“This Is The Way:” A “Middle-Ground” Approach to Life-Reading
AUTHOR’S NOTE: I’m always looking for new ways to bring elemental attributes into tarot spread creation. This experimental layout uses both elemental attunement and midpoint numerology to arrive at an adjusted conclusion that does not end with a lopsided “best case” or “worst case” outlook but rather a compromise position that should ideally be more rational and achievable under the circumstances.
The goal of this spread is to provide a balanced prediction (see the caveat below) that is neither too optimistic nor too pessimistic but instead portrays a realistic “middle-ground” scenario within each elemental envelope. The assumption here is that Fire cards relate to aspirations and ambitions; Water cards to emotions; Air cards to intellectual implications; and Earth cards to practical considerations. This spread will yield a one-to-four-card reading depending on whether you choose to examine a single aspect of life, the full range of four modes or something in-between.
Only the “Middle Way” cards are read as advice for the querent since the other two can show exaggerated conditions that may be difficult to reconcile with the facts of the matter. Note that when a Major Arcanum and Minor Arcanum are drawn, the midpoint card will not necessarily be of the same element, which will add complexity to the interpretation. While this model creates a somewhat limited palette of interpretive options, in the majority of cases it stays on the “same page” elementally, reinforcing the central theme of each “Focus” area while exploring how two energies that are similar in quality but different in degree might be expressed in a single blended factor.
Since this approach begins with an entirely random selection process, it’s always possible that the derived “median” card in any elemental focus area will be more disappointing than either of the bounding cards. This is similar to the “bad card in a good position” dilemma that is so familiar to experienced diviners; these instances will test the reader’s resourcefulness and narrative ingenuity. (In this regard, it may be best to steer clear of trying to apply the “canned narrative vignettes” of decks like the Waite-Smith and just assess the elemental and numerical energies at work in the situation, as shown in the example reading below.) I’ve been watching Disney’s “Mandalorian” series (pretty much “cowboys in space” but fun for an old science-fiction fan), in which the “warrior’s creed” is often summarized in the mantra “This is the way.” For the hardened tarot practitioner who is used to such anomalies, it is indeed!
By way of example, suppose that in the “Fire” focus area we draw two expressions of inertia: the incipient potential of the Ace of Wands (23) as the “best case” and the detached restraint of the King of Wands (36) as the “worst case,” neither of which is going to “light the world on fire.” To make the most of the elemental emphasis, we must bring these numerical opposites together in a common bond that will produce an energetic burst of enterprise, shown here by the two cards that sit at the midpoint between them: the 7 and 8 of Wands. The first of these represents “action in the world” (Alejandro Jodorowsky’s description for all of the Sevens), while the 8 of Wands depicts rapid deployment in pursuit of that objective. The advice for the querent would be to cultivate a “can-do” attitude in matters of self-promotion (7 of Wands) and vigorously implement that vision through swift and decisive action (8 of Wands). Interpretation of the midpoint cards invokes their elemental signature, their numerical characteristics and their inherent nature; in this example, the Seven and Eight are restless cards that between them engender the sought-after release of energy.
Here is the “Middle Way of Fire” in visual terms. If I were to be snarky about the original pull, I might say that the “best case” scenario (Ace of Wands) would be to venture as little as possible while making it known that more could be done if it were opportune, while the “worst case” attitude (King of Wands) would be to do the same but in a big way (the “more of less” aphorism that suggests grand but empty gestures). The other two cards ignore posturing and just get down to business,
Originally published at http://parsifalswheeldivination.wordpress.com on March 26, 2023.
