Interpretation
How to do a frame
QUESTION. Get some quiet time for yourself in a comfortable place without distractions. Think of an unanswered question of importance to you. Choose one without a yes/no answer or that starts with Why, How, or What. Write your question down.
MAKE RANDOM. With the cards face down, do a long shuffle to ensure randomness. Think about your question while you shuffle. Then spread the cards face down in a long row or flat pile.
LAY OUT CARDS. Focus on your question. Pull 1 card and place it face down on the Person position. Do the same for the other 3 frame positions. Then turn them over.
INTERPRET. For each card in the frame, write down the combination of title, force, and position. Does the frame tell a story about your question? Does your intuition agree? Consult the user guide and website for help.
ACTION. Decide on an action based on the entire frame. Track the results.
What is Frames?
Frames is a card deck for insight. Each card contains a visual story, beautifully illustrated with science and technology ideas. When you look at a frame of four random cards, your brain works naturally to unlock your inner data for creative problem-solving and personal insight. Each Frames card is an illustrated idea from technology and science—the global culture we all share. The deck has 36 idea cards and 9 archetype cards.
ART. Each card is a visual allegory—an artwork that tells a story. Each illustration draws from the new universal symbology of science and technology. There are no rules about interpreting the story. Everyone finds unique meaning in a card.
FORCES. The 45 cards are separated into 3 force categories: Physical, Intellectual, and Spiritual. The forces organize the deck into concepts. Including the force when interpreting a frame will help you to visualize trends.
SYMBOLS. Frames uses modern symbols and titles. Old concepts of class (royalty), gender, and ability are not included. The art has layers of meanings and small details that are fun to decode. Over time, one of these details may come into focus for you. Finding new meaning in the art means that you have grown and changed.
What’s in the User Guide?
The User Guide for the Frames deck contains 45 summaries, one for each card, along with background and science behind how the deck works for insight.
See example page below —
The User Guide summary of a card is not the definitive interpretation of a card! It’s simply a way to get you started so you can find your own unique meaning in each beautiful artwork.
Each card page has:
- Title
- Force
- Keywords
- Summary
- Interpretation Help
- How cards interact with each other
The Idea cards
The Frames deck contains 36 Idea cards based on modern concepts and terms. If Archetype cards are a year, then an Idea card is a day. An Idea card correlates with the detailed actions, events, and people in your life. Each Idea cards has a user guide page with keywords, summary, and starter help. Build on this for your own meaning. Each Force has 12 Idea cards.
Idea cards help you focus on smaller amounts of inner data, recent events, or new patterns. As you consider or meditate on an Idea card, think about the similarities between the illustration title and your question. Ask: in what way am I (or this situation) like or not like [the card title]? For example, if your question is about a health issue, the Hub card may confirm your intuition that your care is not well-rounded or spark new thoughts about caregivers being more connected.
Some Idea cards are closely aligned with Archetype cards. For example, the Security idea card and The Hacker archetype card have aligned concepts, or the Map card with The Traveler. Aligned cards within a frame should direct your focus there first.
The Forces
The force—physical, intellectual, or spiritual—is shown in the card background. Forces tie different cards together into larger concepts or themes.
The Physical force cards have backgrounds with earth elements. Physical forces are what you feel inside a storm or from a mountain-top, during birth or death, or in a handshake or hug.
The Intellectual force cards have backgrounds showing things built with human brainpower, social organization, and handcraft. Backgrounds will show technology, structures, or writing. Inclusion of physical and spiritual forces may appear because this force bridges the other two.
The Spiritual force cards feature sky and space as their backgrounds. ‘Spiritual’ does not mean organized religion. It means a permeability to the universal impulses of love, ethical behavior, compassion, and your purpose in life.