General Life-Reading: A Convenient Fallback
AUTHOR’S NOTE: I often see consternation brewing among tarot neophytes over the fact that, although they want to “get serious” when it comes to divination with the cards, they are unsure how to proceed because they have no pressing questions to ask. Following is a summary of ways to offset that shortcoming through a “general life-reading” approach.
Perhaps the simplest form of general reading is the “daily draw” that doesn’t attempt to identify specific events over a 24-hour period, but instead only explores the environmental “tone” or background theme for the day. This is particularly useful with the single-card pull since it is static and therefore of little value for showing developmental progress. The two-card reading isn’t much better because its binary nature sets one card against another in a way that can eliminate any perception of constructive change-over-time. With three cards we begin to get into a more fully-realized “snapshot” of potential advancement in an action/reaction/resolution format, and the five-card line provides an even more complete outlook that I view as the culmination of this abbreviated technique when a typical question-and-answer scenario is not the initial goal of the reading.
For a slightly more expansive foretelling, the five-card tirage en croix (“French Cross”) of European cartomancy is an excellent choice for weekly readings because it “compartmentalizes” the querent’s circumstances into positive aspects, negative aspects, advice for reconciling the two, a probable “outcome” and a synthesis that gives the overall “mood” of the reading. Here is the best description I’ve found:
https://cartomancier.com/en/2018/06/23/french-cross/
Beyond daily and weekly draws, my favorite tarot spread for taking a more thorough look at general prospects for future growth is the Celtic Cross, which I think of as the “Swiss-Army knife” or “universal multi-tool” of the diviner’s arsenal. Each of the ten positions presents a brief overview of emerging conditions, both temporal and situational, that covers short-range and long-range opportunities and their anticipated consequences. From this wealth of detail it is possible to craft a compelling forecast that conveys both the projected timeline and the overall complexion of upcoming tendencies or, in ideal cases, likely occurrences over the following three-to-six months. Here is a link to an in-depth analysis of my own “tweaked” version:
https://parsifalswheeldivination.wordpress.com/2019/09/08/dissecting-the-celtic-cross/
But by far the most effective method for taking a broad cut at the trending life-path of an individual over the next six-to-twelve months is the 36-card Grand Tableau of the Lenormand system. This complex spread can speak convincingly in one sweeping, panoramic narrative to any and all eventualities involving a wide range of “life-topics” and it has the distinct advantage of being far more pragmatic in its focus than almost anything that can be achieved with the tarot. In my experience, only horary astrology comes close to matching its practical rigor. But if you really want a deep dive into this concept and don’t intend to learn Lenormand, here is a “heretical” Grand Tableau that uses tarot cards:
Most of the time I will recommend the one-card “tonal” daily draw to beginners as the best way to acquire experience with divination when nothing more noteworthy presents itself, followed by the three-card spread when sufficient confidence has been gained. In almost all situations, though, the five-card layout (either line or cross) will offer the most utility for short-to-medium-range life-reading when a specific question is not forthcoming.
Originally published at http://parsifalswheeldivination.wordpress.com on June 10, 2024.
