Here is a simple spread that captures my personal view of the "daily draw." As my regular readers know, I don't have much use for the single-card daily draw because it is entirely too static. Even a three-card pull can be overly generic due to being scattered across a full deck of 78 … Continue reading Sharpening the Focus: A Three-Card Daily Profile Spread

The “Creeping Darkness” Shadow Spread

AUTHOR'S NOTE: More inspiration from Benebell Wen's book, I Ching the Oracle: A Practical Guide to the Book of Changes. I was just reading about Hexagram 23 (Bo; Partition) which has five "dark" yin lines underlying a single "bright" yang line. The commentary is "Dark yin lines ascend upward to overthrow the final line of … Continue reading The “Creeping Darkness” Shadow Spread

A Suit-of-Cups “Elemental Storyboard” Test Reading

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Here is an "elemental storyboard" test reading that uses the suit of Cups to represent the "base element" of Water. I'm tackling the age-old (and largely inscrutable) subject of "true love" (as in finding and keeping). I'm stating it coyly as "Under what circumstances will I (or won't I) find emotional fulfillment in … Continue reading A Suit-of-Cups “Elemental Storyboard” Test Reading