TarotFaceFace-9.html

Facing All Fronts:
Twelve Spreads

It is said that Dr. Milton Erickson, a famous psychiatrist and hypnotherapist, never repeated the same technique twice. He used two basic principles, incorporation and utilization, and from these everything else followed, naturally and instinctively. He simply incorporated into his method the actual communications of his clients—their language, nonverbal communication, and unconscious processes—and then utilized these exact same elements to effect massive change.

We saw earlier in this book how we can use a similar principle to generate elegant spreads based on the querent’s own question. However, often students require a simple template—a spread—with which to practice. Unfortunately, because many students do not learn to go beyond this approach, they end up having to learn dozens of spreads, or else constantly ask, “What is the best spread for this question?” We decided to take all the questions asked of us over the last three decades, categorise them, and provide a set of twelve spreads that should cover the great majority of what is asked.

But know this—the most astonishing spread you will ever create is the one you will use only once, for one particular querent, for one particular question, in one particular moment.

The Truth of the Oracle must be discovered within the divinatory moment, not a template.

Many spreads are available to frame a reading and provide a context within which interpretation can be carried out more precisely for the question being asked. Earlier, we provided a means of generating a spread straight from the question, and in this penultimate chapter we will show you twelve template spreads that can be used to answer the majority of questions you will encounter when reading for other people (or yourself). These spreads are based around an existing esoteric system that has already divided life into helpful sections—astrology with its twelve houses.

Twelve Spreads for the Whole of Life

The phrase “put your own house in order first” comes, as do many, from the Bible. In this case, from Isaiah (38:1):

In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came unto him, and said unto him, “Thus saith the LORD, Set thine house in order: for thou shalt die, and not live.”

We hope to set our house in order long before our appointed time by using tarot to explore the aspects of our life that require work and offer opportunities for development. We can also divine for questions posed by others in this same way.

In astrology, twelve specific areas of life correspond to twelve “houses”
—divisions of the 360-degree birth chart into equal sections of 30 degrees each. Of course, there are many different house systems in astrology. The one utilised here is found in John Frawley’s The Real Astrology and is based upon traditional horary astrology.30 As Frawley points out—at length—this system views some areas of the houses as being entirely malefic and troublesome, rather than through what he sees as a “modernist” gloss of positivity.

The twelve houses presented by Frawley use the Regiomontanus system of Johannes Müller von Königsberg (1436–1476), who used the pseudonym “King of the Mountains” (Regiomontanus) in his writings. However, the system had been in use long before his time.31 The houses relate to the following aspects of earthly life:

1. “Spark” and your body

2. Resources and your inanimate and movable possessions

3. Siblings, neighbours, and communication

4. Land, property, security, your father

5. Children, pleasure, “ale-houses and taverns”

6. Service, ill health, and all that afflicts us

7. The other person, marriage, relationships

8. Death

9. God, religion, learning, dreams and visions

10. King, boss, your mother

11. Friends, friendship, hopes and wishes

12. Enemies, tribulation, sorrow

Each of these areas is very general, of course, but we can easily assign most questions to one of them. A question about a partner or potential partner—the most likely topic we are going to be asked about—is a seventh-house issue, although what we do with that person is a fifth-house issue!

A question about your career is possibly a tenth-house issue where it relates to a potential promotion, but is a ninth-house issue where it relates to improving your skills for that promotion. If the promotion is at present merely a vague wish or hope, then it falls into the eleventh house.

This is an important approach to looking into the very heart of a question posed to us in divination. As a contemporary oracle, we should always look into the context of the question to be assured that we are answering it in the world and environment in which it exists for the client, avoiding as much as possible interjecting our own beliefs and presumptions into the question. Although this is difficult in actual practice, we can limit our own projection by using a framework.

Whilst we could project our mundane life onto the stellar map and all twelve of its areas correspondence, we will benefit further by having a specific spread for each such area, appropriate to the nature of the question or situation.

Spread 1: The Soul Boat,
for Matters of the House of the Self

Example questions: “Where is my life going?” “Who am I?” “What should I do?”

This spread is based on the ancient Egyptian concept of the “soul boat”—the barque of the sun. The sun was seen as traversing the sky in a vast boat, and the nature of the sun changed as the day progressed. As the central glyph of the self or soul, the Sun card is used here as the significator. The remaining cards are shuffled and dealt as depicted below. The ancient Egyptians also believed in a serpent adversary to the sun—Apep—which is reflected in the reading.

The Soul Boat Spread

1. Navigator: This card indicates what may be seen to steer you toward in your life journey, your vision and a signpost or beacon.

2. Helm: This illustrates your resources, things that can be drawn upon, avenues that can be explored, and assistance that can be given.

3. Sunset: This is a part of your life that must be allowed to fade.

4. Noon: This is a part of your life that must be recognised and enjoyed.

5. Sunrise: This is a part of your life that must be developed and nurtured.

6. Adversary: This is what blocks you.

7. Guardian: This is what defeats the blocks.

8. Midnight: This is the secret core of your life that must be brought into the light.

In this spread, you may wish to read the Helm and Guardian cards together and then the Adversary, for example, comparing it to the Midnight card. However, as with any other spread, do not mistake the positions and numbering as anything other than a convenient description—guidelines, if you will. You can read the cards in any order and recognise patterns as you do so. Listen to and trust your intuition.

Spread 2: The Well of Untapped Reserves,
for Matters of the House of Resources

Example questions: “What am I missing?” “What do I need” “How can I make it happen?”

This unique spread utilises not only the symbol or image of a house—but actually your house or apartment itself! It is specifically designed as a reading for oneself. If performed on behalf of a client, you can do it as written, or map out (with the client) his or her house and use that as a layout. In Jungian terms, the house is a symbol of the self, and various locations in a house often appear in dreams to indicate aspects of the self. Here we also take the physical locations as representing functions.

Take your deck and shuffle, whilst standing in whatever place you regard as the centre of your home. Take out the first card and lay it somewhere in the space around you, saying: “This is the card that tells me exactly what I have.”

Now move to the next room or area of your property, and lay out a card according to the function of that location. Here are some examples:

Kitchen: “This is the card that tells what nourishes me.”
Study: “This is the card that tells what I can learn.”
Children’s room: “This is the card that tells what delights me.”
Bedroom: “This is the card that tells what will give me rest
and relaxation.”
Basement: “This is the card that tells what is hidden that I can draw upon.”
Attic: “This is the card that tells what I can aim for.”
Hallway: “This is the card that tells how I will get there.”
Bathroom: “This is the card that tells me what I must flush away.”

Feel free to use your imagination in this reading and have fun with it. You can lay down more than one card in any particular area, if you like, and then go back through your property reading the cards. Be careful with this method not to lose any cards, though, or to perform the reading when there are lots of other people (or animals) passing through the place. Also take care not to get your cards wet or damp. Finally, whilst it is fun to go clambering into the attic to receive a message from the cards that otherwise would not make itself known, watch your step!

Spread 3: The Family and the Fishing Net, for Matters of the Family

Example questions: “How do I deal with my family (or a specific family member)?” “What’s going to happen at the wedding?”

The Family Spread

This is another example of using a split deck, as discussed earlier; in this case, the court cards are separated from the rest of the deck. It is also what we call a “layered spread” (as contrasted with a “flat spread”)—in other words, it deals with situations that are still developing.

Take out the sixteen court cards and shuffle them, thinking about the question. Lay them out in a cross as the diagram shows, starting from the top, then three cards left to right, and finally the fourth card at the bottom of the cross.

Set the rest of the court cards aside. Read these four cards first, then take the separated deck (composed of majors and minors only) and ask a related question, such as, “How can I mend relations with my sister?” Shuffle the deck and lay out one card on top of each of those already laid down. This will indicate the energy developing in that area of the situation. You can ask as many more questions as you wish, laying additional cards down on top of each stack.

Spread 4: The Tablet of Union,
for Matters of Protection and Security

Example questions: “How can I best protect my job?” “How do I conclude a troubling matter?”

In the Enochian magical system developed by John Dee and Edward Kelley in the late sixteenth century, it was believed that the angels transmitted teachings of a vast and complex nature. At the centre of this system stood the Watchtowers of the Elements and an array of thirty aethyrs, which the angels inhabited and passed through, from one world into another.

To comprehend this vast system, a “Tablet of Union” was given, where a simple synthesis of the elements could be viewed and from which everything else followed. Here we take that elemental root to create a twenty-five-card spread that gives a comprehensive overview of a tricky situation.

Tablet of Union Spread

1. Where is this situation coming from, ultimately?

2. What is the simple idea that captures the heart of this event?

3. What is this situation trying to teach me?

4. How can I best bring it to conclusion safely?

5. Where can I best utilise my ambition (or passion) in this situation?

6. What needs communicating?

7. What is free to move?

8. How best can I maintain my emotional stability?

9. What must I see in order to understand the reality of this situation?

10. Where can I best spend my time?

11. Where am I safest?

12. Where can I discover clarity and expression?

13. What is free to be felt?

14. Where might I become unstuck?

15. Where is the source of tension and conflict?

16. What value needs to be drawn upon to protect those involved in this situation?

17. What is the simplest way of seeing what is going on?

18. What can I do about where I feel pinned down?

19. What is this situation trying to achieve in reality and manifestation?

20. What fire needs putting out immediately? What needs to be dealt with first?

21. What spark can I rescue from this situation?

22. What can I give life by paying attention?

23. How can I bring my own resources and feelings to bear in this situation?

24. What will assure long-term success and protection?

25. What is the ultimate message I must live?

Spread 5: The Self-Fulfilling Spread,
for Matters of Pleasure and Joy

Example questions: “How can I improve my life?” “Where can I discover the joy of life?”

In this method for reading for oneself, you first select one card from the deck that best embodies your idea of a fulfilled and happy life. If you have more than one deck, you may wish to choose the one that has the most joyous images. You can also use this method with a querent by asking him or her to select such a card. Place that card on your table a short distance away from you.

Shuffle the rest of the deck whilst considering that card, and when you are ready, draw a card from the deck. Place that one directly in front of you. Say, “This is how it will go if I try to find joy.”

If the card appears to be a negative one, or one that does not favor working toward your goal, say, “Okay, so I will go that way less.” Set it aside and draw another.

If the card appears to fulfill a step toward your goal, say “Okay, so I will go that way more.” Leave the card on the table.

Repeat the process until you have four or five cards that indicate the steps you must take to have pleasure and joy in your life.

If you need further clarification as to how to take action on each of those steps, we suggest you use the Next Step method included in both Tarot Twist and Tarosophy. Of course, you can also draw a further card for each step.

Spread 6: The Discover Your Demon Spread,
for Matters of Affliction

Example questions: “Why do I always do that?” “Why am I depressed?” “Why is my life so negative?”

Discover Your Demon Spread

This method could be compared to an exorcism, to draw a demon out from hiding within a situation. The demon might be an attachment, an old pattern, a self-destructive streak, or other negative recurrent situation. Whilst tarot reading is not a replacement for counselling or psychotherapy, it does provide a means of examining a personal situation or behaviour with the intent of gaining insight.

Consider the nature of the affliction and lay out the first four cards in order in the shape of a cross as below.

These first four cards show:

1. The fear that is at work in this situation. The nature of what you are trying to avoid by playing out this pattern or by this pattern of events being present in your life.

2. The advice that can resolve (or even absolve) this situation, which you may not be ready to hear or act upon because you do not yet have the resources.

3. The resources or approach you can take to change this situation.

4. The actual first step of exorcising this behaviour or pattern of events from your life.

When you have considered these first four cards, take the rest of the deck and begin to shuffle the cards as violently as possible, contemplating the cross of cards before you. When you feel ready, say in a loud voice, “Demon begone!” and place the deck, face-down, in the centre of the cross.

Pause for a moment, then turn the deck face-up and look into the eyes of your demon, now identified and ready to be driven out.

Spread 7: The He Said, I Said Spread,
for Matters of Relationship

Example questions: “What’s going on in this relationship?” “Will this relationship last?”

The majority of questions asked of a tarot reader are about relationships. We’ve already discussed how prevalent these questions are and in how many ways they may be phrased. Here the cards will tell us about the nature of the communication between two people in a relationship, which will lead to a prediction of how the relationship may progress.

In this eight-card spread we use the four worlds of Kabbalah to view the relationship on all levels.

He Said, I Said Spread

In this spread we read as the diagram above, pairing the two cards on four different levels of the relationship. It can often be insightful to read each pair and then look at Partner A and B separately in the two rows.

Spread 8: The One Year to Live Spread,
for Matters of Life and Death

Example questions: “What has my life held?” “How do I approach death?”

Begin this exercise with a moment’s consideration of this scenario: you have been given an accurate prognosis of your death, in exactly one year from this moment. When you’re ready, shuffle the deck and select twelve cards, one relating to each month to come and the main concern of that month. The cards can be laid out in a long line, in a grid of three cards by four cards, or in a large circle, whichever you prefer.

You can perform this spread as an exercise, or you can take these twelve cards as your “Contemplation Card of the Month” each month for the year to come. In this example, we have used the months January to December for convenience.

1. January: What is my initial reaction?

2. February: How do I prepare for death?

3. March: How do I live and heal?

4. April: How do I live each day?

5. May: How do I review my life?

6. June: How do I offer service?

7. July: Who dies?

8. August: What is beyond my death?

9. September: How do I leave my body and belongings?

10. October: What message do I leave behind?

11. November: What is change?

12. December: How do I die?

This is a profound reading and is worthy of your time to consider its results and write about them in your journal. You may wish to revisit this reading on occasion and add further notes over time.

This reading is unique in that the first time it is performed, it provides immediate answers for unlocking in your life. If you perform it again, it is never the same as the first reading—like hearing a joke for the second time or watching the same film again, knowing the surprise finale.

Spread 9: The Immanent Spread,
for Matters of Spirit and Vision

Example questions: “What is the Universe about?” “Is there a God/dess?”

Although it would be nice to provide a spread that would give conclusive answers to such questions about the Universe and our role within it, this method merely allows the reader to practice experiencing the immanence of the world through tarot. It ties into the dream work we practiced in the last chapter, and is meant to be done over a period of three weeks.

To start, choose one major arcana card. Place it by your bed face-up and, for seven nights, visualise it before sleep in as much detail as you can. Record any dreams.

For the following seven nights, turn the card face-down and again visualise it in detail before sleep. Turn it up in the morning and, throughout the day, look for the card in your daily environment. As an example, if it were the Tower card, you might see a demolition of a chimney or a building on television or in real life. Make a note of the event.

For the next seven nights, visualise the whole universe existing inside that card, including yourself. Sense the presence of that card on the outer edge of everything that is occurring for the whole of that time. Make a note of any observations, experiences, and (particularly) coincidences.

You may find this exercise promotes intuitive awareness, strange events and experiences, and even synchronicities—visionary-type experiences of meaningful coincidence.

Spread 10: The Big Bad Boss Spread,
for Matters of Career and Promotion

Example question: “Will I get that promotion?” “How do I progress in my career?”

Big Bad Boss Spread

The Big Bad Boss Spread works in a fixed and hierarchical fashion to replicate the conditions found in most workplaces and career paths. Ideally, it should be used in conjunction with such guidebooks as What Colour is Your Parachute? by Richard N. Bolles.

It’s another example of using a split deck, and requires you to split the deck into three stacks: court cards, majors, and minors.

Take the court cards and select three—one for you, one for your current boss (or supervisor, or other person who has influence over you), and one for your desired position.

These are cards 1, 2, and 3.

Next, shuffle the minors and lay out two cards between the three court cards. These are your “resúmè cards” and indicate how you might progress from one position to the next. You can also add a major arcana card to the spread to divine what resources you can draw upon to make that step.

Spread 11: The Wish You Were Here Spread,
for Matters of Hopes and Wishes

Example questions: “Will this outlandish project come to anything?” “Will a relationship develop between myself and X?”

When there is little history to determine whether a project, relationship, or creative venture will be successful, a tarot reading can divine the likely outcome based on a future-past perspective. In this spread, we look at the potential factors that lead to wishes being fulfilled. Since the eleventh house is particularly associated with friendship, we also look to see who can assist us in the fulfillment of these wishes and hopes.

Take the Star card, which we will use as a future significator, out of the deck. Place it in the centre of your table or reading space.

Wish You Were Here Spread

Place a circle of four cards (1–4) around the Star card to divine
the constraints of the situation.
Place four “ray” cards (5–8) to show what can shine through
those constraints.
Place four “halo” cards (9–12) to show where help from others might be found.

Spread 12: The Brick Wall Spread,
for Matters of Enmity and Sorrow

Example questions: “How do I overcome this state?” “How can I escape this situation?”

Our final spread in this chapter addresses the finality and “stuckness” of certain states, where we meet a dead end, a brick wall, or other metaphor for an apparently unchangeable situation. Here we’ll divine a way to break through such states and situations by locating a “chink” in the wall, through which we can progress.

Shuffle the deck and, when you feel ready, lay down four cards to show the nature of the blockage in the stuck situation. Use your intuition and your assessment of the cards to discover where a “gap” might be found. This might be located between the cards with the largest numerical gap (for example, between an Ace of Wands and a Nine of Cups) or a gap in type (for instance, if three cards were minors and the fourth was a major). This will give a good indication of where leverage might be divined.

Brick Wall Spread

Next, lay out two cards to divine how that gap might be created, passed through, or exploited. You may wish to lay out further cards to show the steps required to do so.

With this range of spreads, you can confidently read for any of the central themes of human life. You should always be open to any question; our earlier chapters have shown you how to how to read for any question and how to turn any question into a spread. A gradual build-up of your skills combined with practice will soon have you reading tarot fearlessly and joyfully, looking forward to whatever new situations and learning opportunities may come your way.

[contents]