Calling Forth Answers: A Mixed-Media Problem Solving Spread
AUTHOR’S NOTE: It’s been a while since I last explored the technique of using a board-game spinner and an array of tarot cards to come up with a two-tiered approach to reading. In Benebell Wen’s I Ching The Oracle: A Practical Guide to the Book of Changes, I’ve been learning about an abbreviated yarrow-stalk method for calling forth either a yin line or a yang line in the construction of a trigram that is then explained by the text. In terms of problem-solving I’ll quote her words, which describe the results as divulging “overarching themes, a summary of your marching orders, and how to solve the problem. This is giving you the pulse and temperature of the situation.” The idea is to “let synchronicity happen” in lining up the solution. I decided to stretch this concept to address a tarot-defined path to judgment that begins with the spin of a dial.
This reading assumes that you have a known problem to solve or strongly suspect that one is likely to emerge in the near future. Start by selecting a card to represent the actual or potential concern and place it at the center of the table as the “focus” card. This can be done either by picking the card intentionally if the identity of the issue is known or pulling it randomly from the deck if its nature is unknown.
Next, shuffle the cards and deal eight stacks of five face-down cards in a circular pattern around the focus card, forty in all going counterclockwise from the far left. (The intent of this progression is to emulate the Moon’s eight-phase “lunation cycle” beginning at the New Moon, which can then be used as a timing device to reveal the most favorable 3-to-4-day period during which to initiate corrective action.) Size the circle so a board-game spinner will sit comfortably in the middle and the pointer will have an equal chance of targeting any one of the eight segments. (Reversals can be applied to this step.)
Place the spinner over the central card and spin it briskly to align with one of the eight stacks (if it lands “on the line” between two of them, spin again).
Spread out the cards in the identified stack from bottom (first card dealt) to top (last card dealt) in a radial arc from the center and turn them face-up. These five positions are titled “Emerging; Evolving; Cresting; Subsiding: and Concluding” to show development of the matter over time. The “Cresting” position will represent the climax or critical turning-point, and its relative prominence will depend on how much its potency is either amplified or muted by the elemental interaction of the cards on either side. The answer is derived from the final card in the series, while the preceding cards provide advice on how to attain the goal. Compare the “Concluding” card to the focus card to see if it responds obligingly to the original issue, since an unhelpful match can suggest a “dead-end” or “no-win” scenario.
Read this sequence as a narrative conveying the recommended way to proceed within the window of time symbolized by the next occurrence of the lunar phase that was highlighted by the chain of cards.
Here is an example reading to illustrate the method. The question asked was “What is the way forward (if any) in this emotionally static situation?” I intentionally selected the Thoth 8 of Cups (Indolence, meaning “stagnation”) as the Focus Card.
The spinner pointed to the “Waning Gibbous” period of the current lunation cycle, which occurs between the 19th and 22nd of October. The duration of the Waning Gibbous Moon is a time to demonstrate one’s intentions and perhaps to “crusade for a cause.” It could represent an opportunity to push the stalled situation “out of the starting gate.”
The Magus reversed shows the exploit getting off to a halting start and the enigmatic Moon, also reversed, does nothing to improve the picture, instead making it even dimmer. It’s obvious that there is some hesitancy to make a move due to doubt or confusion. The Magus has the wherewithal but lacks the resolve, while the Moon — more disoriented than usual — stands in his way.
The 6 of Swords suggests setting lofty goals and striving to meet them, thus shaking off the befuddlement of the first two cards and “clearing the air.” The two “modifying” cards — the Moon (Water) and the Queen of Disks (Earth) — are elementally friendly to one another and of mixed dignity to the central 6 of Swords (Air), giving a minor boost to the effectiveness of the latter. It may be possible to gain some ground here by taking a proactive stance that steps away from vague insinuations.
The Queen of Disks reversed is refraining from commitment and won’t budge, but the Queen of Wands at the conclusion advises appealing to the energetic and enthusiastic potential in the situation, breaking it free from indecision and an excess of caution. If nothing else, I’ll know exactly where I stand at the end of the day, and I think I might even be inspired by the outcome since it will banish the uncertainty once and for all. The Queen of Wands is elementally hostile to the 8 of Cups but wields a lot more clout and isn’t afraid to exercise it. She will scrape the muck from her boots and carry on.
Originally published at http://parsifalswheeldivination.wordpress.com on October 3, 2024.
