The Will and the Way: A Self-Advancement Spread
AUTHOR’S NOTE: Here is a spread that is designed to reveal the “way forward” in any situation involving a “willed” ambition or purpose. It offers both an “Open Way” that is obvious to everyone involved in the affair and a “Hidden Way” that has more clandestine dimensions and implications. Working with the Thoth deck as an extension of the Will seems natural, although here I’m talking more about the egoic Will of the Emperor than the True Will or Magickal Will of the Magus. On the other hand, I believe Crowley did say somewhere that every act of Will is a magickal act. Once again, contrary to popular opinion, I do use reversals with the Thoth deck, to good effect.
You will need two decks and a single six-sided die for this reading. First, select a card from Deck #1 to represent your “Will” or directed aspiration — that which you hope to achieve in the matter. Place it in the center of the table. Set Deck #1 aside.
Next, shuffle Deck #2 and deal six cards face-down in an oval pattern around the “Will” card (you can try for a circle if you have the room; I didn’t). These cards can be dealt in any circumferential order as long as you can keep track of the sequence from One to Six. I started at the top and went clockwise. Set this deck aside as well but don’t disturb the order of the shuffle.
Take the die and roll it one time. The number that comes up identifies the entrance to the “Open Way.” The number on the opposite face shows the door to the “Hidden Way.” Turn the cards in those positions face-up.
Using Deck #2, deal two more cards into the “Open Way” series, and then two more into the “Hidden Way” sequence. These represent the seeker’s path in each scenario. Read them as showing near-term developments in the enterprise.
Here is an example reading for your consideration. For the sake of demonstration, let’s assume that I’m avidly seeking “true love” and have someone in mind (for the record, I’m not; I’ve been happily and comfortably married for 45 years). I chose the Queen of Cups as the “Will” card to symbolize a desired liaison with a sympathetic emotional partner; my personal Significator has long been the Thoth Knight of Cups, so here I’m pursuing a “kindred spirit” (I refuse to say “twin flame,” and certainly won’t in the context of Water).
I rolled a Six on the die, taking me to the sixth card in the rotation. This turned out to be (surprise!) the Knight of Cups. ) Rana George would call this a “validation” of the reading.) It looks like I will be making myself available.
I then dealt two more cards face-up as a path leading from the Knight of Cups, which gave me the 8 of Disks (Prudence) reversed and the Prince of Wands reversed. The impression I get is that the occasion is not yet “ripe for the picking” and the impulse may in fact “wither on the vine.” The reversed Prince of Wands implies rash action that will not please the gracious, sensitive Queen of Cups. I may get myself burned if I mistake caution for tacit acceptance and just charge ahead.
The number opposite the Six on the die is One, and I got the Devil in the initial position of that run. I pulled two more cards, the 3 of Disks (Work) and Death. If I try to clandestinely manipulate the situation to make it “work” on a purely physical level, I will most likely end any chance to realize my current goal of forging a romantic connection with the individual and will have to find a different “field to plow.”
In either case there is little encouragement to be found in these cards, although being completely open about my intentions promises a slightly more optimistic outcome as long as I can hold myself back and let the 8 of Disks slowly mature. First contact is encouraging but advancement can’t be forced and must be given time to grow at its own pace. The Elemental Dignities in the Open Way are hostile Water and Fire, suggesting that this could take some time, while those of the Hidden Way are amicable Earth and Water, making it a tempting opportunity that must be retrained unless it is encouraged by the other party.
Originally published at http://parsifalswheeldivination.wordpress.com on July 14, 2024.
