My daughter lives in Wilmington, NC, directly in the path of Hurricane Florence as I write this. I applied this spread to examine her situation over the next few days, using the Thoth deck with reversals.

The “emerging” story-line reads as follows:

The Root of the Matter: Hierophant

There is a certain passive indifference about this card based on past experience, a kind of “been there, done that” complacency. It suggests that hunkering down and waiting it out is considered the conservative thing to do.

Recent Past: 6 of Cups

I can almost hear Eric Idle singing “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life” here. Coming after the  unconcerned Hierophant, it implies blasé cheerfulness.

Present: Queen of Disks reversed

Clearly shows that she is reluctant to take any drastic measures, such as evacuation. This is a quintessential card of patience and forbearance, but the reversal shows a hint of unsteadiness and anxiety. Reversal has the Queen facing toward the future with just a little trepidation.

Near Future: Art (Temperance) reversed

Shows being thrown off-balance by major external events. A good deal of adjustment is indicated.

Long-term Outlook: 6 of Disks reversed

Looks like a significant loss of infrastructure that would be inconvenient but not overly threatening.

Outcome: Magus (Magician)

Resourcefulness, willpower and nimble handling of events are the forte of the Magician, so it seems that she will “make a go of it” without overreacting.

A couple of observations about the process:

I encountered frequent repeat rolls, which meant that I had to roll the die around a dozen times to populate the six reading positions. But it went very fast and doesn’t seem to be a hardship. Obviously, the sixth and last move did not require a roll.

I noticed right away that, as I created gaps in the “hidden” line, I had to keep careful track of the position numbers of the remaining cards.

Staying away from most psychological interpretation created a very compact, economical reading, which meets my long-standing goal of focusing on situational awareness and developmental insights as opposed to purely personal reactions.