“Rule from Within:” A Tarot Paradigm
AUTHOR’S NOTE: While pursuing my study of the I Ching, I encountered the concept of “rule from within” that exploits the inner strength by which the Mind and the Will exercise control over one’s external circumstances like a general in the midst of his army. This idea presented a perfect opportunity to discuss the significance of the middle card in an odd-numbered “line” spread.
The practice of “Elemental Dignity” already presupposes that the card at the heart of a three-card or five-card array merits special attention because the elemental “friendliness” or “unfriendliness” of the cards adjacent to the central card will have an invigorating or enfeebling impact on the latter’s potency. If it is favorably accented by the outliers it will exert greater power over the matter, while if its energy is blunted it will have a diminished effect. (For example, a Fire card between a pair of Water cards could have its enthusiasm greatly dampened.) The premise of a superior card in the middle position of a line spread is not unlike the “principal” card of an ED trio in that it will always be in “high focus;” however, its emphasis will primarily radiate from the inside out rather than being altered by incoming influences.
I’m proposing that, regardless of elemental affinity, the middle card in an odd-numbered series can act as a kind of “command headquarters” that regulates the give-and-take of the cards at either end, more-or-less directing the action according to its own agenda. If a strong card is positioned there, it will hold the reading together through sheer “force of will” arising from its dominant nature; the rest of the cards will defer to its authority and follow the main theme. But if a weak card resides there it will be hard pressed to dictate the conditions experienced by the querent, whose affairs may wander aimlessly like the proverbial “headless chicken” or become stuck-in-place like Dr. Doolittle’s famous two-headed “pushmi-pullyu.” In extreme instances we could say that the core of the matter is hollow and the peripheral limbs are left rootless.
This is an alternate take on the idea that line spreads don’t have to be read in a linear manner; sometimes the most forceful card in the sequence will take over the situation with the rest acting as modifiers. While this card won’t always appear at the center of the spread, here I’m suggesting that if we choose to treat any card in the middle position as the default “ruler from within,” we can then define its degree of prominence according to its inherent nature. Elemental dignities can also be brought to bear on this distinction.
The reading approach differs from the typical left-to-right “past-present-future” and “action-reaction-resolution” methodology in that its answer exists entirely within the time-frame that is chosen as its focus. There is no temporal “run-up” or “run-out” to the narrative; we can ask what is happening “right now” that we we may not perceive clearly or what will transpire at some future date, and the reading will give us a single-pointed outcome with qualifying insights. The key event or occasion should stand out in sharp relief as described by the middle card; if it doesn’t, then we as diviners have to work a little harder.
In the ideal scenario we will receive a well-defined response that states its case plainly with no need to split hairs; in more scattered patterns we could wind up with a muddle that offers no obvious conclusion, inviting the use of judicious “weasel-words” (aka extenuating pretexts) to impose some discipline on it. In my estimation this conundrum (which can surface in almost any context) represents a true test of the reader’s skill, and denotes where we as professionals really have to earn our fee since the easy ones may be few and far between.
Originally published at http://parsifalswheeldivination.wordpress.com on June 15, 2024.
