“The Carrot and the Stick” — A French Cross Variation
AUTHOR’S NOTE: In this spread I’m using the French Cross ( tirage en croix) as the template for a tarot-based exploration of I Ching Hexagram 35 (Jin; Advancement), with its emphasis on loyalty and generosity as the keys to progress. I’ve tinkered with the position meanings but have left the structure largely intact. Note that all positions are neutral; there are no favorable or unfavorable factors unless indicated by the cards pulled. Card #1 (which can be randomly drawn or intentionally selected) represents the “situation as it stands.”
As can be seen from the layout, the forthright incentives of loyalty come first in Card #2 (a nudge of the “stick,” although in real-life terms it may just come down to a heartfelt commitment, sans prodding). If that isn’t sufficient to produce results as shown by a mid-cycle “advisory” overview (Card #3), the tempting enticements of generosity and kindness can be leveraged (Card #4, the lure of the “carrot”). Card #5 is the standard outcome scenario. The position meanings are self-explanatory, showing that what we get out of a situation is the result of what we put into it, a typical cause-and-effect tableau with no mystical implications. This spread seems to be ideal for use with either “pip” decks like the Tarot de Marseille or the Lenormand oracle with its literal focus.
Here is a random pull that puts the spread into motion. It looks like a romantic forecast, and I could not have hand-picked a better series of cards to tell its story. I can read it as “one thing leads to another” (emotional and physical attraction, love, marriage and connubial “staying-power”) or maybe as a Lord of the Rings twist on the old children’s rhyme: “First comes love (well, maybe ‘lust’), then comes marriage (once the dowry is settled), then comes Gimli with a baby carriage.” (Try to envision that one if you can! We would have to relocate John Rhys-Davies to Monty Python’s “Pramalot” chorus line and relieve him of his weapon.)
Originally published at http://parsifalswheeldivination.wordpress.com on August 5, 2024.
