The Awakening: A Spiritual Transformation Spread
AUTHOR’S NOTE: Here is a tarot spread that uses the concepts of entrenched inertia (pip cards), personal make-over (court cards) and mystical transformation in the form of both transcendent opportunities and spiritual pitfalls (trump cards). It is one of my “mixed-media” spreads that employs both tarot cards and dice in its execution.
Begin by separating the deck into trump, court and pip-card sub-packs.
Shuffle the pip cards while concentrating on the subject of the reading. Reversals may be used to show how straightforward or oblique the mundane trajectory will be when they are dealt into the layout.
Deal six cards face up from left-to-right. This row describes the “treadmill” of ordinary events and circumstances that provides the inferred baseline for the evolution. The goal of the reading is to demonstrate how this monotonous advancement might be disrupted “for good or ill.”
Next, roll a single six-sided die to select one of the six positions. This card represents the “point of departure” for exiting the humdrum continuum of daily existence. How far along the path it appears can indicate how entrenched one’s prosaic habits are and how likely or unlikely they are to be readily cast off.
Take the court-card pack and shuffle it, concentrating as before. Reversals can show a withdrawn or introspective focus in the “personal make-over” encompassed by these cards.
Deal one court card immediately above the pip card chosen by the die-roll. This reflects the advantageous persona that one should consider adopting in order to “break out of the mold” of routine preoccupation.
Shuffle the trump cards without permitting reversals since they are irrelevant to the exalted nature of the forthcoming transformation.
Deal one trump card immediately above the court card to reveal the mystical opportunity for transcendence that presents itself. In this case there are no “bad cards” since every one of them carries a useful life-lesson that qualifies as a revelation.
Roll the die once more to identify another pip card that will initiate a less-reassuring spiritual downturn in the matter. If it repeats the card that was previously selected, this can express being torn two ways by the influence of subtle forces that pull in diametrically opposite directions.
Shuffle the remaining court cards and deal another card immediately below the pip card chosen by the die-roll. This card will indicate a detrimental persona that, if not mitigated, will exacerbate the severity of any pitfalls that lie in wait. It suggests “making one’s bed and then having to lie in it,” and — although it’s not a guaranteed fix — the obvious countermeasure is to think hard before reacting.
Shuffle the remaining trump cards and deal one card immediately below the court card to identify the nature of these hazards. This time, reversal can be allowed since it can acknowledge an “upset” condition symptomatic of metaphysical crisis. The implied dilemma can be as mild as a rejection of orthodox theological values or as severe as a personal “dark night of the soul.”
Read all ten cards as a tableau describing the secular and spiritual landscape as it presents itself within the timeframe of the reading. Any action to be taken will be embodied in the “personal make-over” signified by the court cards, as driven by the temperament of the associated pip cards. The trump cards stand apart as the response of the Universe to one’s individual status; their influence can be worked with but neither avoided nor fully deflected (in other words, if you didn’t want to know, you shouldn’t have asked).
In the example reading, the mundane continuum begins in turmoil but then sorts itself out at a low level of pragmatic tranquility. The 4 of Disks offers a convenient “jumping-off place” before the path once again becomes conflicted with the 2 of Wands reversed. Although the “five-spot” die roll occurred first, the “three-spot” roll appeared at a critical juncture in development of the scenario, suggesting that its significance must be confronted before an opportunity for progress will be accessible.
The Knight of Swords reversed and the Lovers reversed can be read as making a hasty and ill-fated decision based on the unfortunate state of emotional debasement symbolized by the 7 of Cups; the Thoth keyword “Debauch” implies sexual depravity (Crowley loved to traffic in perversity), and the unsteady Lovers could be pushed in that direction by the relentless, self-serving Knight of Swords, who seems to be engaged in a covert operation. Overcoming this temptation will be key to achieving subsequent refinement of one’s spiritual aspirations.
The Princess of Disks represents “Earth of Earth” in the Golden Dawn system of elemental correspondences, and the 4 of Disks exemplifies material stability. Together, the two offer a golden opportunity to leverage mundane power with the goal of escaping the doldrums inherent in the stagnant “comfort zone.” They suggest “all systems go” for making a foray into the spiritual realm of the Moon. Although it carries more than a whiff of corruption, the Moon at its best offers a mystical epiphany that eludes the forbidding “wardens” and ultimately attains the heights of occult illumination. Heady stuff to approach from such a humble beginning, but entirely within the grasp of any serious student and practitioner of the esoteric arts.
Originally published at http://parsifalswheeldivination.wordpress.com on September 7, 2024.
