The Uncrossed Path Blog
Welcome to The Uncrossed Path Blog, where each post delves into the art and practice of cartomancy, focusing on traditional approaches to tarot, playing cards, and Lenormand, grounded no-nonsense divination. Here, you’ll find explorations of cartomantic techniques, interpretations grounded in cultural and philosophical insight, and discussions that emphasize clarity over mystique. Whether you’re a seasoned practitioner or a discerning seeker, these articles offer a rigorous approach to understanding the cards, with an eye on truth rather than trend.
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Love & Connection: A Relationship Spread
The card-reading community is always drawn to a good spread. As a studious teenager, I relied heavily on them. Over time, I found myself preferring simplicity: three cards can address almost any question, six cards bring out contrasts, and nine cards add depth. A straightforward 3-6-9 progression that’s easy to remember and covers most needs. That said, there’s no harm in using pre-defined spreads.
The Death Card: ‘Transformation’ and Other Convenient Theories
In card reading, clarity starts with calling things by their real names. A book is just a book before it symbolizes a ‘secret,’ and death is death before it’s ‘transformation.’ Ignoring the true function of a card in favor of convenient meanings undermines the power of a reading.
A Prediction Method Featuring Thoth Tarot
Old loves never truly fade, especially for someone as sentimental as I am. My journey into cartomancy began at fifteen, starting with playing cards and the Gypsy Fortunetelling Oracle. It wasn’t long before I ventured into Tarot, sparked by a gift from my cousin Katarina. She gave me her Ancien Tarot de Marseille by Grimaud, as she was more focused on another deck. The moment she introduced me to it, I was utterly captivated. The Thoth Tarot, with its stunning imagery, was easily the most beautiful deck I had ever laid eyes on.
The Power of Falling
A Rusalje ritual is an ecstatic dance practice from the Homolje region of Eastern Serbia, performed by the women called Rusalje (pronounced as ruh-sah-lye, “the falling women”). The practice, which is now largely extinct, used to take place on the holiday of Pentecost. It takes place on the 50th day after Orthodox Easter, colloquially known in Serbia as “Duhovi” (spirits) - a Christian holiday, dedicated to the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles. On this day, the people of Duboka village would gather in front of the cave, and start playing the music and dancing the traditional dances. All of a sudden, one of the women would fall to the ground in a violent trance.
The Magic of a Bell
Bells have a special place in my memories. Most of them relate to one of my favorite childhood holidays: The Lazarus Saturday, otherwise known as “Vrbica” (loosely translated as “The Little Willow” or “Willow Day”) in Serbian folklore. It is a holiday for which children need to don their best apparel and go to the church adorned with willow wreaths and little bells hung around their necks. As the holiday marks the resurrection of Lazarus, the willow branches are given out by a priest (in lieu of palm branches in Central Europe) to represent children greeting Jesus with palm branches, and the bells are supposed to represent the overpowering of death.
The ‘Other’ Woman’s Longing
I was always of the meaning that it is not our job as fortunetellers to pass judgment as long as it is not related to the art of card reading. Whatever question is put on the table in front of us, we need to read the cards for it. And we need to do it to the best of our ability. In any case, petty bourgeois morals never held value for me anyway.
The Uncrossed Path Manifesto
The art of cartomancy must be rooted in perfection — the perfection of words, and the perfection of the act. Everything else is not worth my time.
How Does It All Work?
I have been blessed to be surrounded by magic and divination ever since I can remember. That, of course, means that my first knowledge about fortune telling and magic was formed within the context of Folk Witchcraft practiced on the territory of Former Yugoslavia. One of my first memories concerns my mother and my grandmother reading fortunes from a coffee cup – their preferred method. My grandma did it full-on traditional style, while my mom still does it with a good dose of New Age stew. That’s why my coffee reading sessions with my mom mostly consist of her making grand narratives, me rolling my eyes, her telling me to fuck off, and then getting to the point. When she gets there, she is spot on, but she says she needs to trust her process which always brings her there. So who am I to say anything?
Eyes Wide Shut - A Love Reading
If you are lucky to be in a long-standing relationship, you most probably had moments of uncertainty that called for an immediate reflection. Or in simple terms, you most probably asked yourself “How are we doing right now?” Or the old favorite: “Where will we end up?” But when these questions do pop up, experience tells me that most of us simply ignore the situation, and comfortably push any concerns under the rug, hoping to continue the smooth sail. In that case, there will come a time when you will no longer be able to ignore the situation, and you will be forced to look into the mirror of your relationship. Is it already too late?
Lack of Reciprocity
“My sister abandoned me once again,” a client states in a bitter and disappointed tone. I gathered that this is a recurring issue, which the client confirmed. She wanted to know what is the core issue in their relationship, since the client’s sister has an easy time discarding my client from her life, only to come back and repeat the process all over again.
The Eternal Revival
“Fashion is dead”, we hear many cry out, alluding that nothing new has happened since the early 1990s. But I would like to point out that fashion, as soon as it died, transcended its ‘demise’ through a peculiar form of tightly timed reincarnation. What seems to happen is an almost regularly scheduled revival of old trends. At least where trends in the global West are concerned.
Work Transitions
Making yourself indispensable to your employer is a pretty good strategy in today’s work market, especially when it is time to ask for a promotion. A client of mine felt stuck in his current role, taken for granted and underappreciated. He was eager to explore the possibility of assuming a position with more responsibility, and of course, a better salary, as he started getting on more tasks. He wanted to know what the new role at work would bring him.
On Justice and Brilliance
On Friday, enveloped in the smoke of rose incense, we raise a glass for Lady Venus, our creative efforts, and all the beauty that ensues.
Enchanted Circle
Do we ever come out wiser out of our relationships? After a messy breakup, a chaotic divorce, or after simply being left without a decent explanation, how many times do we sit down with ourselves and think about the experience that we have accumulated during a love affair that never ended in a ‘happily ever after?’ In my experience - rarely. More often than not, we tend to repeat our relationship patterns, and as a result, we get tangled in a new emotionally abusive situation so much that we find it very difficult to see our position clearly and make a cut.
On 30’s and happiness
A few days ago I had a chance to watch an episode of a new documentary series on the Dutch national program NPO3 entitled “30 en nooit meer…” (“30 and never again…) where every episode adds a different ending to the title, each covering what people in their 30s will allegedly never do or be again. The first episode focused on people in their 30’s and their (often futile) quest for happiness. The episode’s full title is “30 and never unhappy again”.