Opening of the Key Spread

scheherazade

I visited a site that featured this interesting spread, but it was badly explained and I didn't understand how to do the spread at all. Can anyone help me?
 

wavebreaker

Can you give us the link to the site and the spread?
 

Macavity

Perhaps this will Help?

http://www.supertarot.co.uk/ootk/ootk.htm

It's certainly rather difficult to piece togeather from Crowley's original description in Book of Thoth. ;)

But Paul's site does bring most of this togeather and fills in some notable(!) omissions in the original. I guess the main thing is to realise it's just several ways of doing much the same thing? Perhaps it's best to split these up: Firstly, there are the various spread geometries involved and Secondly two notable techniques of card "counting" and card pairing. Thirdly there's the weighting procedures due to the card elements. (These are also descibed in other sections in the site?) Oh yeah, lest I forget, the card interpretation too! From a technique point of view you can e.g. just practice most of these with ANY line of (a sufficient number of) cards. From my own perspective, perhaps the "counting" was hardest (Cryptic Crowley again?) But, it's all fairly flexible - And it's also possible (encouraged) to mix and match the steps? In my own (limited) experience, most of these things DO require a fair bit of reading... and sometimes repeated(!) reading, then practice... until the canonical light-bulb turns on? :)

Pual sometimes reads this forum. Perhaps you have a specific question? If pressed, I guess I could tell you what *I* think it all means, but of course that's adding my interpretation of an already sequence of interpretions? :D

Macavity
 

scheherazade

Oh... :) Thanks, but that site that you posted WAS the site that I initially went to. Maybe it's just me...

I could not figure out how to go from one operation to the next. So after you finish the Four Aces operation, do you just put the deck back together to begin the Twelve Houses operation?

Will someone please make me feel better and assure me that this spread IS more complicated than most others? ;) I'm not just being a bit of a dunce?
 

Macavity

These techniques are indeed complex and more extended than simply reading cards in spread postions. But many of the original folk behind the scenes were of rather high intelligence but moreover had LOTS of time on their hands to devise cryptic ideas? }) Not easy perhaps, but hopefully not impossible?

To address your question, Crowley, in the book of Thoth, says (BETWEEN each step) "Shuffle, invoke suitably, and let Querent cut as before". Hmmm, I think you can skip the "invoke suitably" (unless particularly so inclined!) So Yeah, just shuffle 'em! :D

There are instances where you need to carefully retain the ordering of the cards, but within an individual step. It is perhaps more important then to devise a constant way YOU turn over inverted card stacks etc. Such as "opening a book"...

Macavity
 

MikeTheAltarboy

I've been reading up on the opening of the key in a few sources, and I still have a few questions if anyone here knows more.

1) The Golden Dawn (via Regardie and Cicero) say to choose a significator based on appearence, whereas Crowley says to based on character.

2) during the first operation, the GD says to cut to the right, whereas Crowley (and supertarot.co.uk) say to cut to the left. While the piles still represet HVHY left to right, this makes each pile come from the opposite part of the deck.

3) GD says that Y relates to energy and strife, Crowley to work and business.

4) Everyone says to fan the cards out into a horseshoe, but no one says which direction (which affects what cards the significator is facing.) However, Regardie's illustration shows them fanned from right to left, supertarot shows them fanned from left to right, and the Ciceros show them, amazingly, fanned out from the center, which wouldn't be possible to do in real life.

5) GD says that you count 5 from aces (for the 4 elements + spirit); Crowley says to count 11 but gives no reason.

6) Supertarot says that when counting, you change directions when you hit a court card; the others seem to imply that you go only the one direction.

7) Crowley says to cut for the 2-5th operations, the other sources say not to.

With usual *spread* type readings, I'd be content to just say "oh, this or that meaning for this or that position works for me." However, the point of the Opening of the Key is that "The more rigidly correct and in harmony with the scheme of the Universe is any form of Divination, so much the more is it likely to yield a correct and reliable answer to the enquirer." (Regardie) As for *the* Universe, I'm unable to comment of the "correct scheme"; however, if I knew why these particular variations were used, I could better judge which are in harmony with *my* universe. :)
 

nodntap

Ootk

MikeTheAltarboy said:
I've been reading up on the opening of the key in a few sources, and I still have a few questions if anyone here knows more.

1) The Golden Dawn (via Regardie and Cicero) say to choose a significator based on appearence, whereas Crowley says to based on character.

Funny you should mention the OOTK oddities because I just started to write some goodies about it.

Lets take a look at this puppy. Here is where we start. Does anyone but me see a problem with some of this stuff? This comes from the Book of Thoth by Aleister Crowley as well as the online version's of Book T by S.L. MacGregor Mathers. I believe it first appeared in something called the Equinox Vol 1 No 8. [But I could be wrong.]

http://www.the-equinox.org/vol1/no8/eqi08016.html
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Opening of the Key Spread [OOTK]

A Method of Divination by the Tarot

1. THE Significator.
Choose a card to represent the Querent, using your knowledge or judgment of his character rather than dwelling on his physical characteristics.

2. Take the cards in your left hand. In the right hand hold the wand over them, and say: I invoke thee, I A O, that thou wilt send H R U, the great Angel that is set over the operations of this Secret Wisdom, to lay his hand invisibly upon these consecrated cards of art, that thereby we may obtain true knowledge of hidden things, to the glory of thine ineffable Name. Amen.

3. Hand the cards to Querent, and bid him think of the question attentively, and cut.

4. Take the cards as cut, and hold as for dealing.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lets look at line #1 to start with.

1. THE Significator.
Choose a card to represent the Querent, using your knowledge or judgment of his character rather than dwelling on his physical characteristics.

The Golden Dawn figured the seeker/querent's significator based on physical characteristics - Mainly hair color and complexion. This is very funky in my opinion but if it works for you great.

On the other hand, "using your knowledge or judgment of his character" - while better is still a bit funky if you don't know the person and are relying strictly on your intuitive nature. Plus when this stuff was written there was no internet and thus no email and more than likely few if any folks did phone readings [first published in 1912 as far as I can find out so they weren't doing many phone readings back then to my way of thinking.]. It's tough to know someone's character if you don't know them - much less if you are just talking to them over the phone - and worse yet knowing them via email. In other words it's hard to know what type of person you are dealing with if they are a stranger - especially if you can't see them, or can only hear their voice.

** Far better just to ask for their date of birth - select the court card that you associate with their sun sign and use that court card.

Note also that the line says nothing about making the significator a court card. In Israel Regardie's book the Golden Dawn [hereafter known as R-GD it states that a court card should be used [pg 567] based on hair color and complexion. I agree with using a court card but not by using hair color and complexion to figure it out.

But it's up to you to figure out/find what court card bests fits the seeker/client/querent - using whatever method works for you.

I'll skip saying anything about the next line. If you want to use a prayer or affirmation that's great. Do whatever blows up your tutu.

2. Take the cards in your left hand. In the right hand hold the wand over them, and say: I invoke thee, I A O, that thou wilt send H R U, the great Angel that is set over the operations of this Secret Wisdom, to lay his hand invisibly upon these consecrated cards of art, that thereby we may obtain true knowledge of hidden things, to the glory of thine ineffable Name. Amen.

Lets look at the 3rd and 4th lines.

3. Hand the cards to Querent, and bid him think of the question attentively, and cut.

4. Take the cards as cut, and hold as for dealing.

Hummm, something be wrong here children. It says nothing about 'SHUFFLING' the cards??? I honestly think the word CUT should be shuffling and not CUT. In fact, the R-GD says [pg 569];

"The significator is choosen, the enquirer shuffles the cards, thinking earnestly of the matter under consideration. He then places the cards in a single packet on the table before him, face downwards."

You see, the first thing you are going to do in the First Operation of the OOTK is to cut the cards into four stacks so why cut the deck now. Unless of course you just want to - shuffle and cut as normal, reassemble the deck - and start the OOTK from this point.

But look what 3 and 4 say again.

3. Hand the cards to Querent, and bid him think of the question attentively, and cut.

4. Take the cards as cut, and hold as for dealing.

It says nothing about reassembling the deck after cutting and to take the cards as cut??? How do I take the cards if they are cut into 3 stacks - without reassembling the stacks? This is badly written kids. This would be far better written thusly;

3. Hand the cards to Querent, and bid him think of the question attentively, and shuffle the cards.

4. Take the cards as shuffled, and place them facedown before you on the table.

Now, another biggy - at least for me. I'm NOT going to hand the cards to the querent/client/seeker to do anything with. I do all this myself. But this is up to you. If you want them to shuffle fine. I have just never found the need for other folks to handle my tarot cards. I'm the one reading them - so I should be the one handling them.

Using my way of doing things there is a bit of a problem. It comes with, "bid him think of the question attentively".

Thus; "The reader is not suppose to know the question." You'll see why in the First Operation of the OOTK according to Crowley and others.

So I simply tell the seeker/client to concentrate on their question while I shuffle the cards - but not to tell me their question or concerns.

So my revised [personal] rules to start the OOTK would be;

1. THE Significator.
Select the court card according to the persons date of birth and use this card as their significator. If you can, ask the seeker if they have a court card they associate with more than the others [assuming they know anything about tarot] - and use this card as their significator. If not use the DOB court card.

2. Bid the seeker to think of their question while you - the reader - shuffle the cards.

3. After shuffling place the the deck facedown before you on the table.

Note that I leave out the prayer/affirmation/evocation stuff. It's just not my cup of tea but do whatever works for you.

Here are the court cards I use for the different sun signs. I'm using the Rider-Waite court names/ranking.

Cardinal Signs
Aries - Queen of Wands
Cancer - Queen of Cups
Libra - Queen of Swords
Capricorn - Queen of Pentacles

Fixed Signs
Leo - King of Wands
Scorpio - King of Cups
Aquarius - King of Swords
Taurus - King of Pentacles

Mutable Signs
Sagittarius - Knight of Wands
Pisces - Knight of Cups
Gemini - Knight of Swords
Virgo - Knight of Pentacles

Some folks switch the Kings and Knights - some even switch the queens. Use whatever pumps you up.

Note: The Pages/Princesses don't actually have a sun sign they are related to but if you are doing a reading for a younger person then use the Page of Wands for a young Fire sign person born in Aries, Leo, Sagittarius, the Page of Cups for a young Water sign person born in Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces, the Page of Swords for a younger Air sign person born in Gemini, Libra, Aquarius, and the Page of Pentacles for a younger Earth sign person born in Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn. Or use whatever method works best for you to represent a Page/Princess [younger person].

If the seeker [can] object to your choice of the card for their significator then simply use whatever one seems to you to fit the best. A female objecting to the King of Cups as a significator - then make her significator the Queen of Cups, or a man objecting to the Queen of Pentacles as their significator - then make him the King of Pentacles, and so on. To me this often tells me they aren't comfortable with their male or female sides and possibly their own sexuality. i.e. Very unsure of themselves - especially many men having a queen as their siggy. But lots of women are just as bad.

Don S.
 

MikeTheAltarboy

Well, I just read "An Introduction to The Golden Dawn Tarot" by Robert Wang, hoping it would add some clarity, but it basically just repeated the information and illustrations from Regardie's "The Golden Dawn.", so no new info there.

nodntap,
I'm tending to think Crowely was just being careless when he wrote that section, and no one proof read.

Also, the court cards (according the GD) *do* have dates associated - but not sun signs:
Queen of Wands: 20d Pisces - 20d Aries (Mar. 11 - April 11)
Seated-guy of Coins: 20d Aries - 20d Taurus. (April 11-May 11)
Guy-on-a-horse of Swords: 20d Taurus- 20d Gemini (May 11-June 11)
Queen of Cups: 20d Gemini to 20d Cancer (June 11-July 11)
Seated-guy of Wands: 20d Cancer - 20d Leo (July 11-August 11)
Guy-on-a-horse of Coins: 20d Leo - 20d Virgo (August 11 - Sep. 11)
Queen of Swords: 20d Virgo to 20 Libra (Sep. 11- Oct. 11)
Seated-guy of Cups: 20d of Libra to 20d Scorpio (Oct. 11 - Nov 11)
Guy-on-a-horse of Wands: 20d Scorpio - 20d Sagattarius (Nov 11- Dec 11)
Queen of Coins: 20d Sagittarius to 20d Capricorn (Dec 11 - Jan 11)
Seated-guy of Swords: 20d Capricorn - 20d Aquarius (Jan 11- Feb 11)
Guy-on-a-hourse of Cups: 20d Aquarius-20d Pisces (Feb 11 - March 11)
 

thinbuddha

scheherazade said:
Oh... :) Thanks, but that site that you posted WAS the site that I initially went to. Maybe it's just me...

I agree that the site is rather poorly explained. I strongly suggest you get the book (same author as the site). It is still A LOT of information, but it is managable. I have been using this spread (or a shortened version of it) exclusively for several months now. To me, it is far superior to any positional spread out there, and this is the only book I have seen that isn't burried in confusion.

$40 well spent (I happen to be re-reading it now, and I am catching a lot of really good info that I missed the first time through).

A note about the book- the last 3 chapters (of 11) are focused on ceremonial magic- not at all interesting to me, but the rest of the book is very worth the price of admission.

-tb
 

billv

I've now read this book and worked a little so far with the OOTK spread and elemental dignities and parings in general. My general feeling so far is that the extra info does very much enhance the traditional meanings of the cards. Is anyone else still working with this spread, or has incorporated the skills within?

It's been a while since anyone has commented on this spread, thus the curiousity...

Bill