The Great Escape: A Conflict-Resolution Spread
AUTHOR’S NOTE: I was just reading about the historical view that many ancient philosophers and mystics envisioned a primordial “Cosmic Egg” that coalesced out of formless chaos, from which all life emerged as the culmination of an embryonic seed-state.
I decided to explore this concept as the basis for a new conflict-resolution spread that uses a predetermined card to represent the conflict as the “heart of the matter” (or Significator) within a surrounding matrix of eight cards showing the “shell” that must be breached in order to resolve the situation. Once again, I’m using a board-game spinner to point the “way out” for escape from the dilemma, while the eight circumferential cards give a cursory nod to the Ogdoad of Egyptian mythology and the Bagua of Chinese mysticism. Once the “escape hatch” has been identified, four more cards are pulled so the layout becomes a six-card reading that lends itself to being turned into an I Ching hexagram with the line formed from the Significator card at its base.
For this spread I selected the RWS 7 of Wands for its obvious reference to the confrontation that I assume will be the focus of any such reading. The title of this card in the Thoth deck is “Valour,” which I interpret to mean “extraordinary courage in the face of daunting odds.” I derived the “escape” motif from the narrative vignette I created for the three-card series of the 7, 8 and 9 of Wands: “A military scout encounters a superior force, and despite a valiant effort to fend off the enemy (7 of Wands), he must beat a hasty retreat with the spears and arrows of the foe falling all around him (8 of Wands); he fetches up back at the fortress, where he makes a “last stand” against the inevitable attack (9 of Wands).”
By choosing a different topical Significator, it would be possible to address other areas of interest with this spread. For example, we might pick the 2 of Cups and ask “Where and under would circumstance will I find new love?” then determine direction using the 8-point layout as a compass. (See my “Astro-Tarot Location Method” post elsewhere in this blog for ideas.) The 6 of Swords could advise us “Where and under what circumstances should I relocate?” while the 3 of Pentacles looks like a reasonable choice for “Where and under what circumstances can I find work?”
Begin by placing the 7 of Wands (or other Significator) face-up in the middle of the table. Then shuffle the rest of the deck while concentrating on the problem. (Reversals may be used.) Deal eight cards face-down in any order in a circle around the Significator, being careful to space them so the spinner has an equal chance of landing on any one without overlapping. Set the deck aside for now.
Center the board-game spinner on top of the 7 of Wands and give it a vigorous spin while continuing to concentrate. (As before, if the pointer stops in the gap between any two cards, spin again.) Turn over the card in the highlighted position to show the first step to consider in getting out of the bind.
From the top of the already-shuffled deck, deal four more cards adjacent to the “exit” card and radiating outward from it. These cards project the course of developments in the matter, with the last card showing the outcome. (Note that these four cards will be constant; what will differ according to the spin will be the initial card in the five-card series, in this case Justice reversed. However, if you prefer, you can re-shuffle the deck before this pull.)
After reading these cards, create a six-line hexagram by placing a yang line (symbolizing the 7 of Wands) at the bottom of the first trigram and then draw five more lines based on the positive (yang) or negative (yin) polarity of the remaining cards. Although I didn’t consider whether to address the concept of “changing” lines, I’m thinking that any Major Arcanum could be treated as showing the “elder” version of its polarity, with its representative line to be turned into its opposite number (either yin or yang) to create a second, supplementary hexagram. The court and pip cards would generate fixed “younger” lines. (This is similar to the method employed for changing lines in Benebell Wen’s I Ching book.)
The first hexgram was 54, Kuei Mei, The Marrying Maiden. The judgement is not auspicious:
The Marrying Maiden.
Undertakings bring misfortune.
Nothing that would further.
The second hexagram, created from the “moving” second and third lines of the first one, was 55, Feng, Abundance (Fullness). The judgement is much more favorable, and aligns far better with the nature of the cards pulled.
Abundance has success.
The king attains abundance.
Be not sad.
Be like the sun at midday.
Read the hexagram(s) for a more philosophical explanation of the circumstances surrounding resolution of the difficulty.
Analysis:
Although it has not yet turned into a full-blown conflict (and if promises are kept it won’t), I’ve been having an issue with my former employer about an erroneous disenrollment from the retiree health insurance plan. I’ve been in contact with Retiree Customer Service. They acknowledge that there was a problem with the company’s computer program, and that corrective action is underway; I should receive notice when it’s straightened out, but it’s been almost two weeks since the “case file” was created.
Justice reversed suggests that the “jury is still out” on the fix, and that the verdict is pending. It has the connotation of “reserving judgment” for the time being.
The Chariot, the 6 of Swords and the King of Cups convey the idea that the decision was “booted upstairs” (Chariot) to a higher authority (King of Cups) after being evaluated by the computer techs (6 of Swords). It’s interesting that the King of Cups dovetails with the second line of the judgement for Hexagram 55: “The King attains abundance.” Since the King of Cups has been my personal Significator for many years, I believe this bodes well.
The 9 of Cups at the end of the series portends complete satisfaction. (Its title in the Thoth deck is “Happiness.”)
The first hexagram is not encouraging, but further guidance in the I Ching text indicates that the hardship is only a transitory state that the “superior man” should take in stride, which seems to align with Justice reversed.
The second hexagram could not be better for successful closure.
I fully expect that this will all work out in my favor.
Originally published at http://parsifalswheeldivination.wordpress.com on November 10, 2024.
