I firmly believe that few momentous events in a human life occur in a vacuum, however random or unprecedented they may seem to be. On a personal, interpersonal or trans-personal level, there was almost always something in the past that set the individual up for the experience, whether it was a sin of commission or … Continue reading The “Skeleton in the Closet” Chain-of-Destiny Spread
Problem-solving Spreads
Straight, No Chaser: A Project-Management Reading
The old-time whisky drinkers in the crowd will get the hint in my title: taking things "straight" in this situation could be a harsh dram to swallow. We have a landscaping project pending at our new home that was stalled last year because of the early onset of winter. Although our grounds are now dry … Continue reading Straight, No Chaser: A Project-Management Reading
The “Monkey in the Middle” Problem Clarification Spread
Every so often we all encounter situations where we're stumped by the meaning of a particular card in a particular reading. A common practice is to pull more cards to clarify the interpretation, but I prefer to take my cue from A.E. Waite's Pictorial Key to the Tarot and use the problem card as the "Significator" in a new … Continue reading The “Monkey in the Middle” Problem Clarification Spread
Human Conflict: The Tarotscopic View
Human conflict is one of my favorite areas to explore with the tarot because it is such a target-rich environment. I don't do much with multi-party conflicts because they are much rarer than the one-on-one face-off, but here is the latest example of my current approach. Tarot is an excellent microscope through which to scrutinize … Continue reading Human Conflict: The Tarotscopic View
A “Collision Course” Spread
Astrology uses the concept of "open enemies" (7th House) and "hidden enemies" (12th House) to describe the interaction of an individual with others who may not have his or her best interests at heart. I have never seen this approach used in a coordinated way in a tarot spread, but there is always a first … Continue reading A “Collision Course” Spread
“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
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 Little Magic” Prepared-Deck Spread
As a long-time user of the Golden Dawn's "Opening of the Key" method of reading (or at least the First Operation), I'm always looking for novel ways to apply the "four elemental sub-packs" model to other spreads. I've also been intrigued by the notion that the deck can be separated into four equal sub-packs with … Continue reading “A Little Magic” Prepared-Deck Spread
The “High Road/Low Road” Major Dilemma Spread
While discussing the "high road" and "low road" options available to the querent when encountering the "crossroads" of the Lovers card and its implied decision, I realized that I haven't posted the spread I created around that metaphor. Here it is; it's intended for major decision-making scenarios. https://www.dropbox.com/s/85knsmooibcnlgh/P2B-Major%20Dilemma%20Spread.pdf?raw=1
The “Palace of Joys and Sorrows” Conditional Awareness Spread
Here is another spread that uses a three-part separation of the deck into trumps-only, court-only and minors-only sub-packs, each with a different focus in the reading. It's built on the idea of a "best-case/steady-state/worst-case" scenario in each of three areas - Central Issue or Conflict, Key Player or Quality, and Functional Status of the situation … Continue reading The “Palace of Joys and Sorrows” Conditional Awareness Spread
