A “Tipping Point” Decision-Making Gambit: To Placate, Punish or Persevere

AUTHOR’S NOTE: In many decision-making scenarios, the act of choosing will reach a “tipping point” at which we must resort to motivating or persuading another person (or entity) involved in the situation to either contribute to our efforts or step aside if we are to advance. We might have to appease or reward them in order to gain their cooperation; to chastise or coerce them if we are to clear our path of obstacles; or to just “push through” the resistance and continue on our way. It might come down to an offer, an ultimatum or an “agree-to-disagree” compromise. Here is a spread that captures these three options. It requires use of a deck that supports reversed cards, and is an elaboration of an earlier spread in which I used reversal to redirect the narrative flow. (All images are from the Golden Art Nouveau Tarot, copyright of Lo Scarabeo, Torino, Italy.)

Below is the “typical” layout showing the proposed avenues of decision-making. Only five of the nine positions will actually be populated in practice.

Begin by shuffling the deck while concentrating on the decision to be made. Cut if desired.

Deal three cards, left-to-right and face-up, into a horizontal row at the left side of the reading surface, allowing for reversals.

Determine whether the majority of the cards are active and assertive (Fire or Air) or passive and receptive (Water or Earth); there can be no tie since there are three cards in the set but only two polarities.

If these cards are predominantly passive, the third “tipping-point” card receives no special attention beyond its pivotal status in the sequence, and the reading proceeds by dealing two more cards to the right in the normal manner, signifying that staying on-course and persevering in one’s approach will promote success. If, however, 66% or more of the cards are active, stop at the middle card and judge whether it is upright or reversed.

It it is upright, continue vertically by dealing two more cards above its position along the path titled the “Way of the Carrot” (the idea being that some form of benevolent enticement is the best way to gain cooperation in resolving the issue). It it is reversed, proceed downward by dealing two more cards along the “Way of the Stick,” which adopts the premise that a more diligent form of enforcement will be necessary to enlist support or discourage opposition. In all three cases, the last card in the series will show the outcome of pursuing that option.

Here is an example reading. Two-thirds of the initial cards were active and assertive (Air and Fire); therefore, the “tipping-point” veered from the horizontal. The 8 of Cups opens on a disconsolate note that implies lack of resolve, but things pick up with the reversed Knight of Swords preparing to mount up and sally forth. Temperance was upright, so the way of appeasement and enticement above that position was filled with two more cards.

Temperance insists on vetting all the angles and weighing all the trade-offs before initiating a well-thought-out move. The King of Swords as the next card furthers the objective by “sharpening his pencil” and making a reasonable offer in good faith to the target individual. However, the 2 of Swords reversed is indifferent to the King’s advances, suggesting one of three possible outcomes: 1) the offer will be “taken under advisement” but essentially tabled for the foreseeable future; 2) it will be placed in the “pending” queue and accorded due consideration when its “number comes up;” it will be rejected outright as not being aligned with current plans. (I’m reminded of the Italian proverb attributed to Giovanni Torriano about the impossibility of “getting blood out of a stone.”)

To resolve the impasse, the King of Swords can either sweeten the pot or resort to a little diplomatic arm-twisting; he “speaks the same language” as the 2 of Swords and may be able to bring it around to his point-of-view. Given this vacillation, it could be better for the querent to rethink the strategy, back out of the dead-end proposal and opt to push forward unaided.

Originally published at http://parsifalswheeldivination.wordpress.com on September 3, 2024.