“Shapes of Things” — A Developmental Insight Spread*

* “Shapes of Things” is a 1966 “psychedelic” rock song by the Yardbirds (one of the very first) written by Jim McCarty, Keith Relf and Paul Samwell-Smith, with Jeff Beck contributing guitar and inspiration.

AUTHOR’S NOTE: Here is a spread that can go in multiple directions depending on the nature of the cards pulled. Highly-influential cards (whether fortunate or unfortunate) can distort the “shape” of the pattern by pulling or pushing the narrative along one developmental path or another. Although the temporal flow of the spread moves from left-to-right (the “Developmental Wave”), there may be counter-currents that “move against the tide.” Reversals may be used with this spread. (All images are from the Lord of the Rings Tarot [2022], copyright of Middle-Earth Enterprises, published under license by Insight Editions, San Rafael, CA.)

The “quintessence” card at the center — always a trump card — serves as the “main theme” or archetypal backdrop for the reading, representing a multi-dimensional “crossroads” in the matter. It is calculated numerologically from the face values of the other eight cards, and should be read as the “linchpin” of all four axes of the cross, one horizontal, one vertical and two diagonal, which can be read in both directions to create six rising and falling three-card lines and two that are level and therefore stable, inherently more prone to gradual advancement than backsliding. The rows and columns that don’t pass through the “crossroads” can be mined for supplemental information.

It may be useful to look at the array as a “risk scenario” that shows which aspects of development will be most prominent over the period of the forecast: Adaptability (volatile adjustment); Stability (no-or-slow growth); or Vulnerability (troubled times and possible loss), turning the divination into more of a life-reading analysis than a situational prediction. As a life-reading tableau I would bin it in the same category as the Celtic Cross, nominally providing a three-to-six-month outlook.

Here is a fascinating example reading. Once again I asked about an initiative I’ve been contemplating, but this time with a different deck and a different spread (one of my rules-of-thumb for repeat questions). I didn’t shuffle for reversals this time (although it looks like the reversed 2 of Wands did sneak in). As I tend to do with all decks, I’ve used my preferred Thoth titles for Minor Arcana interpretation.

The three most influential cards in the pull were trumps, creating some difficulty in finding the correct path; all are Fire, conveying the need for an assertive approach. The Page of Swords has “one oar in the water” but comes in a distant fourth.

The most encouraging triplet here is the 9 of Cups (Happiness)-Chariot (Cancer)-Sun (Sun) sequence, which begins with an abundance of optimism, rises through “rapid movement toward a goal” and “triumph on the physical plane,” and culminates in resounding success in the “Advancing and Winning” corner. With the number Nine, the sign of Cancer and the Sun all involved here, there is a strong “lunisolar” energy in this series, and the month of July may bring progress in the matter.

The similarly “rising” Emperor (Aries) is vying for supremacy by advocating an uncharacteristic “retreat-and-resist” strategy, but the sequence is rooted in the depressing 5 of Cups (Disappointment), so there is an air of desperation about it; I’m inclined to steer clear of that one. Its opposite path (Emperor-Chariot-5 of Cups) portrays a “slippery slope,” or charging head-on into failure at full speed.

The other superior triplet moves both up and down. Strength (Leo)-Chariot (Cancer)-2 of Wands (Dominion) as a “rising trend” implies coming from a place of power and achieving a stimulating accord, but turning it around as a “falling trend” suggests overplaying my hand in what started out as a shared ambition.

The remaining “centered” triplet, 9 of Coins (Gain)-Chariot (Cancer)-Page of Swords (Earth of Air), depicts more of a “wait-and-see” attitude; be prepared to invest for success but hold off on pulling the trigger until the “shape of things” is clearer.

Here is how things are “shaping up” in this case. The different degrees of influence are represented by emojis (see the legend below), and I used the star to signify the main theme.

🙂 = Influential Cards
😐 = Neutral Cards
🙁 = Negligible Cards

Originally published at http://parsifalswheeldivination.wordpress.com on June 30, 2024.