The “Bend in the Road” Turning-Point Spread
AUTHOR’S NOTE: In a recent post I mentioned that the three-card line seldom offers enough detail to support a comprehensive narrative, while a five-card line is reasonably thorough. I’m not one to use “auxiliary” cards like clarifiers or base cards to flesh out the picture unless I build them into the structure of the spread. Here I’m doing just that, as well as using orientation (upright or reversed) in a creative way to turn three cards into five.
In this spread, the typical left-to-right, three-card progression is augmented by two more cards that are determined by whether the right-most card of the original line is upright or reversed. These three cards can be read as past-present-future; action-reaction-resolution; thesis-antithesis-synthesis; input-process-output; or any other mode you chose, with the understanding that the third card is only a preliminary conclusion, a pivotal moment and not the “end of the matter.”
Begin by concentrating on the question while shuffling in a way that will introduce random reversed cards into the pull. Then deal three cards face-up, from left-to-right, to signify the early stages of the affair.
Next, deal two more cards (four in total) face-down above and below the last card in the line, which represents the “turning-point” in the situation. (See the graphic below.)
Determine whether the third card is upright or reversed. If it’s upright, turn the two cards above it face-up; if it is reversed, turn over the two cards below it. Read the additional cards thus revealed as the “rest of the story” beyond the testimony of the first three, with the last one as the eventual outcome. There is no particular significance to whether the “turning-point” card redirects the reading up or down, it is just a “sign-post” for choosing the path. (However, it might be reasonable to assume an “upturn” or “downturn” in circumstances, in which case it would be useful to compare those cards to the two that weren’t selected to see whether there was a “missed opportunity” or a “dodged bullet.”)
Here is an example reading. The early stages suggest a truculent confrontation (Page of Swords, looking like an “instigator”) at a disrupted celebration (4 of Wands reversed) that leaves everyone uncomfortable (6 of Cups reversed). Once the moral bankruptcy (5 of Pentacles) of the perpetrator is revealed after the “turning-point,” the individual slinks away in disgrace (7 of Swords reversed). The scenario reminds me of the spiteful person who raises objections at a wedding ceremony when the routine question is asked about whether anyone protests the marriage.
Originally published at http://parsifalswheeldivination.wordpress.com on July 23, 2024.
