Barleywine
The discussion we've been having about the Full Moon on the Summer Solstice, along with the interesting idea of using the Deviant Moon deck to explore its meaning, prompted me to create a spread for looking at the upcoming lunar month in a general way to see what it might hold.
Back in 1967, the psychological astrologer Dane Rudhyar wrote a book called The Lunation Cycle that separated the monthly transit of the Moon through the zodiac into 8 stages, the traditional four (New, First Quarter, Full, Last Quarter) plus four intermediate phases (Crescent, Gibbous, Disseminating and Balsamic). His purpose was to examine 8 "personality types," but I see it as a way to use the cards to express attitudes and situations that might prevail during the course of a month.
First things first: the cycle starts with the day of the New Moon, not the first day of the month (unless they coincide). Each of the 8 phases lasts around 3.5 days (using the sidereal cycle).
The "quarters" basically show the square aspect between the Sun and the Moon, which is a stressful time astrologically. So I fashioned those into two "crisis" intervals followed by "resolution" episodes. These would not always blow up into crises, they just suggest sensitive points that agree with standard astrological practice.
I set up a "divisions of life" model that follows the usual meanings of the suits and elements. Cards representing any one of those qualities would be read as indicators of an area of life that is in "high focus" during the 3.5 day period of its influence.
Another thought I had is to deal out four cards in each position and treat them as a mini "life reading" for the few days of each phase. It might also be reasonable to use the different phases as "target" periods in the upcoming month during which the approaches suggested by the position titles could be pursued using the energy offered by the cards.
I'll be working on a more detailed interpretive guide for my self-published workbook. Have fun with it!
Back in 1967, the psychological astrologer Dane Rudhyar wrote a book called The Lunation Cycle that separated the monthly transit of the Moon through the zodiac into 8 stages, the traditional four (New, First Quarter, Full, Last Quarter) plus four intermediate phases (Crescent, Gibbous, Disseminating and Balsamic). His purpose was to examine 8 "personality types," but I see it as a way to use the cards to express attitudes and situations that might prevail during the course of a month.
First things first: the cycle starts with the day of the New Moon, not the first day of the month (unless they coincide). Each of the 8 phases lasts around 3.5 days (using the sidereal cycle).
The "quarters" basically show the square aspect between the Sun and the Moon, which is a stressful time astrologically. So I fashioned those into two "crisis" intervals followed by "resolution" episodes. These would not always blow up into crises, they just suggest sensitive points that agree with standard astrological practice.
I set up a "divisions of life" model that follows the usual meanings of the suits and elements. Cards representing any one of those qualities would be read as indicators of an area of life that is in "high focus" during the 3.5 day period of its influence.
Another thought I had is to deal out four cards in each position and treat them as a mini "life reading" for the few days of each phase. It might also be reasonable to use the different phases as "target" periods in the upcoming month during which the approaches suggested by the position titles could be pursued using the energy offered by the cards.
I'll be working on a more detailed interpretive guide for my self-published workbook. Have fun with it!