Vendredi: Divinatory Spread

Now that you have both the Suits of Clubs and Hearts under your belt, I thought it might be nice to try something a little different in divinatory spreads.  I learned this one Angeles Arrien, PhD’s The Tarot Handbook.  The book, originally published by Tarcher/Putnam, is a great workbook for beginning and intermediate Tarot work, but the spreads can easily apply to cartomancy of any kind.

Arrien calls this the “Self-Esteem Spread” and given that her field of study is cultural anthropology that comes as no surprise.  Really, you can call it whatever you like but it is a nice form of meditation on self that allows you to use the cards you have already studied.  Don’t get too hung up on the “names” of the card positions as laid out here (I have modified them a little).  Just flow with the reading and allow yourself to double check any card meanings that you aren’t sure of.  Reading your own fortune is always the best way to learn.

To basically repeat from our last divinatory spread in January, remove the Suits of Clubs and Hearts from your deck and shuffle them.  Now cut the cards into three stacks using your left hand and moving right to left while concentrating on your question or concern.  Pick them up the same way and deal five cards, again moving right to left.

Lay out six cards in a linear pattern, each below the one before it, starting at the top.  Sit back for a moment and look at the cards before you.  The reading of each card individually should look something like this:

The top card gives insight into your ability to set boundaries for yourself.  The second card deals with your flexibility in situations from relaxed to stressful.  The third card speaks to how open you are to personal relationships.  Card four indicates your ability to stick to your goals and/or stay on track.  Card five is about your communication skills.  The bottom card has something to say about your overall feelings about yourself.

Read the cards individually, looking for insights that you may not consciously have thought about before.  Once you are clear on the individual meanings, either take what the cards have to offer or consider spending a little time in meditation.  Try focusing on the areas that you and the cards have both identified as needing a little work.  You can repeat the spread as often as you like – without obsessing, of course – to help you on your path of self-discovery.

If all that is a little too New Age for you (the book was originally published in 1987), use the spread just to become familiar with divinatory meanings, head back to our last divinatory spread post or – better than all that – make up a spread of your own!  Next Friday we’ll begin the Suit of Spades.  Vendredi heureux ~

Header: The Fortune Teller by Nicholaos Gysis