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Tarot de Marseille

Refreshing the French Cross Spread

I've now been working with the tirage en croix (French Cross) spread for some time and have given it a functional "face-lift" that still avoids succumbing to the siren-call of psychological and esoteric interpretation. (I'm also a Lenormand reader and have gained considerable inspiration from its pragmatic focus.) This is my second effort to slightly repurpose this spread. AUTHOR'S NOTE: The five-card French Cross spread (traditionally known as the tirage en croix) is one of my favorite sma
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Star of the Week

Tarot Netivot Star of the Week Reading Sunday October 5 - Shabbat October 11, 2025

Feedback -- Questions and comments are welcome.   This reading gives us insight into energies that we can focus on during specific days of the upcoming week as well as throughout the entire week as a whole   Today's reading will use the Connolly Tarot by Peter Paul Connolly and Eileen Connolly..   Here are focal points for our meditation:   Sunday:                How Can I Express Generosity?                                        Five of Pentacles       
Natural Mystic Guide
Divinatory Methods

Functional Spread Design

AUTHOR'S NOTE: In a previous essay I described topical readings aimed at exploring "department-of-life" conditions (romance, career, finances, health, education, etc.) as often involving a "functional" dimension that presents the seeker an opportunity to pursue; a situation to understand; an agenda to advance; a decision to make; a problem to solve; a crisis or conflict to manage; etc. I've been thinking about how spread design can best accommodate these factors.   I believe the
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Tarot

Gold Foil Tarot

I got this deck just out of curiosity more than anything a couple years ago.  I didn't expect to like it or use it.  I've never liked the RWS even though I did finally use it when I was learning.  And plastic?  OMG no!   But once I got it, I had an awakening.  Yes, plastic! Yes, gold foil!  I really like this deck!  It comes in a very sturdy little box that has a magnetic closure and will fit in pocket, purse or backpack.  It's heavenly to shuffle once you get used to it.  It's beautif
Grizabella
  • Grizabella in Tarot
Divinatory Methods

"Was It the Right Question?" - Incompatible Cards in a Reading

Here is a companion piece to my previous essay. AUTHOR’S NOTE: I’m indebted once again to Paul Fenton-Smith for bringing another intriguing topic to my attention in his comprehensive book, Tarot Master-Class.   It happens more often than seems reasonable, especially if we assume that our attempts at divination are guided toward the truth: the cards in a spread will fail to come together in any kind of coherent narrative and instead present what a boss of mine once called a "mish-m
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Holistic Tarot by Benebell Wen

Info in, Info out---Presto Change-o

This book is so interesting and full of information. I don't agree with everything but there's a lot of new (to me, anyway) stuff that I didn't know that will add to my store of knowledge that will eventually be there when I have occasion to need it.  Those are the kind of things that will just appear when into a reading.  The things you don't actually remember but that will float up from down deep when you're reading.   For anyone who doesn't know what I mean, I'll try to explain it. 
Grizabella
Divinatory Methods

Shifting Gears: The Multi-Phase Reading

I'm always interested in hearing how others read in a face-to-face setting (remote reading is another matter about which I have a few curmudgeonly opinions). The following is an explanation of the in-person methods I've developed over five decades of practice.   AUTHOR'S NOTE: From the day I first encountered it in 1972, I've followed Eden Gray's suggestion that we can disregard asking sitters (those who "sit" for a tarot reading) to tell us their specific question or concern prior to
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Divinatory Methods

Cresting the Wave: A Case for Odd-Numbered Lines

Here is another, much simpler, spread for your consideration and use.   AUTHOR’S NOTE: When it comes to designing line spreads for tarot reading, I typically employ an even number of cards only in situations that require a choice between two options, or when invoking the four classical elements represented by the suits. One thing I learned from Lenormand reading is that an odd-numbered line will always have a “hinge card” or turning-point in the middle that serves as a catalyst pointing t
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Divinatory Methods

"Attitudes and Behaviors:" A Themed Tarot Profile in Four Arcs

I do very little psychological profiling with the tarot (that's what natal astrology is for) and no mind-reading if I know that's what the querent is after, but here is a new spread that shows promise in that regard.   AUTHOR'S NOTE: This spread adopts my current view that the Major Arcana in a reading seldom show significant events in their own right, but rather overarching themes and environmental backdrops for the mundane conditions reflected in the court and pip cards. (During more th
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Divinatory Methods

Chains of Conjecture: A Multi-Path Decision-Making Spread

Back to business. Here is another new spread, this time for "multiple-choice" decision-making scenarios. AUTHOR'S NOTE: A single run of cards can be silent, inconclusive or even contradictory in its testimony when the querent is facing a "multiple-choice" dilemma within a decision-making scenario. This is where having two or more chains of cards to analyze as a group comes into its own. Each option offers a separate narrative regarding the likelihood of success, effectively creating a
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Tarot

Huh??? vs Well....Duh!

The added "clarifier" cards on top of a "piddled puddle" from a deck that's only been riffled a few times causes "gobbledygook".  Plunk that mess down in front of a reader who hasn't ever really learned card meanings and combinations  who wings it intuitively and you've got a "Huh????" reading.  But leave off the "clarifiers", make the spread from a truly randomized deck, go intuitive only after thoroughly knowing basic card and card combination meanings and you'll have a "Well--duh!" reading th
Grizabella
  • Grizabella in Tarot
Divinatory Methods

Confessions of a Spread-Fiend: An Unfashionable Opinion

On to a related subject: positional tarot spreads. I suspect many will part ways with me here. AUTHOR'S NOTE: There, I've said it again: I'm hooked on creating and using positional tarot spreads. Of course, those who believe tarot reading should be entirely open-ended and unstructured will never agree with me. Intuitive interpretation won't tolerate many strictures, but in my opinion it also doesn't inspire a lot of confidence in the dependability of its vision. It's entirely too subj
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Star of the Week

Tarot Netivot Star of the Week Reading Sunday September 28 - Shabbat October 4, 2025

Feedback -- Questions and comments are welcome.   This reading gives us insight into energies that we can focus on during specific days of the upcoming week as well as throughout the entire week as a whole   Today's reading will use the Tarot of the Four Elements by Isha Lerner and Amy Erickson.   Here are focal points for our meditation:   Sunday:                How Can I Express Generosity?                                        Mother of Wands         
Natural Mystic Guide
Divinatory Methods

"He's Gone to Plaid!" - The Danger of Over-analyzing

“They’ve gone to plaid!” — Barf (John Candy) to Lone Star (Bill Pullman) as Spaceballs One overshoots their interstellar Winnebago in Mel Brook’s Star Wars parody, Spaceballs.   AUTHOR’S NOTE: An author I’m presently re-reading holds the opinion that sticking with one or two definitions for a tarot card is “lazy” when a wide range of meanings is possible in any situation, and it can result in what he describes as “under-interpretation” that can fail to identify important issues. Having
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Tarot Syncretism

Syncretic Card Selection: An Alternative to the "Straight Deal"

AUTHOR'S NOTE: In The Book of Thoth, Aleister Crowley discussed metaphysical syncretism as it applied to spiritual beliefs and practices across a wide range of ancient cultures, drawing parallels between them when it struck him as significant. At a more humble level, I employ syncretism ("the merging or assimilation of several originally discrete traditions") in the development of tarot spreads that use more than one divinatory method to arrive at an answer: cards and dice; cards and dominoes; c
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Tarot Humor

A Tarot Conversation with Myself

AUTHOR’S NOTE: This one is just for fun! (Well, maybe there’s an uncomfortable truth or two and a little sarcasm mixed in with the merriment . . . ) Me the Inquisitor: “Why do you read the tarot cards?” Me the Mad Scientist: “I want to get under the skin of objective reality and see what makes the Universe tick.” Me the Hedge-Mystic: “Because they’re there?”   Me the Inquisitor: “How does tarot work?” Me the Mad Scientist: “It’s a function of the subconscious mind that taps
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Tarot de Marseille

"Grounding the Archetypes" - A Three-Card Daily Draw Spread

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I just encountered the idea that whenever we receive a Major Arcana (aka "trump") card in a reading, we should immediately pull another card to describe its practical (as opposed to its universal or spiritual) significance for the querent's future. I'm no fan of using clarifying cards in my work, but I can see how this premise might be adapted for a "daily-draw" inquiry (or other simple, short-range prediction) that uses the full deck.   My current approach to the trump
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Tarot

Why Couldn't I Find the Right Spread?

When I was new to Tarot and for years beyond, I couldn't find  "just the right" spread so I'd just look up a Celtic Cross or use three cards or seven cards or others I'd find here and there.  I couldn't seem to find just the right one that would cover all the questions I had about whatever it was that I wanted to consult the cards for.  Then, FINALLY it dawned on me that I could make my own spreads. I know...I know....I can hear you all now.  "DUH!" Well I've always been oblivious to the obvious
Grizabella
  • Grizabella in Tarot
Reversed Cards

Reading Reversals: "Double Your Pleasure, Double Your Fun"

On a par with my dim view of the social-media take-over of tarot reading, reversal has been one of my favorite topics over my last eight years of blogging. Here it is again, and I know many here have opinions on the subject. AUTHOR'S NOTE: "You're missing half the fun" is one of my favorite rebuttals for those who avoid reading reversals because they find the practice unnecessary, inconvenient or confusing. (My title alludes to the old Doublemint gum commercial.) But, unless we delibe
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New Moon Rosh Chodesh Spread

Rosh Chodesh Reading Tishrei 5786

Feedback, Comments and Questions are welcome.   The Past Month, card No. 1 provides an opportunity to look back over the entire previous month with an eye to what theme(s) played out and what lessons were learned.  Cards 2 through 5 look at the energy for each of the four upcoming lunar weeks.  It's snapshot look at what to expect and what to look out for.  Developing an awareness of the phases of the moon is a great spiritual practice.  This is the Tarot of the Divine by Yoshi Yo****a
Natural Mystic Guide
Star of the Week

Tarot Netivot Star of the Week Reading Sunday September 20 - Shabbat September 26, 2025

Feedback -- questions and comments are welcome.   This reading gives us insight into specific energies that we can focus on during specific days of the upcoming week as well as throughout the entire week as a whole.   Today’s reading will use The Whispers of Tao De Jing:  A Tarot Deck by Ric Neo.   Here are focal points for our meditation:   Sunday:             How Can I Express Generosity?                                            Seven of Cups         
Natural Mystic Guide
Health-Related Spreads

Zones of Vulnerability: A General Well-Being Spread

Here is one that has received a lot of favorable "buzz" in the other places I've posted it. AUTHOR'S NOTE: It is common wisdom that tarot readers should stay well away from anything related to medical diagnostics and prescriptive health recommendations. But that doesn't mean the subject can't be broached in terms of general well-being, as in "What does my overall health forecast look like?" The following is entirely experimental and should be viewed accordingly.   Here is a spread
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Deck Reviews

The Mystic Palette by Ciro Marchetti

Of all Ciro's decks, this one is my absolute favorite.  Normally I don't care for oversized decks that my smaller arthritic hands can't comfortably riffle but this one, althoughst  oversized, isn't impossible to riffle so I'm telling myself that, with a lot of use, it will be just fine. If I never succeed in comfortably riffle-ing it, I'll just do something else, but this is MY deck, I love everything about it.     The art work is just exquisite on every card as well as in the book.  T
Grizabella

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