The Star
AntecedentWhat the reader carried in without weighing it. Usually a hope, occasionally a debt.
Water · Waxing
The Opening Spread
Three Plates, Drawn in Order
Left holds what was set down. Centre holds what stands. Right holds what is still folded shut. Select a plate to hold it upright.
The Moon
Present AxisThe plate that decides the reading. Everything to either side is measured from its spine.
Salt · FullThe Tower
ConsequentWhat the reader will not be able to unsee once the third plate is turned face upward.
Fire · Waning
The Two Hands
Read Outward From the Line
The left column runs right-to-left toward the spine; the right column runs left-to-right away from it. Both are read from the middle out.
The Waxing Hand
Gathers. Everything set on this side of the axis is something the reader is still accumulating — evidence, nerve, or interest.
- ICut the deck toward yourselfThumb on the gilt edge, once only
- IIName the season aloudThe almanac requires a witness
- IIILay the antecedentFace down, tilted four degrees left
- IVWait one full minuteMeasured by the sand plate, not a clock
The Waning Hand
Releases. Everything set on this side is something the reader is putting down — a habit, a claim, or a name they have finished using.
- VTurn the centre plateNever touch its face with bare fingers
- VISpeak only the numeralInterpretation comes after, never during
- VIILay the consequentFace down, tilted four degrees right
- VIIIClose the frameBoth hands returned to the table edge
Appendix Gamma
The Quarterly Almanac
Circulation figures for the current volume, set against the phase under which each issue was printed.
| Issue | Phase | Plates | Impression | Gilt Leaf |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frost | New | 78 | 4,200 | 22 kt |
| Thaw | Waxing | 78 | 5,140 | 22 kt |
| Ember | Full | 86 | 7,905 | 23 kt |
| Ash | Waning | 78 | 6,310 | 22 kt |
The Standing Oracle
“A page that balances is a page that has already decided what it thinks.”
Drawn I time(s) this sitting.