I'm intrigued by surprise endings in tarot readings, which I usually achieve through face-down "hidden" cards. But here is a spread that uses the successive "facing" of the randomly-drawn cards to offer the possibility of a "twist" or emphatic bend in the flow of the narrative. This spread requires the use of reversals to populate … Continue reading The 3-Card “Twist” Advice Spread
Decision-making Spreads
A “Rotational Bias” Mixed-Media Decision-Making Spread
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.
The “Elemental Crossing” Decision-Making Spread
Here is a decision-making spread that uses Elemental Dignities and the compatible or incompatible divinatory nature of cards in combination to identify which of four resolution modes appears to be the most favorable. The central "focus" card for the decision can either be selected intentionally in advance or pulled randomly during the deal. Reversals may … Continue reading The “Elemental Crossing” Decision-Making Spread
The “Carrot and Stick” Situational Development Spread
This is a type of decision-making spread that examines the odds of success or failure in any significant change scenario. It requires separating the deck into two stacks, one with only the minor cards and the other with the court and trump cards. The two sets are dealt separately into a "three-plus-three" array with the … Continue reading The “Carrot and Stick” Situational Development Spread
The “3-Card a la Carte” Decision-Making Spread
Those of you who follow me know that I'm not a fan of three-card readings. In my opinion they take too narrow a slice of the deck and tell too shallow a story, requiring considerable intuitive guesswork to fill in the gaps in the narrative. I prefer not to work that hard when the information … Continue reading The “3-Card a la Carte” Decision-Making Spread
The “Ring Pass Not” Critical Decision-Making Spread
I'm a firm believer in the idea that tarot can aid us in making momentous and potentially life-changing decisions as long as a judicious method is devised for applying its testimony. Like the old caveat about astrology ("The stars don't compel, they impel"), the cards in a reading should be treated as either encouraging or … Continue reading The “Ring Pass Not” Critical Decision-Making Spread
The “Crossroads of Opportunity” Spread
Whenever inspiration for my next post fails me, I turn to creation of a new spread. This one plays off my fascination with inserting unknown qualities (in this case, face-down cards) into my layouts, the implications of which are revealed through certain selective operations. Other than that feature, this is a fairly standard multi-path decision-making … Continue reading The “Crossroads of Opportunity” Spread
The “Roadkill Penguin” Decision-Making Spread
When I haven't created a new spread in a while, my imagination tends to go into overdrive (or maybe "haywire" is a better way to put it). The visual layout of this one reminds me of a hapless creature that has been run over by a steamroller - not the ideal outcome for a decision-making … Continue reading The “Roadkill Penguin” Decision-Making Spread
The “Test of Truth” Spread and Example Reading
As I've mentioned before, we are trying to sell our home and move closer to our son's family to help with childcare logistics. At the moment we have two "live ones . . . " (I mean "potential buyers) who have come our way expressing an interest in the house. In trying to judge which one … Continue reading The “Test of Truth” Spread and Example Reading
The “Last Word” Positional Awareness Spread
This is a decision-making spread and a variant of my typical "situational awareness" approach. In this case, the decision involves whether a position being maintained or contemplated by the querent in a particular situation is in fact tenable, or whether the advisability of sustaining or pursuing it should be reconsidered. The positional meanings are self-explanatory. … Continue reading The “Last Word” Positional Awareness Spread
