When I shared my post on how to do a reading for your New Year’s in two shots by asking just two questions, a whole army of Aradia Academy Alumni tried casting cards for them to great fun and success. It goes to show. You get far with keeping it simple.
Along the same line, here’s another thought:
When in doubt, go for pairs. What applies to how we communicate through binary, metaphorical constructions (man/woman, up/down, today/yesterday), applies to how we can read the cards.
You will get far with asking questions that rest on an oppositional pair, though keep in mind that any opposition is also its own enemy. Given the reductive character of placing just two things in relation to one another, a slew of nuances and other traits in between them worth considering get missed.
But here goes something:
Read a 3-card string for each concept in opposition, rather than focusing on individual cards that require support from a list of random meanings. What you want is to look at the function of each card, not symbol, and how that function supports or undermines the function of the card next to it. This is one of the basic principles of reading cards that I always stress.
If I pick up from the last post on reading in two shots, try now asking some questions that are not only about opposing concepts, but also stem from both implicit polarities and close affinities. They will make for equally insightful readings.
While it’s fun to ask questions that demand, or lead to a definition and clarification of scope (the ‘what’ type of questions are about that), it’s more fun to see how description applies to method (the ‘how’ type of questions are about that) and to reflection (the ‘why’ type of questions are about that.
So let’s group some questions under these headings:
WHAT
What rises? What falls?
What is my super power? What is my greatest weakness?
What must I put down? What must I hold on to?
What is urgent? What is significant? How do I know the difference?
HOW
How do I give? How do I receive?
How do I know what I know? Is the premise for my knowledge solid?
How do I focus on what I really want? How do I even know what I want?
WHY
Why can’t I make up my mind about choosing what I think I want? Why must I make a decision at all?
Why do I think that what is important to be me cannot be cut or let go of, if necessary?
AD INFINITUM
The list can continue, but you get the picture.
What do I embrace? What do I reject?
How do I believe in what I believe in? How do I reject set convictions?
Why do I believe in what I believe? If I insist in the ‘value’ of this belief, what grounds do I have for rejecting the idea of not believing anything at all?
What is my focus and what is its alternative? If the alternative runs counter to what I want, but proves to be better, how do I deal with it?
Example:
Pope + Devil = Empress + Moon
How do I read like the Devil, and why would I even want to?
You read like the Devil by teaching a Devilish doctrine, which is to sit in mystery, and on occasion, join dogs in howling at the Moon. You want to read like the Devil simply because it’s fascinating to feel attracted to darkness and at the same time be able to extract a whole range of rules and conventions out of it.
I hope your cards will give you a good reason to laugh wholeheartedly. Make that belly of yours happy. I also hope your cards will be filled with a whole lot of ‘nothing,’ as you realize that instead of clinging to a whole lot of ‘meaning,’ you can also cling to nothing instead, given the fictional character of everything. Without a belief in your head, you can now experience a whole lot of spaciousness that can room the world in all its manifestations without judgment.
Happy New Year, and don’t forget to sharpen your knifes. Keep that practice steady, as it will lend robustness to your clarity and peace of mind.
For a sustained practice with the cards:
Join the Read like the Devil Club.
Visit Aradia Academy and sign up for the newsletter that will keep you informed on upcoming courses and cartomantic activities. Note the Off the Shelf offering that also includes free resources.
Check out my books on the philosophy and practice of divination at EyeCorner Press.
Get a reading. When I perform a reading, I also teach, simply because I can’t help myself, so you will be twice served.
I always imagined Morihei Ueshiba Sensei up in the sky laughing watching all his students struggle with figuring out the mystery. I think O Sensei knows there is no answer.
Second time reading this and it makes even more sense now.