Up-slopes, Down-slopes and Flat-lines: A Three-Tier Tarot Spread
AUTHOR’S NOTE: Here I’m posing the question “Which of three typical ‘motifs’ will form the core of a tarot reading and have the most to say about the situation?”
In this experiment I’m attempting to craft an approach that separates the cards pulled for a reading into three situational scenarios indicating the path the narrative will most likely travel: the “high road” of big-picture developments; the “middle way” of personal accountability in both social and psychological matters; and the “low road” of daily affairs that demand little attention to the details of positioning and maneuvering. My first thought is that four or five out of seven possible “hits” is the sweet spot for spread scope that will offer a sturdy conceptual foundation while also providing for a little dimensional depth. While this is effectively a seven-card reading, the intent is for a smaller subset to serve as its narrative “backbone.”
In a number of posts over the years I’ve informally classified the structure of the tarot into three main divisions for the purpose of spread interpretation: overarching themes and environmental backdrops (Major Arcana); social encounters and psychological characteristics (court cards); and routine events and circumstances that play out in entirely mundane ways (Minor Arcana). These general impressions insert themselves without much fanfare into almost every reading of sufficient size and we usually take them into account automatically and unthinkingly. I’m going to shape that into a more well-defined evolution.
The “method to my madness” is to make sure that there are enough cards in the draw so each of the three categories has an equal chance of receiving a large enough population to “zero-in” on the goal: a convincing projection of the querent’s future circumstances over the time-frame envisioned by the reading. I’m thinking that three rows of seven positions will be both manageable and consistent with historical precedent. Only seven cards will be dealt, but they will be placed in their respective “bins” as the pull progresses. Depending on how the pattern develops, the spread can wind up with anywhere from zero cards in any one category to a maximum of seven, with four or five being the ideal number to represent the dominant motif. In the worst case the diviner will have seven cards to read in a single run with none in either of the other two series. In actual practice, though, I imagine that there will be a less lopsided distribution such that the proposed course of events can exhibit more than one trajectory.
The objective is to determine from the lay of the cards whether one of the main focus areas stands out from the others as offering the most significant avenue for progress in the matter, with the rest of the cards as contributing factors. If I were to choose a prototypical plot-line, the perfect storytelling situation would be for routine affairs to dominate the landscape, with intermittent intrusions from more demanding considerations. I would not want to have to explain to my clients that seven big-shouldered trump cards must be squeezed into their narrow frame of reference, or why seven court cards showing up implies that they will get no peace from other people or their own mental turmoil. I can handle a “peaks-and-valleys” developmental arc that emulates the old definition of military combat: “long periods of boredom punctuated by moments of sheer terror.” This suggests a discursive track that will display both tranquil interludes of low activity and occasional bursts of energetic effort; in other words, a slice of “real life.”
Here is an example reading to demonstrate my premise:
The Context: This is a “real-life” scenario for an individual who feels a strong emotional urge to take action and wants to know whether (and if so, in what way) it might be achievable. The random pull gave us a fine example of what I consider to be the perfect presentation for answering an action-and-event-oriented, mundane question: five Minor Arcana, one court card and one Major Arcanum, providing a comprehensive look at pragmatic potential with broader overtones.
The Reading:
The 2 of Swords (and particularly the Waite-Smith version) I consider the “Just say no!” card, and here in the “Intention” position it is reversed, implying that the querent must decline any and all opportunities for the time being, although there is no real desire to do so. The crossed swords suggest the European road sign that warns “No stopping here.”
The Princess of Cups reversed in the “Initiation” position suggests hesitation due to feeling emotionally unprepared to commit to the effort. The time is not yet ripe.
The Ace of Wands reversed in the “Next Step” position reflects reluctance to push the issue even though there is abundant pent-up passion to keep going.
The 9 of Swords I think of as the “Feeling the pinch” card, and in the “Turning Point” position it presents a strong incentive to back away from the discomfort of unfulfilled ambitions.
The Moon in the “Climax” position can only mean that there is no clear success path in sight, culminating in stalled momentum after an unpleasant epiphany. The querent will either run out of enthusiasm or lose the way.
The 7 of Wands in the “Compromise” position conveys the idea of having to “buck up” in the face of discouragement and decide whether to refrain from “fighting a losing battle.”
The 10 of Disks reversed in the “Reality” position shows that results will be less gratifying than had been hoped at the outset, although there was never much optimism from the very beginning.
The Conclusion: This reading offers no firm promise of success in the intended initiative. The implication — with four reversals and the 9 of Swords — is that the individual is not yet ready to “go all out” to make it happen, although there is still a powerful compulsion to do something, if only to make a token gesture.
Originally published at http://parsifalswheeldivination.wordpress.com on May 11, 2024.
