The Five-Beat Measure: A Tarot-Reading Prep Routine

AUTHOR’S NOTE: Bear with me here, this moves quickly from subconscious meditation to the utilitarian aspects of cartomancy and should be worth your time. It is, however, aimed at professional diviners and won’t be understood or appreciated by dabblers in the “pop metaphysics” of online tarot reading.

I had a dream recently where I encountered a series of problem-solving scenarios in which there had to be five steps to a solution before it would be achievable. I think there were abbreviated alchemical overtones to this vision since the final element in the sequence had to be “silver” in appearance. When the fifth (silver-colored) one fell into place, it was “Eureka! Problem solved.” (There is an old mystical convention that tarot is the intuitive “silver” — or lunar — key to the practice of divination, in contrast to the more rational “gold key” of solar astrology; this may be where the “silver” inference originated.) When I awoke I began thinking how this might be applied to the process of tarot reading, beyond the fundamentals of spread design. I had previously contemplated a few of the principles in a general way, but this inspired me to round them up in a more concise routine of five preliminary measures.

The idea of a “countdown” to the beginning of a reading reminded me of the shouted “One, two, three, four!” introduction of many early rock songs (notably the Beatles seminal work) that anchored the rhythm section. You could say that here I’m turning that four-beat shtick into a five-count intro to establish the functional dynamics for a tarot session.

The first one takes a page from horary astrology: there must be a legitimate “need to know” before a divination is attempted. No idle curiosity or mind-reading is allowed. If you want to determine whether “Joe or Mary likes you,” go ask them or just cross your fingers.

Second, there must be an “actionable” question or context. The querent must want to (and more importantly, be able to) “do something” about the situation beyond just indulging in wishful thinking or avoidant behavior.

Third, there must be a realistic opportunity for the events or circumstances to play out as predicted; the “stars must align” or the “timing must coincide” with the seeker’s intent as shown in the cards. More pragmatically, the querent must have the resolve to meet it halfway; otherwise there is little point in asking.

Fourth, the querent must be willing to receive whatever answer is forthcoming. This won’t be immediately obvious to the reader, but eventually meeting with strenuous resistance or denial in response to the thrust of the reading is a dead giveaway for a narrow-minded attitude that only wants to have its hopes or fears confirmed.

Fifth, no ethically suspect questions are permitted: No “What should I do about this illness?” — No “Should I make this investment?” — No “Should I sue my neighbor?” If they aren’t to be shunned completely, such matters should be handled in a more noncommittal, risk-averse way that excludes the giving of advice.

These provisions represent an ideal pre-reading scenario, and not all of them will be perfectly satisfied every time. Conspicuously absent from this list is “No yes-or-no questions are acceptable” since I believe that tarot can offer an answer for any question if it is properly phrased (and isn’t morally taboo). I’ve also stayed away from all of the “myth of tarot” artifice that is more theater than substance since an experienced reader will already know enough to steer clear of it. What remains is a reasonable yardstick for successfully scoping a proposed tarot reading at the professional level.

Originally published at http://parsifalswheeldivination.wordpress.com on December 28, 2023.