"An Alternative Method of Reading the Tarot Cards" from Waite's PKT

I'm sorry if there's already a thread about this, or if it's been covered anywhere in the forums- trust me, I've tried numerous, numerous different searches looking for this, without luck. If anyone can direct me to a prior discussion about this, please do so

I was looking for some advice on the "alternative method" spread from Arthur Waite's (Pictorial) Key to the Tarot. In the book(let), he provides us with two spreads: the famous Celtic Cross and the second one, from the chapter entitled "An Alternative Method of Reading the Tarot Cards". It actually consists of two elements, the first of which is the in the chapter I've already listed. The second part is covered in the chapter "The Method of Reading by Means of Thirty-Five Cards" and I've got that covered already. My question is about the first part...

...namely, after following the directions listed and ending up with the six lines of seven cards each, how does one interpret the spread? All Waite seems to instruct is to go through and quickly read each card one by one, starting from the top right all the day way down to the last card on the bottom left...and then do it all over again, but in more depth.

I'm confused, lol! It seems so direction-less and all-over-the-place, and I actually have a spread laid out in front of me, but cannot for the life of me work out a coherent reading from those directions. I've gone through & said my keywords for each card, then gone through & said deeper meanings for each...but it doesn't make sense to me in term of an actual reading.

Like, how would we apply this to a question? Or even a general reading? This is even more open-ended to me than the Opening of the Key Spread, because with that one, at least there are directions as to how to actually read the cards (i.e., elemental dignities, card counting and card pairing) that can be worked out into a "story", but Waite doesn't instruct us to do any of those!

I'd greatly appreciate any help on this, or any advice on how you've worked out a system to make sense of this first part of the "Alternative Method" of Waite's

Thank you so much in advance, fellow Tarot peeps!

I've never used this spread, partly because I tend to read on my bed so a big spread is difficult (especially with curious cats walking on the cards!) but also because it's so open-ended. But I just looked at the PKT again and I'm wondering if the instructions for Waite's 35-card spread could be applied to this one.

THE FIRST LINE stands for the house, the environment and so forth.

THE SECOND LINE stands for the person or subject of the divination.

THE THIRD LINE stands for what is passing outside, events, persons, etc.

THE FOURTH LINE stands for a surprise, the unexpected, etc.

THE FIFTH LINE stands for consolation, and may moderate all that is unfavourable in the preceding lines.

THE SIXTH LINE is that which must be consulted to elucidate the enigmatic oracles of the others; apart from them it has no importance.

Click to expand...

Don't ask me what that sixth line means But what do you think? Would that work for you?

THE SIXTH LINE is that which must be consulted (ASKED) to elucidate (CLARIFY) the enigmatic (MYSTERIOUS) oracles (DIVINERS) of the others (Other lines I'm assuming); apart from them it has no importance. (It's just clarifying things, other than that it's whatever)

Help?

LOL. I know what the words mean. But thanks for the Roget's impression!

LOL, it's all right - the 6th line's instructions baffle me as well, and I also know what the separate words mean haha

I'm going to try what you suggested (applying the 2nd part's instructions to the 1st part) - that definitely would give it an "order". I've been playing around with it as if it were the 1st part of an Opening of the Key (another long spread I'm trying to learn), and that's given it some order as well - not to mention lessen the amount of cards needed to be interpreted if you apply card counting lol!

I'm still curious as to how Waite himself would've wanted it to be done, though... he has a very "particular" (lol I'll phrase it like that haha) writing style that's open-ended in general, at least it seems that way to me. I know he stated that this "alternative method" was for when the querent has no specific question and just wanted an overview of sorts of his/her life... but how to apply that? Are the 42 cards meant to be read kind of like a movie of a stage of someone's life? That's the interpretation I'm leaning towards... what do you guys think??

laura_borealis said:

I've never used this spread, partly because I tend to read on my bed so a big spread is difficult (especially with curious cats walking on the cards!) but also because it's so open-ended. But I just looked at the PKT again and I'm wondering if the instructions for Waite's 35-card spread could be applied to this one.


Don't ask me what that sixth line means But what do you think? Would that work for you?

Click to expand...

Looks to me like all he meant was that if you get enigmatic (vague or inconclusive) oracles (answers) from the other five lines and want to elucidate (shed light on) them, you resort to Line 6; otherwise you just ignore it. Might work but if I found the spread that incoherent I think I'd wait a while and then re-lay the whole shebang. Obviously the answer wasn't ready to be born. With this many cards in play there are bound to be numerous conflicting currents, which is why I never use the bigger spreads. He could be a maddeningly fusty (musty, stale, old-fashioned, rigidly conservative, and - my favorite- MALODOROUS) writer when he wanted to be.