Here is another "mixed-media" spread, in this case using a coin-flip to determine the direction in which to deal and read the cards. It requires pulling "clockwise" cards from the top of the deck and "counter-clockwise" cards from the bottom. Reversals may be used with this spread.
Tarot
A Case for Positional Spreads
I'm more than a little bemused by people who say that using formal tarot spreads "inhibits their intuition." Seems to me they're too easily diverted from their goal by undue sensitivity to the mechanics of the art; a spread is nothing more than a convenient template that offers a reasonable place to start, like an … Continue reading A Case for Positional Spreads
The “Big Three”
As I frequent the more popular Facebook tarot pages, I notice a number of patterns beginning to emerge in posts by those new to divination. Almost every day, someone (or several "someones") asks one of the following questions, even though it may have been posed just the day (or the hour) before. There doesn't seem … Continue reading The “Big Three”
Trumps As Situational “Wallpaper”
This is a follow-up to my observation that, rather than foretelling inevitable events of a life-altering nature, the trump cards most often serve as profound "background themes" or big-picture "stage-setters" for the minor-card actors, much like a theater backdrop. They invoke a climate that is ripe for certain occurrences, but the querent must still command … Continue reading Trumps As Situational “Wallpaper”
Crowley’s Emotional Roller-Coaster
The Minor Arcana of the Thoth Tarot all have "esoteric" titles that for the most part hark back to their Golden Dawn roots. While these titles have academic connections to the Order's tarot curriculum or to Crowley's Thelemic elaborations, they often invoke visceral reactions in the viewer due to their evocative imagery and compelling color … Continue reading Crowley’s Emotional Roller-Coaster
More Thoughts on the Trump Cards
Not long ago I posted a detailed essay on how I think the Major Arcana (aka "trump" cards) operate in divination. https://parsifalswheeldivination.com/2020/03/21/much-ado-about-nothing-the-problem-with-trump-cards-in-prediction/ Since that time I've had occasion to further consider their significance in readings that explore situational developments where external factors are likely to play a part. As before, I seldom see them as … Continue reading More Thoughts on the Trump Cards
Chickens, Eggs, Carts and Horses
I just had an interesting but perplexing conversion on one of the Facebook tarot pages regarding the provenance of the tarot material associated with the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. There is apparently a widespread popular opinion that "Liber T," a compilation of the Order's tarot "knowledge papers," was actually written after Aleister Crowley's … Continue reading Chickens, Eggs, Carts and Horses
Too Much and Not Enough?
William Wordsworth definitely had his finger on the pulse of what the World (or Universe) card used to mean before Arthur Edward Waite turned it into an icon of glorious fulfillment: "The world is too much with us; late and soon" In modern divinatory practice, it is almost invariably seen as an expression of satisfactory … Continue reading Too Much and Not Enough?
A “Motivational Extremes” Example Reading
I performed a reading to test my new "Motivational Extremes" problem-solving approach. The question I asked was how best to cope with the emotional distress caused by the extended societal lock-down and stay-at-home expectations stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic. (We haven't been able to see our young grandchildren for a couple of months.) I used … Continue reading A “Motivational Extremes” Example Reading
The “Motivational Extremes” Problem-Solving Menu
Consider this "the spread that is not a spread." It requires the reader to exercise judgment regarding which two of sixteen "obstacle" and "opportunity" cards present the greatest challenge for the querent and the brightest hope for successful resolution in any problem-solving scenario. The result of this deliberation is a three-card reading that describes the … Continue reading The “Motivational Extremes” Problem-Solving Menu
