“Who Shall I Be Today?” — A Tweaked Daily-Draw Spread
AUTHOR’S NOTE: During my ongoing study of the Taoist Bagua I encountered the idea that, in the three lines of a trigram, the top line represents Heaven, the bottom line signifies Earth and the middle line shows the individual poised between the two. I’ve been thinking about ways to relate this model to the three-card tarot spread, and decided to do it by using the court cards to stand for the individual in a daily draw.
Some time ago I changed my practice for daily readings by shunning the one-card pull as being too static to convey any kind of development in one’s circumstances over the 24-hour period, instead opting for a three-card series. I left this layout unconditional at the time, but now I want to give it more structure by using a “prepared deck” with the Major Arcana reflecting the overarching theme, atmosphere or environmental backdrop for the day (“Heaven”), the Minor Arcana revealing the routine situational thrust and quotidian complexion (“Earth”), and the court cards describing the posture the querent should assume in navigating between them.
One of the standard approaches to interpreting the court cards is to examine their psychological significance for the querent, typically the attitudes or behaviors the individual should either adopt or avoid in confronting the matter at hand. Here I’m suggesting that the general nature of the courts can be applied as a more pragmatic, “boots-on-the-ground” response to the situation. With the Pages, we might ask ourselves “Should I be flexible, nimble and lively l today?” The Knights suggest “Should I be tenacious and focused on results?” The Queens imply “Should I be patient and composed in my outlook?” The Kings propose “Should I go ‘all-in’ on the broader theme of the day’s affairs and let the details go?”
I would argue that, because one is standing and the other mounted, the adaptable Pages and mobile Knights can successfully “change gears” between the ordinary and the exceptional if necessary, but they are best engaged in the mundane nuts-and-bolts of the day’s activities (possibly to an uncomfortable level if they’re reversed and have their noses rubbed in the minutiae), while the lofty Queens and Kings don’t want to get their hands dirty and are more attuned to the big picture, perhaps to the point of having their “head in the clouds” to an inordinate degree. (Although reversal would reduce that risk, it poses questions of skewed perspective and inappropriate use of resources.) Whether or not any of these postures will be effective (or even remotely achievable) depends on the nature of the adjacent cards, but they can be taken “under advisement” as possible inclinations or intentions that could make getting through the day more productive or at least easier.
My thinking is based loosely on the Golden Dawn’s four “powers” exhibited by the court cards, although I’m not applying the terminology directly. The Kings are judicious and unhurried; the Queens are contemplative and purposeful; the Knights are energetic and passionate; the Pages are adroit and a bit hasty. These are qualities the querent should entertain in responding to the contingencies of the upcoming day. Also, I’ve stayed with the RWS titles in the text but I’m using Thoth cards for the images, with their alternate naming of Knight (King); Prince (Knight) and Princess (Page), while Queen remains the same. (I’ve addressed the conundrum of who is mounted and who isn’t in an earlier essay and won’t go into it here.)
Begin by separating the deck into trump, court and pip card sub-packs, then concentrate on the question as you shuffle each one individually. (Reversals may be used to suggest oblique influences.) Next, deal the top card from each set in a vertical pattern, with the trump card at the head of the column, the court card in the middle and the pip card at the foot, and read them with the randomly-drawn court card as the “Significator” showing the recommended stance and the other two as the variables that it has to work with. (While it is possible to purposely select and place the court card to represent the querent as is commonly done, where’s the fun in that? I think allowing for randomness can yield surprising and revealing results.) Below is an example reading to illustrate this concept:
The Magus reversed as the daily theme implies being overrun by details beyond the point of being able to juggle them with ease. The logistics don’t compute and suggest trying to cram “ten pounds of ‘stuff’ into a five-pound bag.”
The 8 of Disks (Prudence) is the card I recently characterized as the epitome of “patience,” so in the final analysis I should be able to take the situation in stride if I don’t overreact as the fretful Magus. (Both the number 8 and the Magus relate qabalistically to Mercury, so I need to capitalize on mental presence-of-mind.)
In a recent Facebook discussion I observed: “The Prince of Swords seems to be driving his little doppelgangers without mercy while they squirm in agony. For me this exemplifies the character of this rather remorseless Prince.” As far as representing my recommended posture for today, we have our young grandchildren here, the youngest all day, his brother in the late afternoon and their sister in the evening with their parents. (It’s a complicated situation involving daycare and schools.) I’m not proposing that I should “drive them like slaves,” but I will need to stay on top of their behavior (just like every Thursday.) By the end of the day, all will be well.
Originally published at http://parsifalswheeldivination.wordpress.com on November 14, 2024.
