I'm always looking for useful patterns among the cards of the tarot to augment my spread interpretation. Lately I've been playing around with numerical convergence between the cards of the Major and Minor Arcana. But I like to go beyond the obvious into more oblique territory. For example, when the values of all of the … Continue reading Useful Patterns: Trump Card Overseers
Tarot
The Kings and the Hierophant: An Unholy Alliance?
In historical times there was little separation between Church and State, with secular rulers relying on the sway that the clergy held over the pious to keep them tractable. When you're praying you can't be fomenting unrest (unless you're Martin Luther). The clergy, in turn, relied on the King's protection and largess. Tarot shows us … Continue reading The Kings and the Hierophant: An Unholy Alliance?
“The Oyster and the Sword” Eye-Opener Spread
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
The “Friend in Need” Value-Added Spread
In working with a sitter who was very concerned about the plight of her best friend and was wondering what she could do to help. I realized that I don't have a spread to address this specific situation. So I created one. What I came up with includes an initial action/reaction scenario, a "willing and … Continue reading The “Friend in Need” Value-Added Spread
Where Is Denise? – A Missing-Person Cold Case Reading
I fist tackled this nearly 40-year-old cold-case puzzle back when I created my "Train to Nowhere" missing-person spread. Since this blog didn't exists then, I most likely posted the results on the Aeclectic Tarot forum but, although that now-defunct site has been archived, finding anything on it is difficult. Unfortunately, I didn't save the original … Continue reading Where Is Denise? – A Missing-Person Cold Case Reading
Life After Intuition
I'm not a huge fan of purely intuitive tarot reading. There, I said it. It will probably be dismissed as mean-spirited literalism toward what is chiefly an elastic, visionary pursuit, but there is something too fatuously "squishy" about unmitigated intuition for my taste. I think the idea is fed to beginners as "The Way" because … Continue reading Life After Intuition
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 “Tarot Persona” Example Reading
This was too juicy an opportunity not to try out on myself, so here is a test reading for the "My Tarot Persona" spread. I used the Thoth deck for the esoteric line and the CBD (Conver Ben-Dov) Tarot de Marseille for the exoteric line. All images copyright U.S. Games Systems, Inc, Stamford, CT The … Continue reading A “Tarot Persona” Example Reading
The Tarot Gods Speak!
I've been having an interesting discussion with another tarot writer about the distinctions between the "esoteric" and "exoteric" branches of tarot practice. The former is commonly held to be the domain of serious study in occult symbolism and correspondences, while the latter is better suited to practical divination. Although I used the esoteric Thoth deck … Continue reading The Tarot Gods Speak!
Tarzan and Jane’s Sexual Adventure Spread
That title grabbed your attention, didn't it! A couple of years ago, someone on the Aeclectic Tarot forum asked point-blank in a reading exchange "Does X want to have sex with me?" After I got done laughing at the audacity, I realized that all of the hopeful, high-minded "friendship" spreads and the widespread curiosity over … Continue reading Tarzan and Jane’s Sexual Adventure Spread
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 