Earthair Experimental Elemental Reading Method. Exercise 3

earthair

Continued from yesterday, we're going to start by looking at that big card we made from 12 little cards, (in preparation for doing the slightly bigger Earthair spread). Probably a good idea to split screen your computer and have that photo I took alongside this text.

Those of you who have the method download have by now discovered that you have many options for using the pips. They are not numbered, to keep your options open. In my first few prototype decks, I did just write a discreet number 1-10 on my pips, but gradually I found it got very distracting, as my focus was taken away from the colours and form, and was dragged back into thinking whatever 'meanings' I usually associate with that card. But the more I worked with the deck, the more I realised that the pips were showing me directions, flow, strength, weakness and behaving a bit like the element which they represent.

So I started seeing all the pips of one suit as a shape and a flow of elemental energy.

Let's look now at that card I drew yesterday. We have 4 air cards, 3 earth (include the court), 2 fire, and NO water. So Air is dominant, and seems to be surrounding that King of Earth, who seems to be making a quick exit, out of the bottom left corner of the card. Probably because in the cold light of day, he feels judgement is being passed on him, and his feelings of guilt (the thoughts represented by the birds coming from the Judgement card and Moons dark side) make it hard for him to stick around and face that exposure of the Sun.

The 2 pips of Earth are both pointing at the Sun, so perhaps co-workers of the King of Earth have uncovered his dark side, but the Earth is of lesser importance than the Air energy. His own guilt may be worse than the judgement of others. Neither of the 2 Fire cards are oriented upwards so, not a strong influence in this card, but they do flow down and across that Earth card second down on the 3rd column. So in this reading let's say 2 of King of Earths co-workers have exposed something, then the loop of energy can be followed around like this, with the uppermost Earth pip being more troublesome that the lower?

http://i.imgur.com/ugOzHIq.jpg

Go back to the first photo I posted without my red lines added, and follow the directions of each small card with your finger on the screen. Are you moving in straight lines? Circles? Jagged Lines? Nice relaxing curves?
Do this with every card in turn. Which small card do you think has the most influence on the overall flow of energy within the big card?

Or...you could just stick with counting the number of each pip and using the 'meaning' which you think 4 of a suit has, and use that to place the Majors and Courts in context. In which case your reading of the card might not even feature the King of Earth as the protagonist. You might decide to think of this big card as being a composite of 4 of Air, 2 (or 3 if counting courts) of Earth and 2 of Fire.

Or you might notice that 2 suits, had 2s, which in Thoth tradition is all about elements appearing in harmonious condition.

I would love to hear how other people would interpret this card...the question I asked when I dealt it was about a work issue and dealing with a difficult colleague in the future.

Edit- I've been asked what order do you deal the composite 1 card draw in? Personally I deal top row L>R, next row down L>R and so on. But you could equally start in the middle and work round in a very curly C shape, or a G shape, or a sideways M/W.