Since it's Valentine's Day in the US and elsewhere (even if it is now more a "Hallmark holiday" than a religious celebration, the romantic sentiments are usually genuine), I thought I would bump my 2018 post on the subject of "love cards." https://parsifalswheeldivination.com/2018/02/06/got-love-if-you-want-it-or-love-in-its-cups/
Pips
A Simple Event-Timing Spread
Accurately foretelling the time-frame for an anticipated event is the second of the "Three Great Challenges" facing any diviner. The primary focus of a predictive reading is obviously "whether" the event is going to happen at all; next comes "if yes, when?" The question of "where" is a distant third, usually overshadowed by secondary considerations … Continue reading A Simple Event-Timing Spread
Transitional Cards
I use two different numerical models in my work with the minor (or "pip") cards of the tarot: the Pythagorean sequence that exhibits an increasingly complex geometric progression, and the Qabalistic numeration based on the descent of the sephiroth on the Tree of Life. Both explain the emergence of formless "archetypal energy" from a primal … Continue reading Transitional Cards
Alike But Different: The Two and Three of Wands
In her book The Tarot and the Tree of Life, Isabel Kliegman goes to some length to justify why we need both the Two and Three of Wands in a pack of tarot cards when - at least in the Waite-Smith deck - they seem to be almost identical in appearance. For me there has … Continue reading Alike But Different: The Two and Three of Wands
Squaring the Circle
I remember reading in Jean-Michel David's Tarot de Marseille course material that it can be instructive to lay out the "pip" cards in different, seemingly random patterns to see what visual hints to their interpretation might be gleaned from the various combinations. Recently, I was reading an informative article about the meaning of the Masonic … Continue reading Squaring the Circle
Lunar Month Look-Ahead, October-November, 2019
I haven't done one of these in a while because the New Moon tends to slip by without notice and I insist on punctuality in the performance of readings that have transitional "milestone" dates. Here I've applied my most recent spread design, with which I use only the pip cards as explained in this excerpt … Continue reading Lunar Month Look-Ahead, October-November, 2019
My Daily Element
As I mentioned recently, I seldom do daily draws any more because my life just doesn't change enough to warrant that detailed level of scrutiny. But I do believe there can be value in looking at the elemental tone and the numerical vibration of the upcoming day, not to see what will happen and why, … Continue reading My Daily Element
A Tarot de Marseille Process Analysis
As I gain experience with it, I find that divination with the Tarot de Marseille (TdM) is best suited for providing a literal perspective (as with the Lenormand cards) rather than for the more symbolic, impressionistic approach used with most modern tarot decks. This is due primarily to their spare presentation that doesn't encourage much … Continue reading A Tarot de Marseille Process Analysis
A “Two Paths” Example Reading
The Question: "What is the best way to approach local metaphysical (formerly "New Age") shops about getting card-reading gigs at their establishments? The Deck: Conver Ben-Dov (CBD) Tarot de Marseille All images copyright U.S. Games Systems, Inc, Stamford, CT This reading will test both the spread and my provisional TdM "pip" card meanings. The court-card … Continue reading A “Two Paths” Example Reading
The “Two Paths You Can Go By” Decision-Making Spread
Popular culture is often a goldmine of spread ideas and titles. In this case, the line "Yes, there are two paths you can go by" from Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven" was tailor-made for a decision-making spread. After completing my "pips" cycle of essays, I decided to create a spread specifically for "pips-only" use. This … Continue reading The “Two Paths You Can Go By” Decision-Making Spread