The “Roll Your Own” Tarot Scenario
AUTHOR’S NOTE: It is a bone of contention among tarot practitioners whether the “past” positions in timeline spreads add any value to a reading. We already know where we’ve been, do we really need the cards to legitimize our experience or try to dissuade us of its validity? (However, I do recognize that they can add pertinent depth and a degree of perspective to a memory when we apply its lessons to our present and future circumstances.)
Some see an accurate portrayal of past conditions as guaranteeing the accuracy of any forthcoming predictions; others view it as a waste of time when there is no opportunity to change the script. Here I’m examining the notion of purposefully selecting cards for those positions of a spread where we already know what has happened or is happening at that moment (in short, we don’t need random cards to enlighten us). This establishes an experiential benchmark or anchor from which the predictive aspects of the reading evolve; its value lies in helping us identify common threads and themes that link known attitudes and behaviors to future developments in the matter. It can also assist us in thinking in the right direction so we aren’t blindsided by seemingly unrelated revelations.
In my own case, I’ve been assuming that any cards reflecting the past provide no more than “stage-setting” emphasis concerning what is likely to take place in the developing state of affairs (perhaps showing the source of unresolved issues that are still cropping up in daily life). We will ideally bring the prior wisdom we have gained to bear on any real-time opportunities and projected actions. I don’t perform much if any “look-back” at past events or circumstances as such, just at any residual fallout from their occurrence. I have also created a few line spreads that begin with the “Present” at the far left and move toward to the future outcome at the far right, dismissing the “Past” completely. This begs the question “Why bother with past events and circumstances in any reading since it’s old news?” but in comprehensive spreads like the Celtic Cross it does provide a useful continuum in which there is no real line of demarcation except between more recent developments and truly “dead-and-buried” matters that no longer have a claim on current conditions. (See my previous posts on the Celtic Cross.)
But I just came across an interesting idea that can sharpen the focus on this entire debate. I was reading about an approach in which we intentionally extract those cards from the deck that we think are most relevant to our past, present and future circumstances, shuffle them and place them face-down in a spread, whereupon we reveal them, examine their interaction and draw conclusions. (See the “spreads” section at the back of Sallie Nichols’ Tarot and the Archetypal Journey.) While I find this foray into “manifest destiny” a bit too mechanistic for my own taste since it doesn’t allow for sufficient serendipity, I do see value in deliberately choosing any cards to be placed in the “known past” and “acknowledged present” positions. This preliminary staging from known parameters can paint a valuable picture of “where we’re coming from” in contemplating our unknown future. We can inform our choice with the aspects of the chosen cards that most accurately mirror what we have encountered in the process of arriving at our current status.
This awareness can be “taken under advisement” to the extent that it can color our reactions when we consider the potential impact of the subsequent cards that appear as indicators of the protracted “situation as it stands” or the “immediate future.” (It seems undeniable that we are all products of our past decisions and their consequences, but also that “distant future” considerations will be less dominated by previous environmental factors.) It could transpire that we will see the implications of those “predictive” cards in a different light if we have a clear picture of what they’re trying to respond to or recover from. It’s entirely possible that if we reacted in a certain negative way before, we are likely to repeat that performance the next time out of sheer force of habit, and these insights into our acknowledged vulnerability can help us “get off the merry-go-round” of automatic behavior.
In thinking about this concept, I realized that the cards I drew for the “past” and “present” positions of the recent example reading for my “Alternate Outcome” spread could not have been more appropriate in light of the above than if I had intentionally picked them for that purpose. I think the structure of the spread contributed immensely to the logical separation between all of the temporal elements of the reading.
Here is another example using the same spread, drawn from the general circumstances of a real-life reading I did a few years ago. A client had just undergone a traumatic divorce and was experiencing extreme loneliness; he wanted to know what his romantic future looked like. The 10 of Swords had appeared in the Recent Past position of the Celtic Cross I did for him at the time, so here I chose if for the Recent Past position as well. I selected the 5 of Wands for the Distant Past to show the inflammatory run-up to the divorce and the Hermit as his Present state of isolation. The rest of the cards were dealt in sequence from the top of the deck after shuffling and left face down. (All of the images are from the Tarot Grand Luxe by Ciro Marchetti, copyright of US Games Systems, Inc.)
The two randomly-drawn “environmental” cards were the 10 of Wands in the “Expedience” position (how best to proceed) and the Tower in the “Exposure” position (what to be wary of). The advice is to “stay in the saddle and tough it out” (10 of Wands) while being careful to “keep your head about you and don’t self-destruct” (Tower).
The Near Future card turned out to be the Lovers and the Distant Future card was the 10 of Coins. If I were a fortune-teller I would be elated: “You will soon find ‘true love’ (possibly with a wealthy women) and won’t have to worry about money in the foreseeable future.” But of course I’m not, so this scenario suggests facing an important decision that, if handled correctly, could wind up being good for the querent’s domestic well-being and security; it might mean that he finds the solution (rediscovered self-love?) to fighting off ennui and low self-esteem, therefore feeling “whole” again.
For the “Outcome” I rolled an odd number, so I turned over Outcome Card #2. It was the Hierophant, and my “inner fortune-teller” exclaimed “Oho! Here we go again! You will certainly be remarried within the next year.” Realistically, it most likely means he will be nicely “settled” after his recovery, in that its Taurus correspondence “doubles-down” on the mundane promise of the 10 of Coins; he will become grounded again and stop moping. I find it interesting that, in his earlier CC, the “end of the matter” card was the Ace of Coins, and I told him he would have “new fields to plow” since it follows immediately after the 10 of Swords in the normal sequence. I never found out what actually happened.
Ever the scientist, I took a peek at the deselected Outcome Card #1. It was the Chariot, telling me that if the reading had gone that way he would keep right on “tilting at windmills” for a while longer until he “strikes gold.”
Originally published at http://parsifalswheeldivination.wordpress.com on January 4, 2024.
