Divining the Future
Flipping to the end.
Hey friends: If you want to join me and Satya Doyle Byock for some deep, soul-level work—particularly if you’re wanting to understand what this moment is asking of you—come join us for a multi-day retreat called “Tapping Into What Wants to Come Through You” at Omega in Rhinebeck, New York, from May 25-29. You can register here.
More info below behind the paywall, but the next Pulling the Thread workshop for paid Substack subscribers is with Mark Alan Horn on Saturday, March 21st, at 10amPT: He’ll be teaching us a three-card Tarot spread, interpreted through Kabbalah. (And if you want to learn more about Kabbalah, don’t sleep on my Pulling the Thread episode with Daniel C. Matt from last week.) For the workshop, you will need a copy of the Rider-Waite Tarot Deck (Bookshop, Amazon, some local bookstores might stock as well).
I’m not ashamed to admit that sometimes I Google the plot of a movie—while I’m watching it—so I can emotionally prepare for the ending. And when I’m finding the plot line of a novel particularly stressful, I sometimes flip to the end. I don’t need to these thrills or to feel strung-out, I reason, because we are all living in a state of suspended anxiety. I look for certainty wherever I can find it: It’s really only available where the end is pre-determined and already committed to the screen or page.
Like many of you, I want to understand what’s coming, what’s happening, and what this moment means. And yet, I was reminded by the imminently wise Terry Tempest Williams—tomorrow’s guest on Pulling the Thread—that we are still in the middle of the story. It’s excruciating, yes, but we have to live it. We have to stay open to the possibilities inherent in its unfolding, we have to stay committed to changing the narrative for the good where we can, and we need to accept that we will be surprised by its plot twists.
I was thinking about some wise—and annoying—words from Father Richard Rohr the other day. Words that I’m trying to ground into, particularly in the face of news that is simultaneously infuriating, terrifying, sometimes heartening, and unwaveringly confusing. As Rohr writes in The Wisdom Pattern, “In any human scenario, even when we don’t want to believe it, we know that there are at least and always three characters: Jesus, the bad guys, and the supposed good guys. What Jesus says is, be prepared to be surprised about who is who.” Oy.
Like many of you, I have an irresistible urge right now to look to anyone who can tell us what will happen: Astrologers, influencers with divining rods on Instagram, intuitives, and the like. I really don’t believe that anyone knows, except that we are in the midst of a great unwinding—a massive and painful void, the tomb and possibly now the womb—where something, something, will emerge on the other side.
The best we can do is manage ourselves and use what’s coming as a mechanism for growing ourselves up, broadening our consciousness, and building our capacity for helping the collective. We are being called to become more spiritually mature adults.
While we can’t rush to the end to see what will happen, I do think that tools of divination can be helpful, particularly for context or to guide us to what we need to see, understand, and ultimately know for picking the best path. Tools of divination work best, not for fortune telling, but in a question and answer format. What do I need I need to understand about this moment/decision/crossroads is more effective than What’s gonna happen?
You can use moments of synchronicity for this (also, the I Ching); you can use signs as a way to converse with the other side, your higher self, or your guides; you can lean on astrology; or you can use cards or Tarot.
To that end, I’ve asked Mark Alan Horn to come back and teach us how to do a three-card Tarot spread. Last year, he joined us for an excellent intro to Tarot workshop (you can watch it here).
I’ve had Mark Horn on the podcast, “The Mystical Roots of Tarot.” And he gave a lot of breakdown on the connection between Tarot and Kabbalah here. (He’s also the author of Tarot and the Gates of Light.) Most importantly, you can book one-on-one time with him (bring a well-crafted question and he will do your reading in the Sephirot, which is the Jewish Tree of Life). Naturally, he is on my list of healers.
Mark offered to do a little set-up for our time together on Zoom on March 21st at 10amPT—all are welcome to join, including people who have never pulled a card in their life. It’s free for paid Pulling the Thread subscribers. The link to register is at the bottom of this email, behind the paywall. See you there!
Q: So Mark, what are we going to get up to during our time together?
A: Tarot! Think of it as the graphic novel of your life.
Every image on a tarot card is like a panel in a graphic novel—it tells a piece of a story: your story, if you know how to read it.
In this workshop we’ll look at how to see a tarot card from all the smallest details to the big picture so you can find your own deep personal meaning in it. We look at some of the different ways people have interpreted cards over time—the systems people use to find meaning and to better remember what a card means.
And then we’ll look one of the most versatile tarot spread: the three-card reading.
The three-card spread can be adapted in dozens of ways—Past/Present/Future, Situation/Action/Outcome, Mind/Body/Spirit, Challenge/Resource/Next Step. You’ll learn how to choose a structure that fits the question, how to see the relationship between the cards, and how meaning shifts depending on position and context.
This workshop is practical and experiential. We’ll work directly with images, practice structured observation, and explore how symbol, color, gesture, and composition shape interpretation. By the end, you’ll have a clear method you can apply immediately—whether you’re reading for yourself or for others—so that the cards become less about memorized keywords and more about insight, narrative, and conscious choice.
No prior experience required—just curiosity and a willingness to look closely.
Q: How will this workshop be different from last year’s?
A: The foundation is the same: we begin by learning how to truly see a tarot card—how to move from careful observation into personal, psycho-spiritual meaning.
For those who attended last year, this will serve as a useful deepening and refinement of that skill; for new participants, it offers a clear and easily accessible entry point.
What’s different is the practice we build from there. Last year, we focused on the card-a-day approach as an ongoing reflective discipline. This year, we’ll apply those same observational tools to the three-card spread—learning how meaning evolves through relationship, sequence, and position. The shift from one card to three introduces movement, dialogue, and developmental insight, allowing for a more dynamic and rich exploration of a question or life situation.
Q: How do you coach people to hold, or approach tarot?
A: I approach tarot as a living symbolic language.
While my personal approach is mainly grounded in Kabbalistic symbols, I think of the tarot as the warehouse of Western symbolism, so I always consider the many ways a symbol can be interpreted, especially since we all have different backgrounds. And symbols can have uniquely personal meanings because of this. Each image is like a panel in the graphic novel of your life—revealing patterns, inner dynamics, and possibilities for growth. We’ll slow down and really look at the cards, allowing their symbols, colors, and gestures to speak in a personal and meaningful way.
Q: Do you use tarot to predict the future?
A: My focus is less on prediction and more on insight.
Tarot becomes a mirror—helping you see what’s emerging in your inner and outer life. The cards can illuminate creative blocks, emotional patterns, or spiritual themes that are asking for attention. That said, some three-card spreads are used for prediction. And I always remind people that just because the cards predict something doesn’t mean it will happen—the prediction itself is information that can be used to help change an outcome.
Q: What makes the three-card spread so powerful?
A: Its simplicity creates clarity.
With just three positions, we can explore movement and relationship—where you’ve been, what’s present now, and what results may unfold based on your choices. Or how a challenge interacts with a resource and a possible action. It’s a compact but surprisingly deep way to gain perspective.
Q: Do attendees need prior experience with tarot?
A: Not at all.
Curiosity and a willingness to look closely are enough. Whether you’re completely new or have been reading for years, you’ll leave with a grounded method for finding meaning that feels fresh, authentic and personally resonant.
(If anyone wants a primer, you can watch our workshop from last year here.)
Q: What will participants take away?
A: A way of working with tarot that feels reflective, practical, and empowering—less about memorizing definitions and more about developing trust in your own perception and insight.
You can register to join us on March 21st at 10amPT on Zoom behind the Substack paywall.