The “Reset Arc” — Daily Draw x 7
“. . . every day resets itself, from sunrise to sunset to sunrise again.”
Benebell Wen, I Ching, the Oracle: A Practical Guide to the Book of Changes
AUTHOR’S NOTE: The above quote should be the guiding principle behind every daily draw in tarot reading. But too many readers trust the one-card pull to satisfy this assumption. I’ve long had a problem with this practice because a solo card is too static, too narrow in scope to reveal any changes that might occur over the 24-hour period, even though such events could very well be insignificant. It’s fine for showing the background theme or “tone” for the day, but I’ve always maintained that the three-card reading is a better choice to convey any shift in circumstances over that brief span of time. However, here is a slightly more radical idea that takes a longer view of the single-card pull. It requires drawing seven “daily theme” cards that combine to create a situational tableau suitable for pursuing “targeted” actions.
I suggest that, assuming Monday is the first day of the week for most people, seven daily cards should be pulled all at once on Sunday to reflect developments over the coming seven days. Once these cards are dealt into the seven daily slots, the relative benefit or detriment normally ascribed to each card should be plotted on a “line graph” that shows potential high points and low points for the period covered by the reading. This should be done using the table at the end of this essay, or a model of your own choosing. The cards listed as “Maybe” can go either way, and should be placed in the median position of the day(s) in which they appear.
The middle line of the tableau reflects neutral conditions, while the uppermost line displays the best-case scenario and the very bottom line depicts the least desirable outlook. I recommend using reversals and, if the card in a position is upside-down, I propose that due to its unstable nature it will either slightly dilute the optimism of a normally favorable interpretation for that card or take the “bite” out of the pessimism for a typically unfortunate one. This would be plotted at either the “75% Favorable” position above the median line or the “75% Unfavorable” position below it. Reversed positive (top row) or reversed neutral (middle row) cards will move down a row and reversed negative (bottom row) cards will move up one. (These intervening lines will only be populated if there are reversed cards in the pull.) The result should be a rising-and-falling plot line that shows which days of the week are ideal for accomplishing one’s objectives and which are best for “lying down and avoiding.”
Here is an example layout. There were two reversed “Maybe” cards that changed position to become less favorable. (Note that the face-down cards are only placeholders to keep things visually organized for the photo; blank cards would be perfect for this.)
In this reading, Tuesday, Friday and Sunday appear to be the most favorable days of the coming week; Wednesday is neutral; Monday and Thursday hold “reversed neutral” cards, which takes them down a notch in favorability (both are trumps so those would be days to exercise greater caution); Saturday is the least favorable day of the week. By and large, although it’s a bit of a “roller-coaster ride,” this doesn’t look like a particularly dismal period since there are no truly dire cards in the spread.
These daily cards should be taken “under advisement” when contemplating any discretionary activities that might be initiated or circumstances that could otherwise prevail on those days, ideally offering a choice on when it is best to proceed. If an activity is “locked-in” to a specific day due to a previous appointment or scheduled event, the cards can be treated as guidance for making the most of the situation. Pay closer attention to the ebb-and-flow of energy if the situation is likely to endure for two or more days in a row; the caveat for a falling trend would be “Try to wrap things up today or tomorrow.”
I use the following table of nominal “Yes-Leaning, No-Leaning and Maybe” cards mostly for yes-or-no readings, but here I’m applying it in a “favorable, neutral or unfavorable” sense to show the general quality of daily conditions to be read as “Should I or shouldn’t I?” advice. (These attributions are based largely on Aleister Crowley’s descriptions in The Book of Thoth.)
Originally published at http://parsifalswheeldivination.wordpress.com on May 4, 2024.
