Barleywine
I know I've said repeatedly that I don't do "thinks/feels" readings for a variety of reasons. But I've been thinking how I might turn this concept into something I could actually feel comfortable using, less of an unseemly mind-reading exercise and more of a focused, credible application of the cards. I've always liked the four-pack breakdown of the First Operation of the Opening of the Key spread, which separates the deck into Wands, Cups, Swords and Disks/Pentacles sub-packs, from right to left. The idea of having a motivational cause-and-effect chain depending from each of these core concepts grabbed my attention in light of my purpose here.
From another angle, we've had a number of discussions lately about the nature of the four Aces. Since they form the elemental "root" for the power of each suit, I thought it would be appropriate to set them at the head of each motivational chain.
The impetus for this approach was the hunch that people who ask "What does X think/feel about me?" don't want just a snapshot of the current emotional landscape, they really want to know whether there is a likelihood of it growing into something more lush and tempting (or, in a different sense, possibly something less strained). So each of the four chains in this spread has a beginning, a middle and an end, following the Pythagorean principles for the numbers Two through Four and the modalities of astrology. I would see the Wands chain as answering "Does X just want a casual, "fun" encounter with me, no strings attached?"; the Cups chain as showing "Does X want to have a meaningful emotional relationship with me?"; the Swords chain as revealing "Does X just want a friendly, platonic connection with me?"; and the Disks chain as signifying "Does X just want a physical hook-up with me, with no emotional dimension?" (But it might just as easily answer "Does X want to hire me?") These chains could be applied singly or in any combination. Using all four, you could perhaps get a comprehensive profile for "What is X's overall attitude toward me?" The chain containing the most well-integrated array of influences could be viewed as the one presenting the dominant answer, whether positive or negative. Elemental dignities could easily be applied to each 3-card set to see whether developments will be seamlessly aligned or scattershot, whether all signs point to "go" or whether some stumbling and fumbling can be expected along the way; referring the "focus" card back to the opening Ace might also be instructive to see if things are on the right track. Some combinations could even be coherent enough to give a reliable "Yes" or "No" response to the prospects for success. You could also do a "quint" for each chain to see which result is most in tune with the querent's objective. There are numerous avenues for exploration, by no means all within the realm of human relations.
The above is just a rough conceptual framework. Like all my spreads, this one will have comprehensive development notes and a detailed theoretical foundation. I will most likely add more "meat" to it.
ETA: Updated spread graphic to include the astrological modalities in each chain, to be considered in addition to the Pythagorean attributes.
From another angle, we've had a number of discussions lately about the nature of the four Aces. Since they form the elemental "root" for the power of each suit, I thought it would be appropriate to set them at the head of each motivational chain.
The impetus for this approach was the hunch that people who ask "What does X think/feel about me?" don't want just a snapshot of the current emotional landscape, they really want to know whether there is a likelihood of it growing into something more lush and tempting (or, in a different sense, possibly something less strained). So each of the four chains in this spread has a beginning, a middle and an end, following the Pythagorean principles for the numbers Two through Four and the modalities of astrology. I would see the Wands chain as answering "Does X just want a casual, "fun" encounter with me, no strings attached?"; the Cups chain as showing "Does X want to have a meaningful emotional relationship with me?"; the Swords chain as revealing "Does X just want a friendly, platonic connection with me?"; and the Disks chain as signifying "Does X just want a physical hook-up with me, with no emotional dimension?" (But it might just as easily answer "Does X want to hire me?") These chains could be applied singly or in any combination. Using all four, you could perhaps get a comprehensive profile for "What is X's overall attitude toward me?" The chain containing the most well-integrated array of influences could be viewed as the one presenting the dominant answer, whether positive or negative. Elemental dignities could easily be applied to each 3-card set to see whether developments will be seamlessly aligned or scattershot, whether all signs point to "go" or whether some stumbling and fumbling can be expected along the way; referring the "focus" card back to the opening Ace might also be instructive to see if things are on the right track. Some combinations could even be coherent enough to give a reliable "Yes" or "No" response to the prospects for success. You could also do a "quint" for each chain to see which result is most in tune with the querent's objective. There are numerous avenues for exploration, by no means all within the realm of human relations.
The above is just a rough conceptual framework. Like all my spreads, this one will have comprehensive development notes and a detailed theoretical foundation. I will most likely add more "meat" to it.
ETA: Updated spread graphic to include the astrological modalities in each chain, to be considered in addition to the Pythagorean attributes.
