We have already looked at the large spot-the-problem layout and the Romany three-by-seven layout, so now let's look at a couple of others.
The pyramid spread is read from the bottom of the pyramid upwards. The base of the pyramid shows the basis of the situation or the past occurrences from which current and future events are bound to develop.
The idea here is to place seven cards in a row and read them in a way that suits you. Here are my suggestions for the designation of each card.
| 1st card | The state of the Questioner's mind. |
| 2nd card | What others are doing to him or want from him. |
| 3rd card | Events close to home. |
| 4th card | Events in the Questioner's world outside the home. |
| 5th card | The past. |
| 6th card | The future. |
| 7th card | The outcome. |
This is a good layout for a beginner to experiment with. I have demonstrated this idea in both my previous books and still think that after you have practiced with the four-card readings, as described in earlier chapters, this is the best one to play with. The idea is to use a smallish number of cards and to designate the positions in which you place them so that each relates to a situation. It would be a good idea to make up some simple design on a piece of paper and write the designations on it. The design could be a single row of six cards, two rows of four, a circular layout, or indeed, anything else that appeals to you. When you have sorted out your preferred layout, ask one of your friends to act as Questioner and get her to shuffle the cards and pick out whatever number you have chosen for your spread. She should then hand the cards to you so that you can lay them out on the pattern.
In the following example, the Questioner was a young man named Robert whose career and love life both seemed to be a mess.
The designations that I have suggested are as follows:
The cards chosen by Robert were as follows:
There are two Major cards in an eight-card layout, which shows that, although fate is taking a hand with his life, he is still able to dictate how things go for himself. The high ratio of Cup cards shows that he is approaching life from an emotional point of view and could therefore be subject to fits of anger and depression or joy and euphoria, depending upon events. He will have to apply far more logic and less emotion to his circumstances. The Coin cards bode well for his future finances, especially in the home area. The Seven of Wands and Four of Cups show that problems will have to be faced, but they are not overwhelming.
1. The Empress in connection with money is a good omen as it suggests fruitfulness and abundance.
2. The Hermit in connection with the career suggests that Robert will have time to reflect upon where he is going and what he wants to do in future. He will receive advice and will gain enlightenment.
3. The Queen of Coins in the home area suggests a capable wife who has her own source of wealth.
4. The Seven of Wands in the area of children shows that he will have some problems here but that they are not insurmountable.
5. The Nine of Coins in the area of health shows nothing to worry about, but nevertheless he should get outside and into the garden when he can.
6. The Ten of Cups in the area of travel shows great happiness in this aspect of life.
7. The Four of Cups in the area of hobbies shows that he is not terribly satisfied by them or lacks interest in them.
8. The Page of Cups in the area of change or stasis suggests that new things will shortly need to be learned, and consequently that changes are on the way.
The next spread was suggested to me by my friend, Seldiy Bate, who has a very great interest in spiritual matters.
Ask your Questioner to shuffle the cards and deal out five piles containing three cards. The first pile is associated with earth, the second with air, the third with fire, the fourth with water, and the fifth with spirit.
Because this is such an interesting idea, I think we should take the time to work through a reading together. I asked David to pick the cards for this reading because, at that time, he was at an interesting point in his life.
The cards that David picked were as follows:
Earth: Ace of Cups, The Sun, Ace of Swords
Air: Knight of Swords, Five of Wands, Ten of Wands
Spirit: Eight of Coins, The Chariot, King of Wands
Fire: The Star, Nine of Wands, The Emperor
Water: Eight of Wands, Knight of Wands, Seven of Swords
Each group of cards has to be interpreted separately and in relation to the element to which it has been assigned. It's also worth following our natural inclination to look at each group from left to right.
Therefore, the earth group would signify new beginnings that will have a very happy outcome and that will improve the practical and financial side of his life.
The air group suggests movement, challenge, and a lot of hard work and is connected to the world of ideas, serious decisions, and worries. The reading suggests that he will have to use his mind energetically, but he would find the challenge rewarding. However, a good deal of responsibility and worry will be inevitable.
The fire group suggests great hope for the future and many plans to be made; troubles will come, but, because he is operating from a firm base, these should not be overwhelming. He will become a stronger and more powerful person as a result of all the running around and communicating that he will soon have to cope with.
The water group suggests that travel will become important to his emotional life, and that people from afar will influence his feelings. Communications, the use of language, and sales or instruction work will be important to him. He will soon be moving on, which will make him feel a little sad and homesick, but will enable him to build his own life for the future.
The spirit trilogy tells us that he will have to work hard on earth for a long time before thinking of joining the spirit world, but that he does have an understanding of, and a strong link with, the “other side.” It's clear that his father is looking after his progress. He understands the laws of karma and the workings of the spiritual world and, although materialistic and practical in outlook, he will always have that secret psychic or spiritual connection to fall back on.
