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Posts tagged ‘tarot spreads’

Nov 21

Spread using Tarocchi Lando
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Spread and Reading with I Tarocchi Lando

I discovered this spread in a booklet by Giulia Orsini included in the Lando Tarocchi produced by Giordano Berti. It works best for providing an overview of a situation and for advice on how to get the outcome you want. I don’t often use spreads, but I was attracted to this one because it has features I like: The trumps are separated from the suit cards; only one suit is used – whichever fits the question best; and it resembles the Tirage à Croix (fancy name for the Cross Spread). Read more

Jul 24

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Three-Dimensional Tarot Spreads

A comment on facebook inspired me to search for “playing card holders for the disabled”. The results gave me numerous alternatives to laying a spread flat on the table.

In the top photo, the Ancient Italian spread on the left sits on a flat board set at an angle with four grooves to hold cards. The Pierre Madenié cross spread is set up using two card holders with three grooves each.

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Mar 10

Justice Card Dotti Tarot de Marseille
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Giving Up on Yes/No Spreads

A few months ago, I endured several weeks where my life was out of control and my daily schedule at the mercy of other people’s decisions (also known as Jury Duty).

This seemed like a perfect time to test out some Yes-No spreads.

At the beginning of each day, I’d ask the cards things like: will the judge let us go home early today; will the prosecution wrap up its presentation; will the defendant go for a plea bargain and put us all out of our misery? I used four different yes/no techniques for each question employing just the forty pip cards. I recorded the responses and tallied how often each technique predicted events correctly. Read more

Mar 18

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Spring Equinox and Tarot

It’s Spring Equinox this week when the Sun enters Aries! This cardinal fire sign shares the spontaneous, passionate and freedom-loving energy of the Knight and Ace of Rods. These two cards conjure up the image of a hero galloping over the horizon brandishing a blazing torch.

In the Tarot de Marseilles, the image is gentler than in Waite-Smith-style decks. The Knight of Rods has stopped his horse so he can offer a leafy branch or a bouquet to someone standing just beyond the card’s border. In some decks his expression seems a bit flirtatious.

This year, the Knight gets a booster rocket of energy a few days after the Equinox when the New Moon is conjunct Uranus and Mercury, all in the first four degrees of Aries. In Tarot terms this means a pile-up of the Moon, Sun, Magician and Tower cards, presided over by the Knight of Rods and fueled by the Ace. Read more

Nov 12

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The Quintessence Spread

Quintessence, the Quinta Essentia, the Fifth Element: to philosophers and alchemists it’s the spiritual dimension underlying the material world; the subtle fluid that binds all creation together; the spirit that shines from the heart; and the vital force that animates the four elements.

We can extract the quintessence of a situation with a spread found in nearly every European tarot book. Four cards are laid out to the left, right, top and bottom like the center of the Celtic Cross. A fifth card in the center distills the essence of the four cards. Read more