The “Test of Strength” Developmental Insight Spread

As is probably obvious from my track record, I love to create spreads around cultural metaphors or analogies. This one is based on the “test of strength” games (aka “Strongman” or “High-Striker”) that are popular at carnivals, in which the player uses a hammer to drive a metal striker up a vertical column with the goal of “ringing the bell.” Although I didn’t formally build it into the design, it could be read as being more potent and more relevant to the querent’s circumstances the higher the “hammer” strikes on the scale (something I tried to communicate with the color scheme). It delivers a basic three-card “developmental insight” reading with a “trigger” card that establishes the beginning of the matter.” Since the minor cards give a more functional “step-wise” projection as opposed to a “big-picture” perspective, I’ve suggested doing the quintessence calculation to obtain a trump-card overview that offers a broader or longer-range outlook. Because this reading is supposed to serve up a fundamentally mundane, non-psychological impression, I decided to leave the court cards out of the equation. The archetypes used here are primarily rooted in number and suit/element theory rather than anything more metaphysically abstract, and convey the idea of “acting” purposefully instead of expecting to be “acted upon” by external forces, whether interpersonal or impersonal/universal. Think “How should I act?” in a proactive sense and not “How should I react?” in the circumstances shown by the reading.

Originally published at http://parsifalswheeldivination.wordpress.com on August 20, 2022.