A while back I spent a few hours pasting together a Lenormand Grand Tableau layout sheet, and was keeping it in a cardboard portfolio under the bed. Last week-end I crumpled it slightly while pulling out my guitar case (to be honest, I forgot it was there since I've been working mostly with tarot lately). … Continue reading A Little Ingenuity
Tarot
The “Be All You Can Be” Archetype Alignment Spread
There was an old recruitment slogan used by the U.S. Army for over 20 years that went "Be All You Can Be." I poached this phrase to reflect aspiration to the universal human ideals captured in the first four numbered trump cards of the tarot as Fire (Emperor/Mars), Water (High Priestess/Moon), Air (Magician/Mercury) and Earth … Continue reading The “Be All You Can Be” Archetype Alignment Spread
The Fool’s Debut Revisited
If you've been following this blog for a while, you will have noticed that I've been making increasingly broader use of the "quintessence" card, a numerical roll-up of the cards in a spread that, when numerologically reduced as necessary to yield a number below 22, produces a trump card offering high-level insights on the situation … Continue reading The Fool’s Debut Revisited
Where Is Shannon? A Missing Person Reading
UPDATE: According to his family (in the linked news article update), Shannon White was "found" deceased. The fact that there is no mention of foul play or a fatal accident, which would be newsworthy, suggests it may have been a natural death or at most a suicide. The case is now in the hands of … Continue reading Where Is Shannon? A Missing Person Reading
The Stairway from Heaven
Much has been said about the lack of a coherent traditional system for interpreting the minor - or "pip" - cards of historical tarot decks (which, after all, were never intended for divination). The scenic minor cards of the Waite-Smith deck are basically an imaginative "work-around" designed to squeeze meaning out of these inscrutable icons … Continue reading The Stairway from Heaven
Tabula Mundi and the Relationship Crisis Spread
Lately I've been working more and more with the wonderful Tabula Mundi Colores Arcus tarot, a "Thoth clone" deck by M.M. Meleen. I recently had an opportunity to use it with my "Tough Love" relationship crisis spread, with outstanding results. This reading deals with a dysfunctional marriage that I first addressed nearly a year ago … Continue reading Tabula Mundi and the Relationship Crisis Spread
A Table of Mirrors
If you've read my previous posts on the subject of "mirror cards," you'll know what I'm up to here. Using the astrological assignments for the cards of the tarot developed by the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, I've assembled a set of corresponding card pairs (astrologically derived counterparts) for the entire deck. In the … Continue reading A Table of Mirrors
Live the Question/Live the Answer
Many people believe that the tarot can answer any question, big or small (true, in a qualified way), and that the mere act of asking will deliver an unconditional solution to their problem, gift-wrapped and duty-free, into their anxiously waiting hands (less certain in many cases). They take the old "instant food" promise to heart … Continue reading Live the Question/Live the Answer
A “Collision Course” Spread
Astrology uses the concept of "open enemies" (7th House) and "hidden enemies" (12th House) to describe the interaction of an individual with others who may not have his or her best interests at heart. I have never seen this approach used in a coordinated way in a tarot spread, but there is always a first … Continue reading A “Collision Course” Spread
A “Melting Pot” Example Reading
There has been some interest in seeing how this spread works in action, so I decided to do an example reading with it. The question involves a planned relocation to the other side of the State to be near family members, and one of the options we're considering is moving into a town that has … Continue reading A “Melting Pot” Example Reading
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 