The “Tree of Life or Strife” Mixed-Destiny Spread

In contemplating ways to bring the Qliphoth or "shells" to bear on the standard Tree of Life spread, I came up with the following 10-card "light-and-shadow" variation. It is read in two parts, first as two sub-sets according to the Qabalistic number series, and then as an "as-drawn" 10-card line with two subdivisions ("above" and …

The Pragmatic Reading

I like to say that I "just read the cards," I don't try to discover or guess in advance what the sitter's motives, objectives or ambitions are because I really don't need to know. My practice of not wanting to hear the specific question at the start of a reading serves this approach quite well …

A “Perfect Storm” Relationship Reading

To test my "Perfect Storm" new-relationship spread, I decided to look at what the complexion of the US Congress will be after the 2020 elections. For the Significator cards, I used the Rorig Tarot (Spanish Edition) with the Caballero (King) de Espadas for the Republican contingent and the Caballero (King) de Copas for the Democrats. …

The “Perfect Storm” New Relationship Spread

I'm always looking for new ways to assess relationship potential, whether in private situations or predominantly public scenarios. This spread employs a "weather forecast" model in which converging systems vie for dominance. This may seem rather cold-blooded for romantic readings, but in truth any viable long-term personal relationship has all the earmarks of a sound …

Thoughts on Face-to-Face Reading

In this age of instantaneous electronic communication, there are tarot readers who may never experience the stimulation (and, yes, the trepidation) of reading the cards for other people in a face-to-face setting. Usually it's a lack of confidence rather than limited opportunity that keeps them chained to remote situations where they never get to test …

“Painting Testimonial Pictures” – Problem Cards and Pataphysics

I think we can all agree that the tarot excels at throwing us curve-balls during the practice of prediction. Usually it's in the form of a card in a reading that just won't fit the puzzle no matter how we turn it. Often it's a major - or "trump" card - that lands in the …

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 …

“Reopening America” – A Lenormand Tableau Reading

I used my new 24-card Lenormand tableau (the "Lenormand Lozenge," posted earlier) to ask what the consequences would be of reopening business and recreational venues on a nationwide basis in the United States in the near future. This is the Old Style Lenormand deck. All images copyright U.S. Games Systems, Inc, Stamford, CT The essence …

Of Smoke and Mirrors

. . . but not the kind you're thinking. The more popular Facebook tarot pages are constantly awash in the sentiment - prevalent among the overwhelming majority of neophytes - that spiritual energy ("good" or "bad") can cling to the cards in some unexplained fashion, encouraging the practices of mystically infusing them with the former …

A “Missing-Person Vignette” Spread

This spread provides a "short-form" version of my earlier spreads on the subject of "missing-person" cases. It uses a court-card "significator" to represent the absent person that is either specifically selected or carried over from a previous reading in which it appeared. Two decks are required: one to populate the three-card "narrative" row and one …