They Need To Come Up With More Words Like Necrosis And Miasma And Mausoleum And Cadaver And Morose And

“GROUPE SURRÉALISTE” MAN RAY // circa 1924-25 [gelatin silver print | 9.2 x 8.3 cm.]

My current vibe is that the book meaning of tarot cards are the most refined level of a reading, and therefore should be interpreted last, if you even want to use individual card meanings at all.

Reading tarot:

Identify major patterns in the spread (start by looking at groupings of card types, such as element, number, court, majors, general vibe or emotion of the cards; use these concepts as a jumping-off point to form your own pattern. What if a lot of cards have horses on them? etc.).

Use patterns to establish flow (low # cards to high # cards; groups of solitary elements; every court is paired with a major; where is the interplay?). If the patterns are boulders, how does the water of narrative flow through this river?

Use flow to link cards. (This group seems disconnected from that group. This card is an outlier; a break must happen somewhere. Energy slowly builds in this series of cards. There is a sudden shift in pattern, a big change must occur).

Use links between cards to determine which book or picture meanings apply. (This outlier card only links up if it means there was a break in the good event. I will choose meanings that relate to surprise and disappointment, and discard contradictory meanings).

At any point in the process, you can stop and call it a day.

Identify major patterns only: "Well I drew a shit ton of Pentacles cards so I'm going to say that your problem right now is that work is taking up all your time, but also you feel like everything is going super slow. Hope this helps."

Also identify flow: "Well I drew a shit ton of Court cards so I'm going to say that your problem right now is a ton of people all competing to have a say in your life, but at the end you have the Tower and the Sun, so I guess this situation is probably fated towards disaster and then a decent outcome."

Also link cards: "These three court cards face the Tower, but they are also all either Sword or Wand cards. In my practice, Swords and Wand cards are most associated with conflict. These three people, whoever they are, will cause the most conflict."

Also read book and picture meanings: "Out of these three problematic people, this person will try to control how many responsibilities are on your plate. They probably make you feel bad for not being responsible enough."

If you are getting low on energy, or do not have the focus to complete the entire spread, start with broad overview (pattern) and slowly narrow it to flow, then linking. Last of all, if you still have the time/energy, use book and picture meanings to add fine detail to the reading.

No point in adding fine detail to a rough block of wood.

First, shape the reading with broad strokes by finding patterns, and slowly add shape.

Only when you have the smooth, polished shape of your reading should you add the fine detail.

He lightly dips his hair in bleach every morning and his ability likes to eat rocks and coins off the ground

Divine Mugisha by Andrew Vowles for W Magazine China July 2024

Styled by Katie Shillingford. Makeup by Anmy Drammeh. Hair by Kiyoko Odo.

this is a spider's world and we're just living in it

spider names:

and no Jon cannot actually tell them apart

Avatar of the Spiral who goes by I/me/my pronouns in order to cause maximum confusion

Daguerreotype of a tough guy missing an eye, half a pinky—and, perhaps, the subjects of the group portrait that he's holding up to show you, c. 1850s