Rationalizing the Inevitable: A Case Study

In contemplating the issues of "conflict and compromise" in a tarot reading, I'm exploring the idea that the cards that show up in these positions can challenge our self-confidence or trust in our ability to surmount the difficulties depending on how well-attuned we are to the energies of the cards. If they are cards we …

“The Light’s On But Nobody’s Home”

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is a brief meditation on the Hanged Man. The title of the post comes from the halo around the head of the figure in the Waite-Smith version. Albano-Waite Tarot, copyright of U.S. Games Systems Inc, Stamford, CT While reading The Way of Tarot, I came across Alejandro Jodorowsky's observation that the suspended …

A Cards-and-Pendulum “Yes-or-No” Example Reading: Return of Deposit

AUTHOR'S NOTE: When I "calibrated" my new pendulum, the horizontal axis responded to "Yes," which made the vertical axis "No" for all future readings. To test this method, I asked the question "Will we receive our full deposit back?" for a contract we cancelled when the contractor failed to perform the work within a reasonable …

An Augmented “Yes-or-No” Reading Method with Cards and Pendulum

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This experiment will no doubt make pendulum purists cringe, but it is intended to satisfy my personal quest for more information and greater developmental insight, neither of which is provided by the typical "yes-or-no" pendulum prediction. I also wanted to make allowances for the provisional "maybe yes" or "maybe no" answer (which could …

The “Five C’s” Conflict-Resolution Spread

This spread applies my expanded interpretation of the "crossing" card as used in a Celtic Cross reading. I treat it not so much as a "problem" card as it is a "major motivator," which can represent either a challenge or an opportunity (and sometimes both at once). All cards are dealt face-up and reversals can …

The Horary Difference

Horary astrology is different, and its distinction - as well as its charm - lies in its economy of expression. As a psychological astrologer doing natal horoscopes back in the '70s, I prided myself on the thoroughness of my chart delineation. I didn't have a computer early on and it was not unusual for a …

The One-Card Draw as “Barometer of Well-being”

AUTHOR'S NOTE: A long time ago I lost interest and confidence in pulling a daily card to reflect the circumstances and events of the upcoming 24 hours. I found that it was simply too static and failed to offer much "breathing room" for the environment to evolve without bringing intuitive guesswork to bear on its …

The Three-Card “Tarot Sentence”

It has been proposed that the three-card line forms the basic "sentence" of tarot reading, and adding more cards to the series only augments but doesn't supersede the original narrative. Three cards in sequence can be read in a number of ways: as a traditional "Past/Present/Future" outlook; in the Hegelian sense of "Thesis/Antithesis/ Synthesis;" according …

The Power of Alignment

AUTHOR'S NOTE: My comments here presume that I have a "live one" sitting at the table with me who can partake of the action. Remote reading is a substantially different proposition that (at least in my opinion) operates under more mystical or psychic assumptions. My recent reading (books, not cards) has inspired me to contemplate …

Rethinking the Three-Card “Timeline” Spread

AUTHOR'S NOTE: In a recent post I gave a brief nod to the idea of scrapping the venerable "Past/Present/Future" three-card, left-to-right, timeline spread and replacing it with a more relevant sequence: "Present/Immediate Future/Extended Future." While examining prior events may be admissible in a large spread like the Celtic Cross where most of the emphasis is …