We are in week two of the Tarot Apprentice contest! Last week’s entries for the skills portion was off da hook awesomeness! The contestants had to show their mad tarot skills and do a 3 card reading in a short time frame – being able to do a reading under pressure is important if you intend to read like a pro. However, not everyone completed the challenge on time and we were whittled down to 13 remaining contestants.
The challenge this week: show your creativity! Each contestant will create a spread and then pick a guinea pig to try the spread out. They will then demonstrate it here in the comments section of the blog. They will have 48 hours to complete this task. If they miss the deadline, they are automatically disqualified! (PLEASE NOTE: IF YOU DID NOT GET YOUR NAME INTO THE CONTEST BY 3/31/11 YOU ARE INELIGIBLE TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS CONTEST. THE SPOTS FOR CONTESTANTS HAVE BEEN FILLED. See contest rules: The Tarot Apprentice.)
Ready – set – GO!
Blessings!
Theresa
© Theresa Reed | The Tarot Lady 2011
The Clock Spread:
This spread is appropriate for a when question. (I’ve always had problems with timing, as in “When is this going to happen for me?” which is the reason I made this spread.)
Querent chooses their significator card. They then ask the when question, and based on the question they choose what they feel the card would be to best represent the outcome of the situation. The previous step can be adjusted if the querent is unfamiliar with tarot cards. Significator card is removed from the deck and put in the middle of the table. Querent then shuffles cards while they focus on the question.
12
11 1
10 2
9 (s) 3
8 4
7 5
6
This is based on the numbers on a clock face, but represents the 12 months in a year. After shuffling, the cards are laid out, starting at 12 o’clock and continuing until the aforementioned “outcome” card is drawn. Where the outcome card falls is the when (in months). Stop drawing cards when this card comes out. The cards laid out previous to the outcome card are a time line of events that are pertinent to the situation. More cards may need to be laid out in a secondary or even tertiary circle until the outcome card is drawn.
Here’s the sample reading! I used the Legacy of the Divine deck.
Question from Mia: When will Hans and I move in together?
Mia and I had a conversation before the cards were drawn in which I asked what her significator was (The Fool) and what she thought would be the best outcome card to fit the situation of domestic bliss. She is familiar with tarot cards and happened to have the same deck as I did. (This reading was online.) After flipping through the cards herself, she chose the 2 of Cups as her outcome card.
I drew the 2 of Cups at the 9 o’clock position, so the when is nine months from now (or the 9th month, which is September… I’ll go into this more in the comments section of creating this spread)! Wow! But here are the rest of the cards:
12 o’clock: 4 of Cups (rev): You’re ready for this right now! But it takes two to tango, and you’re both not on the same page now. The ideal is shining off in the distance, but it’s not in tangible form yet. There’s still quite a ways to go.
1 o’clock: 8 of Cups (rev): A watery man that throws you for a loop. He tests the boundaries and it’s like the roles of a relationship reverse. He’s very in touch with his caring and nurturing side, and that extends to you. All he wants to do is take care of you. But will you let him?
2 o’clock: Knight of Cups (rev): Frustration in being your knight in shining armor. Mostly because you won’t let him take care of you! He feels like he doesn’t really know you at this point because you still have a problem letting down your walls.
3 o’clock: 4 of Swords: Uncomfortable peace treaty. Uneasiness. Possible separation or pause to reevaluate.
4 o’clock: 8 of Swords (rev): You poked at it. Now it’s beginning to fester. A lesson to leave well enough alone, and perhaps keep what doesn’t need to be said unsaid. A cruel cutting word now could lead to more complications and snags than there needs to be.
5 o’clock: 7 of Cups (rev): Crying jags frequent. You are focusing on the negative instead of looking at the many positives and signs of abundance. The love is spilling out on the ground because you’d rather wallow.
6 o’clock: Page of Coins (rev): Love ain’t enough… there needs to be a cushion of money for a move. And one of you will need that money and need that move. Therefore BOTH of you need that money to have your wish of living together come to fruition.
7 o’clock: 4 of Coins (rev): Necessary hoarding of funds. The correct motivation is in place. It’s not hoarding for hoarding’s sake; it’s toward the common goal.
8 o’clock: The Wheel (rev): Something comes up to set you back by one more month. But when the Wheel swings downward, there’s no place to go but up again. Interestingly enough, the Wheel swings upward to…
The final outcome! 9 o’clock: 2 of Cups: domestic bliss, partnership, an equal relationship
Comments: So, I thought I was very clever… until I started the sample reading. Then I went, “Oh crap” because timing can be seen in a myriad of ways in this spread, but specifically two: 1) it can be the amount of time in months from the day of the reading, OR 2) could be the month (December = 12 o’clock, January = 1 o’clock, February = 2 o’clock, etc.). So, to my querent I say, “Either 9 months from now, or September.” Either way, this year.
Another problem with this spread is it is VERY long if the outcome card just so happens to be years away…
This challenge was very scary. I have never created a tarot spread before. But it was very fun, difficult, crazy, and enlightening!
Hilary recently posted..The Tarot Apprentice—Will It Be Me
Okay and away we go! This spread is called mirror mirror and it is to help bring clarity in a direct way to the person sitting in for the reading.
A1-Fear A2-Fact
B1-Worry B2-Reality
C1-Ego C2-Truth
D1-Past lesson D2-Future
A=fear that keeps rising/when you take away the fear you now are left with fact
B=a concern that worries you/the reality that you may not see
C=Ego(as in the bad things we replay to ourselves)/what spirit see’s(truth)
D=past lesson moving out of/new lesson to be on the look out for
Reading given for Amy:
No question asked in this spread, energy just put into cards by client
A1-Fear(10 swords) A2-Fact(5 coins)
B1-Worry(page of coins) B2-Reality(King cups)
C1-Ego(5 wands) C2-Truth(Wheel fortune)
D1-Past lesson(Ace coins) D2-Future(10 wands)
A=not as mobile as she would like to be/you had surgury and are still healing it is just taking longer then you want
B=missing out on opportunities while healing/you are sought after for your talents in healing(wounded healer)
C=you go back and forth letting the ego tape play and then hitting rewind, letting it play hitting rewind/the truth is that spirit see’s the beauty and deeper meaning of why you are here and believes you are right where you are supposed to be
D=learning to manifest what you want/learning how to deal with things head on instead of avoiding them
So a little backround on Amy:
A) She had hip surg. and has had a very slow recovery.
B) During this healing she has had to pass up on a lot of teaching opportunities, she is a well sought after Reiki Master(healer).
C) She has low self esteem but works on it often, not as much faith in herself as others have in her, she just does not see it.
D) Worked a lot the first part of life manifesting all the wonderful things she now has, the past year she has had many deaths that she has not dealt with and just recently decided now is the time she needs to start facing things.
She gave great feedback to this spread and felt it gave her some deep insight. Whooowhooo hahaha. It was short sweet and deep. Gonna do myself tonight:) Thanks for reading ask if your confused!
Part One:
Comic Creation Spread (for general life questions)
1. Layout (the structure of the situation)
2. Thumbnails (what’s in the planning stages of being developed)
3. Inks (what is more finalized)
4. Dialogue (who or what external characters or forces are aiding/hindering the situation)
5. Flow (best course of action to take through the situation)
…2…..3…
……1……
…4…..5…
Part Two:
L’s question: How are things looking for my spouse and me moving to the East Coast? Also, what things can we do to facilitate this move?
1. Three of cups (reversed)
2. Strength (reversed)
3. Three of swords (reversed)
4. Seven of wands
5. The Hanged Man
The reading:
Three of cups reversed in the Layout position indicates that at the heart of this situation is a deep sense of lacking community. At your current location, you may be feeling that there are few people you can reach out to or little opportunities to connect with others in your area. It can also indicate that your interests are not reflected in the community at large, and isolation is a major factor in your desire to move.
Strength reversed is showing a larger force at play—a deeper aspect that will carry with you beyond your current situation. Because it is in the Thumbnails position, this is something I see as being a deeper issue stemming from elsewhere that is affecting the current issue either directly or indirectly. Inner strength, confidence, and patience are important to assist you, and for one reason or another they are being blocked or hindered. Perhaps there is some inner work in these areas that needs to be done before a move can come into fruition.
Three of swords reversed in the Inks position shows a more solid circumstance in this situation, but as it is a minor arcana rather than major, it is less of an overriding soul issue and more of an obstacle that is present in this particular life situation. Traditionally, it refers to struggles of the heart, which may relate to the reversed three of cups—feeling hurt or let down by others around you. Reversed, this card shows the issue is not being dealt with and has been allowed to fester. In your life, you may be frustrated by your feelings with others or perhaps yourself, and healing this will be a big step in your goals. It seems unlikely that moving itself will clear these issues up, and it may even exacerbate them if not dealt with.
When I first saw the seven of wands, the image on the card (Shadowscapes deck) struck me. It shows two animals circling each other fiercely, and my first thought was “conflict.” This could be between people, but it could also be between opposing elements or circumstances. On the one hand, it could indicate that it would help the two of you to be aggressive in your determination (nodding to the Strength reversed) and to hold on to your goals. However…
In the Flow position is the Hanged Man, which suggests that the outcome is largely out of your hands and that it is wise to just let things flow as they are rather than forcing an outcome which may not be for the best at this time. It would seem to be contradicting the seven of wands, which is a card of action and taking things into your own hands. Ultimately, I feel the seven of wands is encouraging you to find the Strength and determination to move forward in your goals, while the Hanged Man cautions you that your actual move to the East Coast is something that, if it happens, will happen in its due course. Patience is key, so realize that action in one sense (inner) does not necessarily mean action towards the end intention (outer).
Overall, I’d say that a move doesn’t look very probable in the near future. Although your determination to move is present, there are some issues that need to be addressed before this move can manifest. Most importantly, letting go and accepting the movement of your outer life as it is can be frustrating, but the cards suggest that inner work and moving forward in the self is the thing to be focused on right now.
Part Three:
There are many different aspects that go into creating a comic page, so I chose five of them that I thought lent themselves especially well to looking at any general issue through the Tarot. Briefly: The Layout is how the content of the art/story looks on the page. Thumbnails are the rough sketches that the artist uses to develop the layout and
look of the page before finalizing the art with the Inks. Dialogue of course refers to the interaction of the characters, and Flow is the ultimate result of the page layout as the reader’s eye is guided through each panel to best interpret the story.
Generally I work with positionless spreads, so this was a fun challenge. I felt that this spread worked rather well for me and did offer some additional perspective into the cards I drew. The nice thing about this spread, if I were to continue working with it, is that it could be expanded to include more aspects. In the end, however, I still prefer to work with positionless spreads but will save this one for times when I’d like a bit more structure!
I am thoroughly impressed by the first few postings. AWESOME job!
Blessings!
Theresa
I’ve noticed that some people have custom spreads in their arsenal to use when needed. I don’t really do this,I normally make mine up along the way. I will throw cards out into pretty patterns (to remember what the positions stand for) and will tailor them to the clients needs. This is one of those readings.
I asked a younger co-worker in my marketing team, Shelby, if she would like a Tarot Reading. She jokingly said, “ok, Tarot Reader, why don’t you tell me how many leads I’ll get today?” To her suprise, I obliged her. Only I reformed her question into, “What attitude can I express in career that will bring in more leads?”
I approach my career, as with all things, with an attitude of Love. So naturally, I pulled out The Lovers to be our significator. I told Shelby to imagine she was the angel, and that the humans were her clients. She does not have to think lesser (or better) of the clients, but rather she can approach them naturally with feelings of generosity and preparedness to offer our house-painting services. I told Shelby that she will never be able to ‘make sales’; it is completely up to the client to decide whether they need or want their house-painted or not. So, it’s best to just be natural instead of being a salesman. It’s better to be yourself because people can see right through you. “You’re a sweet girl, Shelby. Be true. Be Universally LOVING.”
As I was talking to Shelby about The Lovers card, I placed another card on the far left below The Lovers, then another by the bottom right hand corner of that card. I add two more cards to match the left side, so it ends up sort of looking like an arrow, if you count The Lovers card up top. I turn all the cards over, just to get an idea of the elements involved.
Shelby scoffed and said it could be “Believe me, I want to be nice to everyone. I like people, it can just be really frustrating to be loving on the job”. I told her “I can see that. There are many water cards here, and that means that work is not just business to you; you’re really emotionally involved because you see your career choices and actions as a reflection of who you are. You take what clients say very personally.” Shelby agreed. I told her that career isn’t always a reflection of a person, many people are just doing what they can to survive in this economy. Many of us don’t have the power to pick what job we want, but we do have the power to choose what feelings and energies we express while we work. I told her that it’s so much easier to adapt ourselves to the world around us, instead of trying to manipulate and twist the world into something that suits us.
Card #1, The High Priestess: “How can Shelby bring more Love into her Career?”
The High Priestess does not merely “understand”, she OVERstands. Practice complete empathy with your clients, look for opportunities to stand in their shoes. Don’t be get upset if they seem to be in a “sour mood”; that wouldn’t be loving would it? A loving person sees past the mood and instead sees the insecurity – the reason why the person is hurting. The High Priestess is wise and she knows how fragile humans can be. The most valuable Love is the kind that sticks around when hearts are at their most vulnerable. rather than being persistent to make a sale, be persistent in showing someone you care, that you love them unconditionally. This will bring clients out of their shell and let Love in. People will always let slip what is bothering them. They are subconsciously crying out for help. The High Priestess is known as the mistress of the subconscious; she’s the queen of thoughts, dreams, and memories, and the messages they send When you visit clients, prepare yourself mentally to hear these messages, emotionally to understand and empathize with them, and especially spiritually so that you can provide them with a healing message that their subconscious will understand. That’s not to say badger them with a bunch of “Try this” or “Do that”; The High Priestess only says what needs to be said. The only words that really need to be heard are those that express Universal Love, and “overstanding”.
Shelby said she understood, but had never actually thought of it that way before. I told her that’s what Tarot is for, not for fortune telling, it’s for helping you find options that you wouldn’t otherwise think about. It’s a spiritual tool that trains you to be more conscious of your words, thoughts, actions, and patterns. She thought it was pretty cool
Card #2, The 9 of Wands; “What blocks Love from Shelby’s clients and Career?”
9 is a complicated number. It’s character consists of scattered focus and anxiousness because it is trying to complete it’s long hard journey of becoming a 10. Love becomes complicated once we feel the desire to dominate, to “become a 10”. When we seek to dominate or be possessive of someone or something (including the idea of the “sale”), it is not Love, but rather an attempt at manipulation. In relationships, these attitudes become oppressive. The person with more power will dangle things such as shelter, money, food, or sex over the head of the person without power and says, verbally or subconsciously, “if you want these things, you better love me”. Obviously, that isn’t Love, but a tyrant’s selfish attempt to satisfy their insecure desire to have dominant power over someone who loves them. This is not someone who truly, UNIVERSALLY loves or cares about you. Bringing it back to career, it becomes less about the clients needs and more about making the sale. Like the oppressive “lover”, the oppressive salesman is desperate; your clients will pick up on this right away. If you feel like this is a problem keeping you from making sales, it’s definitely time for a change of perspective, because you are only hurting yourself and others. People who are more vulnerable to manipulation become your victims, not your clients; not only is this a poor way to conduct business, but on a cosmo-karmic level, it will come back to haunt you. Many people don’t understand the magnitude of the choices they make until they are directly effected by the consequences – you see it happen all the time with politicians and on a planetary scale you see it in global warming and catastrophes. Don’t let that be you. Don’t let false feelings turn yourself and others into victims. Be honest with people. If you are not feeling universally loving and are all business today, that’s fine, there’s nothing wrong with that as long as that is exactly what you are projecting. Clients are not “sold” anymore. They are wise to marketing ways and are no longer looking to be suckered – just the opposite, they are looking for someone who is honest! Be real, your clients will appreciate it!
Shelby was even more surprised. “That’s so different. What an uplifting way to look at work, at life!” I told Shelby that that was why I enjoy my job so much. I approach it as if it’s not even work. I’m just floating through my life without expectations that way when something bad happens I am not disappointed, but when something good happens I am pleasantly surprised. “People really like it when I act like myself. They will like you, too.”
Card #3, The Chariot; “How will Love reciprocate and manifest itself in my Career?”
Love will manifest itself in your career by becoming a motivation. With this new attitude, you will very well begin to enjoy your job because it has become a place where you can openly express yourself without concern. There’s no reason why anyone should pretend to be someone they are not. The best way to live is not by switching personalities depending on how appropriate they are in a given circumstance. It’s so much easier to find a constant and be the same no matter where we go. Universal Love makes for a wonderful constant! It works everywhere. The more we express it, especially in career where it is least expected, the more it will become lifestyle and enrich other areas of our life. Love spreads like wildfire too. You ill natural draw people to you who are also loving, on and off the job. What could be more motivating than that kind of reciprocation? Be genuine and give love a try, it just won’t fail.
Shelby thanked me for really spelling it out, because this idea of “loving all” was new to her. I told her that just because my tarot reading leaned in this direction didn’t mean she had to try it. It does however, work really well for me. She understood and wanted to try anyway. She asked that for the last card we try bring it back to business.
Card #4, 4 of Cups, Reversed; “Other than Love, what do my clients want to see in a marketer?”
Every marketer has something to sell, but what many don’t realize is that the customer has something to offer as well! Every single person in this world has a gift to offer. Everyone is special, but it is up to us to see it and understand why. When you interact with clients, do you ever ask yourself, “what can I learn form this person?” Shelby replied, “no.” I told her she should start looking for things the client has to “sell” too! In the Waite-Smith illustration on the 4 of Cups, there is a man sitting under a tree, with three cups toppled over in front of him. I see him as a disappointed marketer, who’s sales did not go through; he is having a bad day in the field. To his left, there is a hand coming out of a cloud. holding the fourth cup. I see this as the hand of the client. It reaches out with the cup as if to say, “I am giving this to you. I hope it’s contents will someday serve you well.” be conscious of the hand of the client, Shelby. Clients do not want to work with a marketer who is always jaded, unhappy and discontent. Be excited and happy to be with them! You are meeting a brand new person, with whom you have a brand new slate and is here to offer you a totally one-of-a-kind brand new gift! Let love guide you to it Shelby! Marketers do a lot of the talking. Let a client talk!
Personally, I found this customized, spur-of-the-moment spread (and the reading) to be unhelpful and unnecessary. Shelby, however, seemed thrilled with her reading. She was very excited to go to work a few hours later. Then again, I have had some readings that I thought were epic, enlightening and amazing, but the client said they were too spiritual to understand and I would have to break it down for them. I guess it must be about customer satisfaction. Some people just want to be guided I guess *^^*
-Allie
The layout what I just thought about, is for a relationship between two people. It would be ideal if the person would ask a general question about how a particular marriage or relationship would be to a person and if they are compatible. I call this layout “The Compatibility Spread”. This spread can be carried out when a person is about to enter into a new marriage ( specially in arranged marriages) or relationship and wants an idea as to whether they will be compatible and get along, and even if they don’t get along on certain aspects, what can they do in such a situation. This spread can be used even in an old marriage which is going through ups and downs to analyze what is going wrong in which areas and how to solve the problem.
1) The spread will consist of compatibility on 5 levels – mental, spiritual, physical, emotional and financial. Any negative cards in an area will show problems in that area. For each level there are 3 cards, so the spread consists of 15 cards in total.
a. MENTAL level means the intellect, getting along on similar topics of interest, having similar hobbies and thoughts. Swords cards show mental activity.
Card 1 is the Mental level of Person A
Card 2 is the Mental level of Person B
Card 3 is the Mental Compatibility of both A and B
b. SPIRITUAL level shows how evolved both people are spiritually and whether they need to work on this area for better compatibility.
Card 4 is Spiritual level of A
Card 5 is Spiritual level of B
Card 6 is Spiritual compatibility of both A and B
c. PHYSICAL LEVEL means the physical aspects like sex, energy, stamina and communication and whether they need to work on this. Wands cards show great physical activity.
Card 7 is Physical level of A
Card 8 is Physical level of B
Card 9 is Physical compatibility of A and B
d. EMOTIONAL level means the level of emotions in a person and if it will be too much for the other person. A cups card shows emotions running.
Card 10 is emotional level of A
Card 11 is emotional level of B
Card 12 is emotional compatibility of A and B
e. FINANCIAL aspect – many couples have problems due to finances, and sometimes there is imbalance of finances between them and ego clashes.
Card 13 is finance of A
Card 14 is finance of B
Card 15 is financial compatibility of A and B
Card 16 is the Final outcome – whether the marriage is a good idea, and if things will sort themselves out and have a happy ending J
1
2
3
MENTAL
4
5
6
SPIRITUAL
7
8
9
PHYSICAL
10
11
12
EMOTIONAL
13
14
15
FINANCIAL
16
2. I plan to try out this spread with my cousin, Aarti who got engaged in February and will be getting married in November in an arranged marriage to Raj. These are the cards which came up in the reading:
I. 7 of Swords
II. The Fool
III. 6 of Cups
IV. The Emperor
V. The Tower
VI. Page of Wands
VII. Ace of Pentacles
VIII. Ace of Swords
IX. King of Wands
X. 7 of Pentacles
XI. 4 of Swords
XII. 2 of Cups
XIII. Knight of Cups
XIV. Queen of Pentacles
XV. The Devil
XVI. 9 of Wands
1. 7 of Swords
2. The Fool
3. 6 of Cups
Raj (Card 1) is cunning and shrewd and does things to suit himself and benefits from this. He knows how to convince people and take advantage of them. On the other hand, Aarti is The Fool (Card 2) , an innocent child who is jumping into this marriage, convinced by him to do so. Though she doesn’t agree to this, I don’t expect her to, since The Fool is innocent and blind in love. They are compatible together as the 6 of cups shows two children. He has to become a child to please her. She is romantic and loves flowers and he will have to bring out that side of himself. Also he has to be a child like her and not intellectualize their relationship. He should go with the flow and not plan his every move.
4. The Emperor
5. The Tower
6. Page of Wands
None of them are particularly spiritual, but Aarti will become later in life when a disaster will strike her or her family. Raj is strong and very highly practical minded, like the Emperor. He has no place for God, he might even be an Atheist. The third card Page of Wands, I feel indicates the birth of a child which will make them spiritually inclined and share a common bond.
7. Ace of Pentacles
8. Ace of Swords
9. King of Wands
We have 2 Aces cards here, Pentacles and Swords. Since this is the Physical aspect, this relates to sex. I’m sure they will have a great sexual life full of energy and passion. Since it is an arranged marriage, they will not have sex before marriage, and they both are probably virgins, it’s the first time for both of them, that’s why the Aces! King of Wands shows great communication between the two of them, and both of them speak to each other about everything. Wands is a great communication card for the physical aspect, specially King of Wands.
10. 7 of Pentacles
11. 4 of Swords
12. 2 of Cups
2 of Cups is a great card for the Emotional aspect, as it symbolizes a deep relationship based on love and friendship. This is a strong marriage based on emotions, but only internally. Externally it may not appear to be this way. He doesn’t show his emotions and she hides her emotions. He needs to be patient with her as it will take her time to fully open up to him emotionally and to be her true self in front of him. Even she needs to wait for him as he always seems restless. Both the 7 of Pentacles and 4 of Swords are ‘waiting’ cards. The bond will take time to develop and grow.
13. Knight of Cups
14. Queen of Pentacles
15. The Devil
Aarti is very happy when she is at her job, she enjoys it. She is the Queen of pentacles and loves her job. She needs stability and time to herself. She needs space. Raj is a go-getter, he is ambitious and optimistic and gets what he wants. He puts his emotions and hard work into his job.The third card is a bit disturbing -The Devil. They may fall into the materialistic trap. They will have a lot of money and thus to spend it, they will indulge in partying, drinking, smoking, shopping,etc and get into the materialistic realm. They must be careful not to overdo it.
16. 9 of Wands
Their marriage has a bit of hesitance to it. Both of them are unsure if it is the right thing to do. Raj has had a bad breakup in the past, and it still affects him. It will take time for him to fully trust Aarti. Maybe that’s what he needs. He needs an innocent child to mend his broken heart.
3. I am very happy with the results of the spread. I think it was a success. The cards are quite accurate also. I think it was very useful for this particular question. It can be used to determine how successful a relationship or marriage will be. Another variation could be to just remove 6 cards and analyze your true nature- how you are physically, mentally, spiritually. Another alternative could just be a 3 card spread – Body,Mind and Soul Spread
Thank You!
Loves,
Kareena
This spread was inspired by my clients’ questions about their relationships. Sometimes clients would require multiple spreads and multiple questions to get to the root of their relationship issues. I wanted to create a spread that was flexible for both the reader and the client, and could be adapted to read for any kind of relationship – not only romantic, but also professional relationships as well as those that exist between friends and family members. I wanted to create a simple spread that moved beyond the realm of basic relationship spreads to address deeper issues and provide the maximum amount of information with as few cards as possible. The aim is to keep the process easy to understand for the client and easy to perform for the reader.
Without further ado – the layout.
A significator is first chosen for the client. This can be astrological, a court card, or a major arcana depending on the wishes of the client and the relationship in question. The court cards must be separated from the deck and shuffled.
1. The other person involved in the relationship with the client.
NB: If this is someone already in the client’s life, the client should select a court card that most accurately represents the person. If the client wishes to know about a future relationship, shuffle and draw from the court card pile, and return court cards to the rest of the deck. Shuffle the deck again. Use common sense. If you’re doing a romance reading for a heterosexual female client, draw from the court card pile until you get to the first male court card.)
2. Core nature of the relationship, the foundation for the relationship.
3. A future event leading up to start of, or change in, the relationship.
4. Strength of the relationship/ what is desired in the relationship/ hope.
5. Weakness of the relationship/ what is not desired in the relationship/ fear.
6. The way the other person involved (card 1) feels about the relationship with the client.
7. Secrets or unspoken elements in the relationship.
8. Ultimate outcome or future of the relationship.
Layout diagram:
…………. 8 …………
… 4 ……. 3 …… 5 …
…….. Sig … 1 ………
… 6 ……. 2 …… 7 …
Example reading:
Helen is an intuitive and my current tarot mentor – she has had visions of a man that she thinks will be her next serious relationship, and she was keen to try out the new relationships spread. She chose her significator as the Queen of Vessels, and felt her mystery man was the King of Pentacles, as he had dark hair in her vision.
Significator: Queen of Vessels. Helen is an intuitive, a Cancerian and strongly psychic. She is also moving into a strong relationships phase in her life, and the watery Queen of Vessels represents her well in this spread.
1. King of Pentacles: The dark-haired man in Helen’s vision. An interesting choice considering cards that came up other parts of the spread.
2. Nine of Wands: A card of duty and plodding, a feeling of ‘nearly there!. I feel this represents the long journey both Helen and her King of Pentacles have been on the find each other. That lately it has felt burdensome and heavy, rather than the fiery hot spark of excitement when forming a new romantic relationship.
3. Ten of Vessels: The moment they meet – that instant recognition that this is it, that the search is over, that they have found what they have been looking for, a partner with whom to share family life.
4. The Moon: Being able to harness the psychic and the spiritual to recognise the ‘destiny’ aspect of their relationship – and being able to sleep peacefully knowing they have finally found one another. A definite strength!
5. The World: It has long been felt intuitively and in past readings that Helen will meet this man overseas – and this means all the complications from which overseas relationships can suffer – including the stress of deciding who moves where, who leaves what behind and who starts fresh. I feel in this way, the tarot is pointing out the long distances indicated by The World can have a negative impact.
6. Ace of Pentacles: From the King of Pentacles, this Ace felt to me like the ultimate ‘gift’ or expression of his love. He wants to give her everything he has, and more if he could! It may not be the gushy outpouring of the Ace of Cups, but instead reflects the grounded, earthy nature of the King of Pentacles and how he chooses to express himself.
7. Eight of Pentacles: As Helen is leaving on an overseas holiday, she takes a leave of absence from work. And once wrapped up in a new overseas romance, the pair may initially sweep practical details like their working lives aside and leave them undiscussed in favour of enjoying the excitement of the new relationship.
8. The Seven of Swords & The Emperor: An extra card was drawn on Helen’s request. I felt this reflected the practical changes and planning necessary to move overseas to keep the relationship going. The overwhelming feeling was to cross every ‘t’ and dot every ‘i’. Immigration, government, banks – all would require careful planning to ensure the relationship did not suffer at the hands of practical details.
Overall:
Whilst the reading itself went well, and Helen was satisfied, I feel the layout could use a few tweaks. There is the struggle to balance a desire for more information with a desire to keep the number of base cards (not including requests to draw extra cards) to a minimum. For me, I feel this is an exciting blue print from which I can develop my own unique relationships spread. I would also like to find a way to incorporate warnings, past issues, environmental influences, the best way of communicating, and ability to overcome problems into the spread in the future. This spread was ultimately about creating something that was easy to understand for the client, but still provided a sufficient depth and wealth of information. It evolved from practical issues raised with real people and their needs, and I’m happy with the way the spread is developing so far. Having said that, there is always room for improvement.
Deck used in this reading: Tarot of the Cloisters.
Cheers,
Missy.
Forgot to mention my layout is called ‘The Universal Relationships Spread’.
I decided on a five card spread that would be useful for people in narrowing a certain goal or path that they’re working on. The reading was for my mother, who I knew had been going through some big challenges as of late. As we approached the spread, I had her think about something in her life that she’s been working on, so she decided to hold energy for her recent focus on letting go of the caregiver/inspiration role that’s held onto her for her entire life. In the past, this role has exhausted her and often times kept her from realizing that by helping others all the time, she may be hindering both herself and the other person(s) involved.
The spread is called: “The Signpost Journey”
Card one placed to the far left is the: Goal
Card two through four are placed in the middle slightly lower and they are to represent three signposts to look for on the journey as a reassurance that the path is being followed. They can also represent something to work at in the process of achieving the goal.
Card five is placed level with the first card and is the: Potential
It looks something like this:
1 5
2 3 4
In the position of Goal : High Priestess (reversed)
Looking at the general idea – of the caregiver role and letting go of it — the High Priestess showing up reversed seemed to represent a goal of releasing the resistance she has toward trusting herself and her intuition. Particularly in relation to the over indulging others by always doing what they ask of her. By allowing the High Priestess to guide her choices, she will be able to discern the appropriate and the healthy ways of nurturing. (As she said “the level of how nurturing to be” before it becomes a sacrifice.) Which in turn would bring her in a deeper and more authentic relationship with herself and self trust.
(We looked second at the Potential Card, so that upon seeing the goal in mind, she could also see what potential is available for her if she sees/practices the three signposts)
In the position of Potential: Ace of Cups (reversed)
The message that came through immediately was the idea of “Filling your cup or emptying your cup” as a representation of the human heart and her emotional fulfillment. It seems that if she fulfills the three signposts and continues her path to this potential, she will be able to claim the ability of saying “no” when someone asks for her help. Making the decision based on whether she would be depleting her emotional fulfillment or honoring it. This would allow her to open her heart honestly as she nurtures or it would allow her to set boundaries in places that vulnerability of the heart might be damaging.
The First signpost: 5 of Pentacles
My mother‘s birth card is a Hierophant and so this card coming up as the first signpost was significant because this is a lesson that will be reflected back to her throughout her entire life. Though in this particular reading it seemed appropriate to first mention her work as a healer and how it might be beneficial to really consider how much she nurtures through her job. I asked her to consider ways that might allow her to be vulnerable as a conduit to the healing she does, but not so open that she becomes a victim to the negativity of those she works on. Also, I thought it important to consider the inner peace and sanctuary she can find that will protect her from giving beyond what she has to give. Particularly in personal relationships, asking her how she can find more time to rest and honor what she needs. For this signpost, I left her with the question: “What can you physically do to create inner peace as a boundary?” That way she can use the pentacles as a way of physically manifesting a signpost to look for. As she practices taking time for finding her inner peace, the ritual might become habit, and that will be a sign of her honoring her first lesson of setting boundaries.
The second signpost: 7 of Wands
In the case of the Chariot showing up here as a seven, I talked to her about this card being a literal action of spirit and passion. Again, this seems to come off as a lesson of setting boundaries, but in this case, setting boundaries without being defensive. Finding a way to protect her energy and spirit by clearly stating what she needs. We talked about what this might look like in the form of a signpost and we decided that by setting boundaries she would be able to first, look at the triggers that are making her defensive rather than assuming it’s the situation (especially if it’s a small disagreement) and two, to see if she finds herself with more energy to use for the actions and favors that she actually wants to be doing. As a question to consider I asked her “What can you do to use your energy for action instead of reaction, as a way to let go of becoming defensive?” I think this is particularly important if she’s going to set boundaries without really knowing how, or being afraid of hurting others.
The third signpost: Knight of Cups
The Knight showing himself at the end of a path is a beautiful sign that mastery is possible as long as she continues to push herself to better herself and achieve her freedom. Being a court card, I felt that the Knight represented having more control over the ebb and flow of her emotions. In part, result of both the Five of Pentacles and the Seven of Wands. By choosing to set boundaries she’s allowing herself the space to make decisions from a place of truth, so that when she gives to others or nurtures others it’s from a place of willingness rather than obligation or expectation. In this, she will have better and stronger relationships as well. The question I had her ponder about this third signpost was: “What would a genuine giving of the heart feel like?” and I think it extremely important for her to consider the feeling because it’s the Knight of Cups. To be genuine means to do something out of love and charity; not out of expectation.
Review of Spread:
More than anything I think that this spread would be beneficial to people who need direction in small ways because it allows them to work towards their own landmarks. It gives them the chance to create the space for being reassured that they’re on the path they want to follow. In my mother’s case this spread turned out really well, because although seemingly difficult tasks, five cards isn’t too much to take in and it’s not intimidating because there are three set steps to take.
The numbers (cards) didn’t turn out quite like I had them placed… so I hope you get the idea.
Oh yes, and I used “The Llewellyn Tarot”
I like to keep it easy for my clients. If there is to much going on in the spread the client has a tendency to get nervous and anxious. I’ll keep it down with a six card spread.
Card One-The client-personality card
Card Two- The present situation
Card Three- What causes the situation
Card Four- What will help or hinder the clients path
Card Five- A card from the divine-a gift from the guides to help
Card Six- The out come on the current path
My client is in her early 60′s. She is questioning her finances or lack there of.
Card one-The Temperance- I’ve know this woman my whole life. Its a vary fitting card for her. She truly is the bringer of balance. Even in her current financial state she controls how the water is flowing. She is the one handling the check book, finding creative ways of living to the fullest on a small budget.
Card Two- Five of Pentacles- The two poor people push on ignoring the home behind them. That is currently what the client is doing. She refuses help from those around her. My intuition has told her to find a financial adviser. This card also has another major meaning. Her house is being foreclosed,she soon will be homeless unless she gets help.
Card Three-Two of Pentacles- In her case she was not able to find balance. The waves in the back of the card represent her life financially. Every time she saved money the next year she would have to spend it on necessities. It was always a circle of finding a balance.
Card Four- Three of Swards- I truly believe that the heart brake the client is feeling will help her move forward and become a stronger person. Also when reading into why the card was chosen. There was a delay in the banks process due to a system error. This will help her keep this roof over her head until she finds a new place.
Card Five- Five of Cups- Her guides are telling her to stop looking into the past. Its time to move on. Only good things are to come if she would turn around and leave the past behind.
Card Six- The Empress- When every thing is said and done she will come out of this spotless. She will have another chapter in her book of what strength overcomes. She is back to rule her home and life with love and compassion.
We know that the client will be losing her home. This will help her rebuild her finances because she will no longer have to pay a mortgage. After the reading she let me know that her husband just bought a house. And she will no longer have to pay for a roof over her head.
This spread was easy to use. I liked asking guides to give a message in the reading. It helps the client gain a bigger picture on what would help the.
Over all this was great practice. I’m going to start thinking about other spreads I can make up and start playing around with them.
1. THE LAYOUT: So the theme of the spread is FREEDOM and what inspired me that day were the seagulls that roamed across the clear blue sky in search of food. So they are free and have simple goals in life, and what would be more liberating than having information about a goal you wish to achieve. And because my goal was to design a new deck, I incorporated the symbol of free spirit – the bird and the challenge at hand. This is the diagram of the spread:
3…………………..
2…………….
1………… 4 ……..6 ………….
………………
5
The meaning of each position that corresponds to the specific part of a bird:
1) The Beak / Head : What you see ahead of you; What is my goal (or a “wish” for some)?
2) The Shoulder / Humerus: What gives you strength to fly; What supports me?
3) The Wing(s): What propels you forward; What lessens the attainment of my goal?
4) The Trunk/ The Belly: What burdens do you carry, What do you need to fuel you; What hinders the attainment of my goal?
5) The Feet / Tarsus: What helps you to start your flight; What is my starting point?
6) The Tail: What is the force directing your flight; What motivates me?
I named it A Bird’s Reading and it can be used for giving readings about a specific goal, wish or a solution of a problem the client wants to assess. The number of cards is extracted from those parts that we can notice the bird is using when it is flying or looking for food. I always use newly formed spreads first on myself and then on others and so that was the case this time, but because one of the tasks is to apply it on someone other than ourselves I asked the same client that I gave the reading for the first challenge. I explained what is this spread used for and she shuffled the cards and cut them.
2. SAMPLE READING: Her goal was HAVING A THRIVING PRIVATE PRACTICE FOR HEALING.
(Deck used: The Fantasy)
A. The cards she received were the following according to the positions of the spread
1) SEVEN of COINS
2) KING of SWORDS
3) QUEEN of CUPS
4) ACE of COINS
5) THREE of COINS
6) The STAR
B. Interpretation: What comes to my attention first is the number of COIN cards that immediately tells me it is mostly a work-related goal and may regard certain financial or practical issues. The Querent desires to start her own business based solely on her own labor and expertise and in a way she knows that if she achieves this she will gain plenty of personal satisfaction or as the proverb says “to reap what she sows”. In achieving this goal she will support herself through managing her own business and upholding to the highest principles of her line of work as well as putting the knowledge she has previously gained in this area into practice and this process will be lessened through combination of her creativity and passion for this kind of work with the nurturing skills that may be required of her. The greatest obstacle may sprung out of not having previously owned any kind of private business as well as the necessary practical knowledge of managing a practice on her own. Being used to work in a more or less comfortable environment in her present career she may feel overwhelmed or anxious at the beginning of this venture. What will help her start on a good and solid basis is doing practice even without previously owning a private office and also putting a conscious effort and commitment in order to gradually achieve her vision. I especially have stressed out the “gradualism” of this process so that the client may not befall in the trap of her own idealistic expectations. Also, at the end, I gave her some advice as to what would propel her to move more steadily towards achieving this goal. The presence of a major arcana card in the motivational position speaks a lot about what would be most helpful for her in facing the ongoing difficulties of establishing her own private practice. The Star tells her not only to have faith in her own vision of success but also to aspire for greater good that permeates the idea of being a healer and, most important, to believe in herself and her knowledge and abilities, especially when facing dark times and inner doubts that stem out of the lack of self-confidence.
3. COMMENT: The first time I used this layout for myself I found it to be quite revealing and at the same time focused on what I really needed to know. I usually prefer simple and right-to-the point layouts with preferably one card for each segment or position, since having lots of different cards for one type of energy can be quite taxing and distracting at the same time having in mind that each card presents energy on its own. The client was very satisfied with the reading she received and that the layout presented the information SPOT ON what she needed to understand. In general, it is very functional and quite useful layout. I plan to use it on many other occasions and probably as a standard reading spread in my repertoire.
P.S> Don’t mind the diagram, unfortunately I forgot to put more dots before each number as to keep the form of the layout. An option to paste pictures would be greatly appreciated in such case.
Great work everyone! Only a few more hours for the others to get their entries in. 11 1/2 hours to be exact…..
I wanted to do a relationship spread since a vast majority of people are concerned with love and relationships (myself included). Personally, I haven’t found a spread that focuses on what I want to know- where each partner is “at” in the relationship as well as their long term compatibility. Also, it would be helpful to know a little about the current state of the relationship, what you need to focus on, and where it’s heading.
To address all these concerns, I made a simple 6-card layout. To see the layout spread go to:
http://www.cce.umn.edu/documents/olli/LSpr.jpg
Card 1 – Addresses how the partner (1) influences the relationship
Card 2 – Addresses how the querent (partner 2) influences the relationship
Card 3 – Shows the compatibility between these two people.
Card 4 – Shows what the querent needs to know about the relationship
Card 5 – Guides the querent by suggesting what steps (or actions) need to be taken in the relationship at this time.
Card 6 – Shows where the relationship is headed.
It is possible to build off of any of these cards if you need or would like more information about a specific area in the relationship.
For this reading, I read for Ianthe. She is in a newer relationship and just wanted to “check-in” to see where the relationship was and where it was heading. I used my Tarot of the Magical Forest deck.
For her partner, I drew Temperance. He is confidant and well adapted to the needs of the relationship. He knows how and when to put more energy into it, or take a step back to balance things out.
For her, I drew 8 of Swords. She doesn’t really know what she wants… because of this, she doesn’t know what to do or how to go about doing it. She lives day-to-day, whim-to-whim trying to find the “right” direction that will set her on her way. She is too drawn within herself to really give anything to him at the moment.
For their compatibility I drew The Hermit. Traditionally, The Hermit signifies the a step back needs to be taken concerning a relationship. However, for this reading I got an overwhelming sense that this card signified their journey together. Instead of one party stepping away from the other, they would protect each other from the world. They would be united, moving forward, consciously withdrawn and isolated from outside influences.
Card 4 was the 5 of Cups. This showed that she needed to know that even when things were looking not so great, she needed to pause and look at the whole picture.
Card 5 recommended that she really take a hard look at what it is that she wants out of a relationship with the 9 of Swords. Especially with her current state of being signified with the 8 of Swords, she really needs to put some effort into figuring out what it is she wants and needs, or else she’s going to remain stuck in her cycle of reacting to things as they come along instead of being able to prioritize and focus on what really matters most to her… she needs direction.
The last card, where the relationship is heading, was the Ace of Pentacles. This shows that the relationship is headed toward a happy and stable union. They will be very content with one another and will find great joy being with one another. This appears to be the beginning of a balanced and solid union.
My thoughts: I actually read this new spread over and over again for myself until I was comfortable with it. At first it seems bulky and hard to interpret, but as I ironed out the snags and got more comfortable with it I felt better about it. When I was ready to read for my live subject I felt that the spread really would paint an accurate picture of where the relationship stood as of right now.
Reading it was very comfortable. The way I “stair-stepped” the spread seemed very natural and intuitive (reference the picture: the two partners on top level, compatibility between them. Need to know and need to act next to and on the same line as compatibility with where it’s heading placed below “know” and “action” card). The querent was satisfied and grateful that I “called her out” on not having clear cut direction in the relationship. She stated that she had been feeling that she was kind of lost and that it was a problem. She hadn’t thought about having the power to define what was important to her. (She stated that she has always just “gone along” with whatever her partners had wanted in former relationships).
Personally I think that this is a good spread, but I would maybe like to look a little more in-depth into what the partners are contributing. One card for each person seemed a little restrictive and I wish I would have had a little more to go off of, especially when the compatibility part was being addressed. A note about the compatibility- to me, compatibility is different from where the relationship is heading because it addresses the potential both partners have together. Where the relationship is headed is useful because it can warn of any hiccups or false peaks of happiness or hopefulness. Together, compatibility and “where it’s headed” are very strong tools to have at hand.
The “Conjugation” Spread
Ok, this one might be difficult for non-foreign language speakers, but I’m a language nerd… so I really like the way it considers every aspect of the situations “society”.
Seeker must select 1)an area/aspect of life or a basic situation on which to consult the cards AND 2)a VERB that they would like to “Conjugate” => consider in relation to each aspect of your situation’s community. *This spread will work best for questions involving multiple people/parties, ie: not a purely internal question*
Brief background: In (many) other languages we conjugate a verb depending on who is doing the action. The verb actually changes EVERY TIME it interacts with a different person/group of people. Following is the standard conjugation chart showing the 6 social groups (as well as my correlating positions). This will be the layout for the Tarot spread. Notice the left side is Singular elements and the right side is Plural elements
Singular Plural
1st person I (card #1) we (card #4)
2nd person you (card #2) you all (card #5)
3rd person he/she/it (card #3) they (card #6)
Card#1- Verb’s influence on Seeker ONLY
Card#2- Verb’s influence on “the Other” ONLY
Card #3- Verb’s influence on an outside (& possibly unknown) element (near future?)
Card#4- Verb’s influence on EVERYONE involved, INCLUDING Seeker (environment? general attitude?)
Card#5- Verb’s influence on EVERYONE involved, EXCLUDING Seeker (others’ opinions? how others are affected?)
Card #6- Verb’s influence on a series of outside (& possibly unknown) elements (final outcome? or expansion of Card #3?)
MY Querent’s combined Question and Verb:
“Should or shouldn’t I PURSUE (romantically) these men?”
Card #1 Three of Swords=>(as if the querent were talking to herself) “I am PURSUING/need to PURSUE revealing and coming to terms with certain painful truths. The querent said she knew what truths were being avoided.
Card#2 Nine of Wands REVERSED=>(talking to a singular person directly involved in this situation) “You are NOT PURSUING completion/overcoming the final hurdle(in context to our relationship?)” I asked if there was one man that was in the forefront of her situation and she said yes. I asked if he seemed to be unwilling/lacking energy to commit or take it to the next level? And she said they have had a flirtatious past and built a wonderful friendship, but they he is too hesitant to “just let things happen”.
Card #3 Nine of Pentacles=>”Someone else outside of the situation is PURSUING stability, abundance, and a personal sense of competence in the physical world” Since this is possibly a near future position we might say there will be another man outside of the querent’s consideration who is solitarily pursuing spiritual/physical completion, he only lacks someone to share it with to move onto the 10.
Card #4 Page of Pentacles REVERSED=> “We are PURSUING this situation on unstable grounds/unrealistic foundations.” None of these opportunities are sticking or making a physical AND a spiritual connection. This message is not getting thru.
Card #5 Six of Swords=> “You all (the considered men) are/will be PURSUING a new situation after disappointment and sadness.” These are the men moving on after the revelation of lies being dealt with in the 3 of swords. Maybe not all are moving on literally, but at least moving on to a realistic/honest playing field. Querent said the guys do seem “one foot in the door one foot out”, like they know something is up.
Card#6 The Hanged Man REVERSED=> “There are some outside elements which are NOT PURSUING a necessary time-out/sacrifice to gain knowledge of how to move forward” This could be seen as an extension of the potential man that we saw in card #3. Perhaps he will come rushing in without waiting the proper time to gain perspective or build a proper foundation.
yeesh! yeah those card positions are tricky to make line up.
BASCILY two columns,
Column one considers singular individuals.(card #1 #2 and #3)
Column two considers multiples/groups. (card #4 #5 and #6)
Coloring Book Spread
________Red__________
Orange__________Yellow
____Blue_____Green____
_______Purple_________
__________Relationship__________
Goals_____________________Health
___Intelligence_________Prosperity_
_____________Intuition_________
Designing the spread: Definitions of each word/importance
Red (Relationship): Connection
Orange (Goals): Purpose of action
Yellow (Health): Physical and mental wellness
Green (Prosperity): Affluence, Fortune
Blue (Intelligence): Ability to perceive, Understand
Purple (Intuition): Ability to reason
Read for my cousin [Athena]. She hasn’t picked up her cards recently. She wanted to remember what it felt like to do a reading. Also, she wanted to remember how to use them. I needed the practice as well. She was looking for a spread with more than 3 cards. She also didn’t have a question in mind during this reading. Plus I wanted to use my new deck! Wizards Tarot. By Corrine Kenner, illustrated by John J Blumen.
I told Athena, that there were 6 cards she had to pick. Didn’t matter what order she picked the cards, as long as before she picked them she thought of the word/color represented in the 6 designated spots.
Her results=
Red (Relationship): 2 of Swords
Orange (Goals): The Dark Lord
Yellow (Health): Knight of Pentacles
Green (Prosperity): 4 of pentacles
Blue (Intelligence): High Priestess
Purple (Intuition): Queen of Wands
Interpretations:
Red (Relationship): 2 of Swords-Balanced, at peace. Inhibited, therefor you are required to rely on other senses. The may be a choice, if so, then it is your own decision. Time may be running out, or it is just getting late.
Orange (Goals): The Dark Lord-You might as well be off track from your current goals. Things are not going as planned. You are paying the price of your decisions. This is time for learning a lesson.
Yellow (Health): Knight of Pentacles- Self-determination. Self-motivation. Difficult challenge, long drawn out, slow process. Huge struggle. Minimal tools to use for your advantage. You are capable to overcome it though.
Green (Prosperity): 4 of pentacles-Money is saved, current income, and potential for more. Things aren’t going to stop any time soon. Although there is still lots of growing needing to be done.
Blue (Intelligence): High Priestess-Everything you ever needed, is currently at your disposal. If you need answers, divination may help. Be sure to record all new discoveries at this time. So later you can reflect on what you have done in response to realizations.
Purple (Intuition): Queen of Wands-Inner power. There is a sense of stability of the mind. This is a positive card. Guarding something most treasured.
Analysis: Not spectacular. Could be more useful when I develop my skills better. Athena enjoyed the reading. She felt as though some of the cards didn’t really “speak” to her. Some just didn’t relate with who she was. Things were very broad, not specific enough. To improve, I would definitely consider re-organizing. Or changing the words associated with each color. I would get a better understanding of each color and their meanings.
Our relationships are a huge part of our lives, and at any given time they are usually either making us or breaking us. And I often find myself wondering and analysing, what exactly is this person’s purpose in my life, and in turn, what significant role do I play in his or her life?….
So I thought I would create a spread that gives us a glimpse into the relationship we have with another. This is not at all a typical relationship spread where we look at how each person views the other, or where we look at the external influences, our hopes and fears, where it is going, or what to do. But rather, it is a snapshot of what we give in this relationship and what we receive from this relationship on a more karmic level. What purpose do we play in each others’ lives. Hopefully by knowing why someone is in our lives, we will value and respect our relationship with them much more.
I have divided the spread into four quadrants, each representing the emotional, mental, spiritual and physical aspects of ourselves that our relationships serve.
The layout is as follows:
1..2……………………..3..4
……………9..10…………..
5..6……………………..7..8
Cards 1, 2, 5 and 6 are on the left, so they represent the feminine. Cards 3, 4, 7, and 8 on the right represent the masculine. The centre pair (9 & 10) indicates the overall purpose we have in each other’s life.
1&2 = emotional
3&4 = mental
5&6 = spiritual
7&8 = physical
Within each pair the left card indicates the gift we receive from the relationship, and the right card indicates what we serve or the gift we give to the other in the relationship.
The spread is called “It Takes Two”
My mum (let’s call her Lisa) was my querent today, and she wanted to understand the purpose she has in her daughter’s life (that’s me).
So I helped her form the question in a way that suited the purpose of my spread.
Question: “What is the nature of the relationship that connects me to Helena?”
I used the Rider-Waite-Smith deck for this reading.
Strength….King of Cups…………………………..9 of Pentacles….3 of Cups
………………………..The High Priestess…Judgement…………………………
The Hermit…The Sun……………………………..4 of Pentacles…9 of Wands
Emotional
Receives – Strength – Emotionally, Helena is a source of strength, courage and support for Lisa. Helena influences Lisa to find the soft, feminine power within her and exercise it is such a way that allows her to take hold of her emotional being. She helps develop Lisa’s patience, compassion, self belief and trust in herself, directing her feelings so that she can gain and attitude of mind over matter. She will be able to feed a wild lion with her bare hands.
Gives – King of Cups – Lisa is Helena’s role model in how she handles her emotions. Lisa has mastered her emotions, and the ways she deals with them. She shows Helena the beauty and necessity of exercising restraint but not repression when it comes to her feelings. Her calm, mature and supportive temperament guides Helena to create balance between emotions and intellect, without falling victim to sentimentality.
Mental
Receives – Nine of Pentacles – Helena serves Lisa’s mental faculties by encouraging her to cultivate self-control, self-discipline, self-reliance and a knowledge of self. She helps Lisa plant seeds in her mind, developing thoughts and a mentality of hard work and self sacrifice, which in return gives her material comforts and security.
Gives – Three of Cups – Mentally Helena is uplifted by Lisa’s companionship and sense of community that she has created for Helena. Through her, Helena is shown the importance of open, honest communication, peace of mind, and love. The special, unconditional type of love that is well appreciated.
Spiritual
Receives – The Hermit – Helena plays a significant role in Lisa’s spiritual development. Though Helena is Lisa’s daughter, on the spiritual plane she takes on the role of teacher/ mentor to Lisa, taking her away from the clutter of life, helping her trust her intuition and guiding her to look within herself for the answers. Her wisdom and insight aids Lisa on her spiritual quest. Helena teaches Lisa that she needs to look inwards.
Gives – The Sun – Lisa provides the space and opportunity for Helena’s spiritual growth. She lights the lamp so that Helena can attain wisdom, clarity, healing and growth. ‘Let you inner light shine’, she says. Helena basks in the joy, brightness, warmth and protection Lisa offers. She teaches Helena about renewal and growth, and the experiences of joy, happiness and freedom. All are important for spiritual advancement.
Physical
Receives – Four of Pentacles – Lisa learns through Helena that the important things in life are not material. There is no point in clinging onto familiarity, or holding onto items, thereby resisting change. Helena influences Lisa’s purpose by teaching her to stop striving for material and physical satisfaction and pleasures in excess. There’s a need to gain and preserve for security and stability, but not to become possessive or greedy.
Gives – Nine of Wands – Lisa alerts Helena to her mistakes and weaknesses so that she can learn from them. She teaches her to dig deep inside and find the courage, strength and determination within her to complete tasks and achieve goals. Helena’s accomplishments in the physical realm will bring her closer to her life’s purpose.
Overall/ general
Receives – The High Priestess – Helena is a guiding force in Lisa’s journey. She tunes her into her intuition, wisdom, inner strength and inner knowledge.
Gives – Judgement – Lisa is strictly instils values in Helena, teaching her the laws of karma, of cause and effect. The importance of positive choices, and how we handle ourselves in times of adversity and stress. She gets Helena to make things right, getting her ready for rebirth.
While each relationship we have in our lives involve working on karma, learning life lessons, and being propelled a little further on our spiritual advancement, this spread shows that Lisa and Helena’s relationship chiefly serves each other in the spiritual realm. The number nine comes up in four of the cards – the number of initiation, spirituality and completeness. And to achieve their spiritual purposes both mother and daughter have a similar influence in each other lives, shown the overall purpose cards which are both number two energies. That is, with sensitivity, gentleness, patience, sincerity, intuition and a healing quality. They also tap into each other fears and vulnerability, providing support.
I found this a beautiful spread that has provided great insight into mine and my mother’s relationship. I found it special and so did she. I think that by learning a little about the purpose she has in my life, and vice versa, she and I both can focus on those positive traits, and can appreciate them more, and we can have gratitude.
She often comments when I pull her up on her carefree attitude and love for beautiful houses and beautiful things. I’m always encouraging her to instead spend her time and money on her spiritual advancement and wellbeing, through yoga and meditation classes, etc, which sometimes she feel like I’m lecturing her too much. It was interesting that my purpose in her spiritual realm is represented by the Hermit, as number nine is my life path number, and the Hermit is the card I most identify with. And sometimes we argue when she points out my flaws and mistakes – I feel like I must do everything right when in front of her, which puts a strain on our relationship. I see though, through this spread, that this is not just because she is my mother, but because that may actually be one of the lessons I must learn in this lifetime.
So I believe this spread can teach us a lot, and therefore can help us hone our relationships, and we can put more emphasis on the good things, which we may perceive as bad without this knowledge. By doing this, we can have stronger, more positive, fulfilling relationships with purpose.
I must point out though, that this spread does have its limitations because it is designed for a specific purpose. It is good in giving insight, but probably not so great in helping solve problems and giving advice. And sometimes we do like a bit more practical reading.
These are amazing entries. Tarot reading can sometimes require creative thinking and I believe you have all shown some extreme talent here.
Next challenge coming up on the 18th!