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Tarot.Layouts.FAQ
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| 1) Kether -- The Crown | 6) Tiphareth -- Bauty |
| 2) Chokmah -- Wisdom | 7) Hod -- Splendor |
| 3) Binah -- Understanding | 8) Netzach -- Victory |
| 4) Geburah -- Severity | 9) Yesod -- The Foundation |
| 5) Chesed -- Mercy | 10) Malkuth -- The Kingdom |
Comment 3: Davis attributes this layout to Ly Warren-Clark.
3.11) Tetragrammaton Spread (10+) (Peach)
Layout:
Heh Vau Heh Yod
etc. 15 14 13
12 11 10 09 08 07
06 05 04 03 02 01
Deal and Reading:
Shuffle. Have the Querent cut the deck once to the left. Have the querent take the
deck on his left and cut it again, once to the left. Have the querent take the deck on his
right and cut it again, once to the right. Turn over the top card of each deck. Each of
the four cards will represent one of the letters of the Tetragrammaton shown above. Read
them accordingly.
Next search each pack until you find the Querent card. No not take the Querent card out of nor change its position in that deck. Discard the remaining three decks. Begin dealing the cards of the selected deck from right to left, bottom up, into rows of six, until the deck is depleted. If the Querent card is not surrounded on all four sides, have the reader choose one card randomly from the discarded piles and place it such that it properly covers the Querent card. Begin by reading the cards which surround the Querent card.
Next, each card in the deck is assigned a numerical value (more commonly called its 'rank'). The Querent card is assigned the value of four. Proceed by reading the card four cards away from the querent. If you run out of cards, wrap around to the first card dealt. After reading that card, skip the number of cards away that the value of the current card indicates (i.e. if the current card is the seven of wands, the next card will be the one seven spaces away). Continue to read cards and skip in this manner unti l you come upon a card you have already read. Skip values for court cards are: Page - 7, All others - 4. Skip values for Major Arcana are:
- 3 - Fool, Hanged Man, Judgement
- 9 - Magician, High Priestess, Empress, Wheel of Fortune, Tower, Sun, World
- 12 - Emperor, Hierophant, Lovers, Chariot, Strength, Hermit, Justice, Death, Temperance, Devil, Star, Moon
Finally, the entire layout is read as follows. The first two columns on the right represent past events. The middle two columns represent events of the present. The last two columns, the future.
Comment: Peach's book does an extremely poor job of explaining what the Tetragrammaton is and really doesn't seem to understand its significance. Rather than use her convoluted explanation (which would take up a couple of pages anyway), I include two excerpts below from Naomi Ozaniec's book for the benefit of those who have not studied the subject.
- Yod - Signifies the open hand of man. It implies power, direction, skill, and dexterity. The open hand symbolizes beneficence, a sign of the Supreme Spirit.
- Heh - Signifies a window which permits light and two way vision.
- Vau - Signifies a nail which joins things together creating union. Grammitcally it is used like and to join phrases together. It is very close in concept to the sanskrit 'yoga' which means union.
- Heh - Represents the end result of the process.
Yod Element of Fire Primal Emanation
Heh Element of Water Transmission
Vau Element of Air Stabilization
Heh Element of Earth Consolidation
3.12) Yes or No Spread (10) (Peach)
Layout:
+-----+
5 9 |Q |
4 8 | +-----+
Q | | |
1 +--| 1 |
7 3 | |
6 2 +-----+
Card 1 partially overlaps, but does not cross, the Querent as shown
Deal: Numerically as shown
Reading:
- Card 1 - Called the 'answering card'. If upright, the answer to the question was yes; if reversed, no. Also the outcome card for the reading.
- Cards 2 & 3 - 'Helpful' Influences. Reasons the outcome will occur.
- Cards 4 & 5 - Querent's thoughts regarding the matter
- Cards 6 & 7 - 'Adverse' Influence. Things that are working against the outcome
- Card 8 & 9 - Querent's feel{3e regarding the matter
Comment 1: Peach suggests the cards be read in the following order:
1, 2_, 6_, 4_, 8
Comment 2: Note that 'helpful' and 'adverse' influences are always with respect to the outcome shown in card 1. Thus if the answer comes up no, cards 2 & 3 will be aiding that outcome and not necessarily aiding the querent.
3.13) The Celtic Cross (11)
Layout:
+-----+ - Q
10 |+-----+ - 1
03 09 +----------+ - 2
06 1Q2 05 | |
04 08 +----------+
07 +-----+
Note that card 1 is placed directly on top of, and therefore concealing, the Querent card. Also note that card 2 is placed across (or perpendicular) and on top of card 1, as the diagram on the right not-so-vividly demonstrates.
All comments in the 'Reading' sections will refer to this diagram. Ignore alterations in the dealing pattern when cross referencing with this diagram.
3.13.1) Waite's Celtic Cross
Deal: Numerically as shown.
Reading:
- Card 1 - Influences, atmosphere.
- Card 2 - Obstacles
- Card 3 - Often called the crowning card. May have one or more of several meanings:
- 3a - Highest state the querent can achieve in the matter
- 3b - Highest perception the querent has in the matter
- 3c - What the querent wishes to achieve
- Card 4 - Often called the base card. It represents foundations or possessions of the querent. Events that have already passed.
- Card 5 - Past
- Card 6 - Future Influences
- Card 7 - Attitude or position in the matter
- Card 8 - House, Environment
- Card 9 - Hopes or Fears
- Card 10 - Future Events
3.13.2) Danburg's Celtic Cross
Deal: Reverse Cards 3 and 4. Reverse Cards 5 and 6.
Reading:
(These are all lifted from the alt.tarot FAQ)
- Where the querent is at the time of the reading.
- What holds the querent where they are.
- How the querent has been thinking about the question.
- Base of the question - why it is being asked.
- Near future
- Recent past
- What the querent has to bring to the situation.
- What the situation has to offer the querent.
- Querent's innermost hopes and/or fears.
- Final outcome of the situation, unless deliberately changed.
3.13.3) Peach's Celtic Cross
Deal: Card 3 is in the top position. Card 4, left. Card 5, down. Card 6, right.
Reading:
Card 1 - What is on the Querent's mind.
Card 2 - Obstacles
Card 3 - Past
Card 4 - Immediate future
Card 5 - Far future
Card 6 - Present
Cards 7-10 - Same as Waite.
3.13.4) Lines within the Reading
This section is taken from memory, out of a book. Unfortunately, I can't remember where I originally saw it (sorry). If you use the Waite method, there are four lines, or associations of cards, that exist in this layout. Similar lines may be constructed from the other layouts.
- Cards 5, 1, 2, 6; Time: This sequence follows an obvious pattern from past to present to future
- Cards 10, 3, 6; Future: These three cards all essentially project into the future. Sharing information between these cards can yield more specific details
- Cards 7, 8, 4, 6; Influences: Cards 7, 8, and 4 all represent things which influence the querent with respect to the question. It is through the combination of these influences that the outcome shown in card 6 may be achieved or avoided.
- Cards 4, Q, 2, 3: I have not seen a good qualifier to describe the relationship between these cards, but it generally goes like this: The querent would like to achieve (or can achieve) what is depicted in card 3, but certain influences (card 2) prevent him/her from doing so.
- However, the querent does have the proper resources (card 4) to overcome the obstacle.
- This line can vary depending upon which interpretation you use for card 4.
3.13.5) Variations and Comments.
Variation: Sometimes cards 7 thru 10 are placed on the other end (the left side) of the cross. Again, this could alter the interpretation of the above groupings.
Comment: I have seen a few different (and occasionally contradicting) methods of determining whether the obstacle card (card 2) is upright or reversed. Use your own discretion.
3.14) Key Spread (11) (Efran)
Layout:
2 4 6 1 8 9 10 3 5 7 11
Row 2-4-6 and Row 3-5-7 should touch creating a stagger.
Deal: Numerically as shown
Reading:
- Card 1: Querent & position in relation to your question/situation.
- Cards 2 - 7: These cards are arranged into 3 pairs (2 & 3, 4 & 5, 6 & 7). Each pair represents a conflict between two opposing influences, factors, people, opinions, etc. The interpretation will depend on the question, but the conflicts tend to be problems or obstacles the querent faces. You may want to choose one option in a pair over the other, or attempt to reconcile the two, or simply recognize that a conflict exists.
- Card 8: Past
- Card 9: Present
- Card 10: Future -- where things are headed. This could be the future if no action is taken, or the desired future, or the
- future if some specific action is taken. You could try adding
- a card between 9 and 10 to represent the action or decision
- that will lead to card 10's future, or have several 'future'
- cards for various possible outcomes (two would be reasonable).
- If you are comfortable with a single card 'prediction' of
- the future, the layout is probably ok as is.
- Card 11 (Optional): A summary of the reading, or a final comment on the situation, or advice, or a clarification of cards 8-10 if
- they are unclear. I don't always use this card -- I have
- found that it generally doesn't clarify things much. (See
- card 10 for other things to put here instead.) I feel that
- there should be a card here, because then the layout is shaped
- roughly like a key (hence the name), which in my opinion looks
- cool. I suspect the layout would look unbalanced without a
- card here. [ed. note: 'I' refers to Efran who made the layout]
Comment 1: "Here's the Tarot layout I use, one I invented (as far as I know). I developed the basics of the layout very soon after I became interested in the Tarot (I didn't think much of the standard ones), but I'm still working on it. It's not meant to be primarily predictive. Instead, it's intended to help the querent examine their question in a new light. (For this reason, it's a reasonable layout for self-readings, if you do them.) There are predictive elements, but I tend to use them rather broadly." - Efran
Comment 2: Since this is an ad hoc layout made by a beginner (at least a beginner at the time) there is obviously a lot of flexibility and room to play with. With a good interpretation for card 11 and maybe by extending the line (section 5.2) this could become interesting.
3.15) Magic Cross Spread (Doane) aka Christian Cross Spread (13)
Layout:
06
07
01 02 03 04 05
08
09
10
11
12
13
Deal: Numerically as shown
Reading:
Left Branch: The past
Card 3: The present
Lower Branch: The future
Right Branch: Obstacles
Upper Branch: Hopes, Wishes, and Dreams.
3.16) Qabalistic Cross (14) (Peach)
Layout:
08
09
10
01 02 03 Q4 05 06 07
11
12
13
Deal: Numerically as shown
Reading:
It is suggested that the cards in this spread be read in the order shown below:
Card 4 - Querent's state of mind
Cards 13, 12, 11 - Past, with 13 being the farthest back in time
Cards 1, 2, 3 - Present
Cards 10, 9, 8 - Future, with 8 being farthest in time
Cards 5, 6, 7 - Feelings of others involved in the matter
3.17) Thoth Spread (15)
Layout:
13 09 05 04 08 12
02 01 03
14 10 06 07 11 15
Deal: Numerically as shown
3.17.1) Original Thoth Spread
Reading:
- Cards 2,1,3: Nature of querent and question
- Cards 13,9,5: First Possible outcome
- Cards 4,8,12: Second Possible outcome
- Cards 14,10,6: "Psychological commentary" on the whole spread
- Cards 7,11,15: Factors beyond the control of the querent.
Comment: This is called the Thoth Spread as it is the spread that comes with the Thoth deck.
3.17.2) Peach's Thoth Spread
Deal: Use the same deal, but add a Querent card underneat card 1.
Reading: It is suggested that the cards be read order described below
- Card 1: Querent's primary concern
- Cards 2, 3: Further depth into problem and/or Querent's character
- Cards 14,10,6: Background, how the querent came into the situation
- Cards 7,11,15: Activities of other people in the situation
- Cards 4,8,12: How the problem will progress, harmonize w. 7,11,15.
- Cards 13,9,5: Possible alternative actions
If two cards in set 7,11,15 are Major Arcana then the progression given in set 4,8,12 cannot be changed, otherwise the querent has the power to alter the situation via events in set 13,9,5. If two Major Arcana appear, set 13,9,5 indicate either how a bad outcome can be lessened or how a good outcome may be assisted.
3.18) Wish Spread (16) (Doane)
Layout:
6 5 4
3 2 1 Q 9 8 7
15 14 13
12 11 10
Q - Querent card
Deal: Select a card to represent the querent. Shuffle and cut deck. Deal numerically as shown.
Reading:
It is suggested that this reading be used if the querent has a specific wish that s/he
would like to happen, hence the name.
Each group of three cards has its own significance
Group 1: Environment
Group 4: Description of querent's wish
Group 7: Opposition
Group 10: Factors that will enter into this matter
Group 13: Realizations of the querent (usually in the future)
The nine of cups is often called the wish card. If this card should turn up anywhere in the reading, except in group 7, this would be a strong indication that some part or all of the querent's wish will come true. The closer it appears in the above numeric sequence, the sooner the wish will be realized. If the nine of cups appears in group 7, this is an indication that the wish will probably not come true; the other two cards in the group will yield the cause. If the nine of cups does not appear, this should not be taken as an indication of either fate, although other cards in the reading may confirm or deny the wish.
3.19) Grand Source Spread (21) (Cortese)
Layout:
01 02 03 08 10 12 15 16 17
Q 07 14
04 05 06 09 11 13 18 19 20
Deal: Numerically as shown
Reading:
- Card Q: Querent
- Cards 1, 2, 3: Inner influences at work, the motivations of the querent, or what the querent wishes to learn.
- Cards 4, 5, 6: Outer influences, or the influences from people or things outside of the querent that may have caused the querent
- to ask their question.
- Card 7: Initiation of the action, the seed that will grow, or the question that will be answered.
- Cards 8, 10, 12: Three stages of the action or answering of the question under examination, and they are modified respectively
- by cards 9, 11, and 13.
- Card 8: beginnings. The initial stages of the actions.
- Card 9: modifies card 8. It may give a hazy picture of the outcome that the querent has in mind, or it may simply be
- a further examination of the beginnings of the action
- under consideration.
- Card 10: Progress. The way that the outcome is achieved.
- Card 11: modifies 10 in the same way card 9 does card 8.
- Card 12: possible changes in plan, or resolution. This card may serve to examine any ways that the querent will have
- to change course in midstream.
- Card 13: modifies 12 like card 9 does card 8.
- Card 14: Outcome of the process outlined in cards 8 - 13.
- Cards 15, 16, 17: Possible effects of the resolution on the querent
- Cards 18, 19, 20: Possible effects of the resolution on things other than the querent, or on the querent's relationship to
- the world around them.
Comment: "This is a good general-use spread for giving an overall picture of the resolution to a problem in the past or future. It affords an opportunity to examine inner and outer influences before an action is taken, the inception or motivation of the action, the progression of the action, the resolution, and what inner and outer effects this will have. It may also act to highlight the process by which a question uppermost in the querent's mind may be answered, though it may not give the answer." - Cortese
3.20) Magic Mirror Spread (29) (Davis)
Layout:
09 04 14
23 19 27 Earth 20 16 24
Transformation Inspiration
08 03 13 10 05 15 06 01 11
Water Essence Air
22 18 26 21 17 25
Sacrifice Integration
07 02 12
Fire
28 and 29 are Magic Cards
Deal: Numerically as shown
Reading:
In each group of three cards, the middle card is the key card. The other two cards are
used for additional insight. Suggested order of reading is Air, Fire, Water, Earth,
Essence, and then "the four gates which are linked to the four Wiccan Sabbats".
Comment 1: "This reading's only purpose is to examine oneself. I only do this at Samhain because of the intensity. One could do this reading with another person, but the process would have to be one of giving the person ideas as to what the cards might mean and letting her figure out how this fits into his/her life. This would probably take even longer than usual. :-)" (Davis)
Comment 2: At one point on alt.magick there was a discussion about the elements and their compass positions. Not surprisingly, many people had different associations. I assume that Davis was using the compass points he is used to, but he may not have been. In any case, you may find rearrangements of both the elements and that gates that better suit your personal introspection.
3.21) Timing Spread (39) (Peach)
Layout: Three Piles of cards
03 02 01
Deal: Start dealing cards into the first pile, face up, one at a time. Stop dealing when either an ace appears or when you reach the thirteenth card for that pile. Repeat for piles two and three.
Reading:
- Pile 1 - Top card indicates reasons why the Querent may be hesitant toward the matter.
- Pile 2 - All cards in the pile reveal why the matter is stagnant.
- Pile 3 - The top card will indicate a yes/no answer for the question. All cards indicate information about the events that will resolve the matter and when the matter will be resolved.
Comment 1: This spread is intended to be used when the Querent has a 'clearly formed' yes/no question and one which will have an indication as to when the matter can be resolved.
Comment 2: Peach claims that the spread will reveal a definite time period telling when the matter will be resolved, but fails to explain how to derive it.
3.22) Life Spread (50) (Doane)
Layout:
15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 14 37 23 13 36 38 24 12 /----\ 25 11 35 | 50 | 39 26 10 34 \-41-/ 40 27 09 33 32 31 30 29 28 08 07 06 05 04 03 02 01
The book which I am getting this out of shows one diagram for the layout but then shows an actual layout with cards in a different order. I will attempt to describe both.
Diagram: Cards 34 - 40 form a pyramid starting at the at the places shown by cards 34 and 40 and peak at card 37. Cards 41-49 are placed in a circle surrounding card 50. Card 41 is in the correct position; others follow clockwise.
Layout: Cards 34, 43, 42, 41, 49, 48, and 40 are all placed in a row. Card 41 is the lowest and the cards to the side are raised very slightly, each card going up the further out you proceed forming a very broad V shape. Cards 35, 44, 50, 47, and 39 follow a similar pattern but are not packed in as closely together and raise up making a steeper V. Cards 45 and 46 lie above cards 44, 50, and 47 and about halfway up cards 35 and 39; they are centered in their row. Cards 36 and 38 lie to the sides of cards 35 and 39 but are one row up. Essentially it looks more like a series of cascading arches more than it does a pyramid and a circle. Experiment with both of these for awhile and try to find something that works. It would be difficult to show this with only text graphics.
Suggested Deal: Numerically as shown
Reading:
As the name suggests, this should be used for a general life reading; a specific
question is not required or suggested but may be used to focus on one area of the
querent's life.
Cards 1 - 28, the material square: These cards represent activities on the physical plane. These cards reflect only physical events and conditions; spiritual interpretations should rarely be considered. Interpretations should be directed toward the physical body, possessions, people, and the like.
Cards 29 - 40, the mental trine: These cards represent events in the mental plane. Consider those interpretations dealing with intellectual pursuits and attainment of knowledge.
Cards 41 - 49, the spiritual circle: These cards represent activities on a spiritual level. Consider interpretations that relate to spiritual changes and goals.
Card 50, dominant life factor: This card represents the most important event that occurs and affects all three planes. This card will show the most dominant influence shaping the life of the querent.
3.23) Three Fans (54+) (Peach)
Layout:
15 14 13 12
17 16 11 10
19 18 09 08
20 07
21 11 10 09 08 07 06
22 12 06 05
23 13 05 04
24 14 07 06 05 04 03
25 15 08 04 03 02
26 16 09 03 02 01
17 10 02 01 A
11 01 B
C
This should look more like 3 fans than it does the above layout. Also, cards should all point outward from a central point.
Deal: Shuffle the deck and deal into three piles. Take the middle pile and set it aside as Pile A. Take the remaining two piles and shuffle them. Again, deal into three piles. You should have one extra card, set it aside. Take out the middle piles and set it aside as Pile B. Take the remaining two piles and extra card, shuffle and deal into three piles again. You should have two extra cards, set them aside. Pull out the middle pile as Pile C. Take the extra cards and extra piles and set them aside as Pile D. Deal Piles A, B, and C into the three arches shown above.
Reading:
Pile A - Querent psychological condition in present & near future.
Pile B - Querent's work or occupation and his/her thoughts of it.
Pile C - Q's material condition regarding home, health, & finance.
If the Querent's significator card is not in the above three fans, take Pile D and deal it out in a similar fan as the other three. This fan may answer a specific question not answered by the fans.
Comment: Peach recommends this as a six month reading to use when the querent has no specific question to ask.
3.24) Ladder Spread (78) (Peach)
Layout:
77
75 76
74 73 72
68 69 70 71
67 66 65 64 63
57 58 59 60 61 62
56 55 54 53 52 51 50 *
42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49
41 40 39 38 37 36 35 34 33
23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32
22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12
Q 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11
* - see variation below
Deal: Choosing a Querent card; note which direction s/he faces. If the card faces to the right, place it in the lower left corner and deal as shown. If the card faces left, place it in the lower right corner and deal each row in the opposite direction shown.
Reading: Five timing cards should appear somewhere in the spread. These will be the only method by which the reader can judge past, present, and future. Clear your mind and try not focus on a 'story line', the main idea with this spread is to look at the overall picture. Ask the Querent not to interrupt you during the reading; provide him/her with a pencil and paper to write down questions if any come to mind, and ask them after the reading is over. Because you are trying to grasp a large picture by means of a spontaneous approach, you don't want to interrupt the flow of the reading. Begin the reading, no order of reading the cards is specified. Once the reading is over, the querent may ask any question, but do not refer back to the layout for the answers; since you have seen the overall picture (even if it lies only in your subconscious) your answers should come out naturally. Peach puts a strong emphasis on not thinking while analyzing the layout or while answering questions; again the idea is to let the pattern work into your subconscious and allow thoughts to form there.
Variation: In the layout shown in the book, the layout stops at card 50 and an arrow is drawn to indicate to continue the deal. There is no indication as to whether this means to finish only that row or whether to lay out the whole deck as shown above.
Comment: Having not finished reading this book, I am uncertain as to what it meant by the 'five timing cards'. Each of the four aces is assigned a season of the year as follows: Wands - Spring, Cups - Summer, Swords - Fall, Pentacles - Winter. Other than that, use your own discretion.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
4) Astrological Layouts
While re-compiling this document for version 2.0, I noticed two things. First, I had quite a few layouts that were based in astrology and secondly, I was repeating quite a bit of information between these layouts. At that point, I simply decided it was easier to give the Astrological layouts their own section and hopefully save a little space by not having to repeat some things.
To begin with, most of these layouts can be done without any knowledge of astrology. There is enough information presented here that a good reader could just look at the descriptions and do the reading. I doubt, however, that such a reading would be fully understood on every level. Thus, I would recommend, although it is not necessary, that you have some sort of astrological background or do some research on the subject if you plan on using any of these layouts.
It would be important to add here that I have a very small and inadequate background in astrology. The information given below is based solely on the information given to me along with the layouts presented in this section. If anyone who is well versed in astrology and tarot would like to make any comments regarding the information presented, particularly in section 4.0, they would be greatly appreciated.
4.0) Astrological Information
This section will contain some brief descriptions of astrological symbolism that will be useful for these layouts. If you are unfamiliar with these symbols, you may have to refer back to this section when interpreting the layouts.
4.0.1) Astrological Houses (Doane)
- House: Physical Body, personality, interests
- House: Personal possessions
- House: Siblings, private studies, acquaintances
- House: Environment
- House: Pleasures, love affairs, speculation, children
- House: Work, illness, pets
- House: Marriage, partnerships, enemies, legal matters
- House: Death, debts, gifts, possessions of others
- House: Teaching, philosophy
- House: Honor, business
- House: Friends, hopes, wishes, and dreams
- House: Self-ruin, enemies, obstacles
4.0.2) Planetary Symbols (Doane/Peach/Davis)
- Sun: Outer expression. Honor. Health. Superiors. Men. Achievement.
- Mercury: Communication. Intellectual Concerns. Siblings. Business.
- Venus: Relationships. Love. Friendship. Money. Art.
- Earth: present situation
- Moon: Inner needs. Domestic or social concerns. Women.
- Mars: Creation. Sex. Struggle. Misfortune. Enemies.
- Jupiter: Opportunities for growth. Business. Religion. Acquisitions.
- Saturn: Lessons & limitations. Illness. Loss. Secrets. Elders. Intellectual deliberation.
- Uranus: Individuality, Differences
- Neptune: Ecstasy/illusion
- Pluto: Power for Transformation
4.0.3) Astrological Symbols
- Aries - Querent, disposition and matter
- Taurus - Financial situation
- Gemini - Travel and communication
- Cancer - Home life, family
- Leo - Querent's pleasures
- Virgo - Querent's health
- Libra - Partnerships, marriage
- Scorpio - Represents inheritances and deaths
- Sagittarius - Philosophy, religion, education
- Capricorn - Career
- Aquarius - Friends
- Pisces - Burdens, restrictions, fears, obstacles
4.1) Planetary Spread (8) (Peach)
Layout:
04 03 05 02 Q 06 01 07Deal: Numerically as shown
Reading:
Card 1: Moon Card 2: Mercury Card 3: Venus Card 4: Sun Card 5: Mars -- Also may represent the solution or answer to the matter which is why it is called the reconciler Card 6: Jupiter Card 7: Saturn Comment: "Cards of this spread can and ought to be paired and read in juxtaposition, i.e., the card in the position of the Moon should be paired with that in the position of the Sun; the card in the position of Venus with that in the position of Mars, and so on." - Peach
4.2) Four Trines Spread (12) (Doane)
Layout: Twelve cards are displayed in a CIRCLE. In clockwise order, starting at the left (nine o'clock) this is the numbering of the cards: 1, 5, 9, 2, 6, 10, 3, 7, 11, 4, 8, 12.
09 02 06 05 10 01 03 12 07 08 04 11Deal: Numerically as shown.
Reading: As the name suggests, there are four sets of three cards (trines) that work in conjunction with another.
- Trine of Life (1, 6, 11):
- Card 1: Personal life: health
- Card 6: Mental life: travel
- Card 11: Life of Posterity: children, love affairs, pleasure, speculation
- Trine of Power (2, 7, 12):
- Card 2: Honor and authority: business, reputation
- Card 7: Environment: illness, work
- Card 12: Wealth
- Social Trine (3, 8, 9):
- Card 3: Partners: marital, enemies
- Card 8: Kin and thought: siblings, intellectual matters
- Card 9: Associates: friends
- Trine of Secrets:
- Card 4: Things concealed in the environment
- Card 10: Money: debts, taxes, inheritance
- Card 5: Afflictions: enemies, failures, obstacles
- Comment 1: Doane indicated that this layout was influenced by astrology, although
its relation to astrology is not immediately apparent.
Comment 2: Card numbering makes no sense, even from an astrological point of view. Again comments are welcome.
4.3) Twelve Houses Spread (12) (Doane)
Layout: Numbering is the same as the Four Trines Spread but uses a diamond formation instead of a circle
02 06 09 10 05 03 01 07 12 11 08 04Deal: Numerically as shown
Reading: Even though the deal uses the awkward scheme shown above, the cards are read by what house they are in astrologically. House one is in the same position as card 1, but house numbers increment by one going in a counter-clockwise direction. Thus, House two is in position 12, house three in position 8, and so on.
Comment: Card numbering makes no sense, even from an astrological point of view. Again comments are welcome.
4.4) Astrological Spread (13+) (Peach)
Layout:
Cards are arranged in a circle and point outward from the Querent
11 09 12 10 08 01 Q 07 02 04 06 03 05Deal: Numerically as shown. The reader may, before the reading, continue to redeal the deck in the same order (minus the Querent position) and thus putting two cards into each slot and providing more information regarding that aspect of the persons life. Peach suggests dealing up to four or more into each slot. Also, cards may be dealt in blocks of four (or five or whatever) into each position instead of repeating the deal four times.
Reading:
Card 1: Aries Card 2: Taurus Card 3: Gemini Card 4: Cancer Card 5: Leo Card 6: Virgo Card 7: Libra Card 8: Scorpio Card 9: Sagittarius Card 10: Capricorn Card 11: Aquarius Card 12: Pisces 4.5) Planetary Spread (14) (Davis)
14 12 13 10 09 11 08 07 05 04 06 02 03 01Each row shown has the height of half a card length, thus the cards look staggered.
Deal: Numerically as shown
Reading:
1. Earth 2. Moon 3. Sun 4. Mercury 5. Venus 6. Mars 7. Jupiter 8. Saturn 9. Uranus 10. Neptune 11. Pluto 12 & 13. Environment 14. Divine Light...advice from Higher Power
4.6) Daily Spread (15) (Peach)
Layout:
M 8 D 9 10 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 11 12 13 M - Month Card D - Day CardDeal: First, remove the month and day card indicated in the table below and place them in the positions shown above. Shuffle and cut as normal, then deal numerically as shown.
Month Card Day Card Aries Emperor Sunday Sun Taurus Hierophant Monday High Priestess Gemini Lovers Tuesday Tower Cancer Chariot Wednesday Magician Leo Strength Thursday Wheel Virgo Hermit Friday Empress Scorpio Death Saturday World Sagittarius Temperance Capricorn Devil Aquarius Star Pisces Moon Reading: It is suggested that cards be read in the order presented below.
- Cards 11-13: Events leading up to the day in question. Start with card 13 and work toward 11.
- Cards 1 - 3: Morning Events, start with card 1
- Cards 5 - 7: Afternoon Events, start with 7
- Cards 8 -10: Evening Events, start with 8
- Card 4: Outcome of any special projects of the day and/or how the day will go overall.
Comment: "This spread is particularly useful for answering specific questions about settled future events -- like parties, for instance, or job interviews. It is not particularly useful as a daily device to be used everyday before leaving the house, and it should not be used in that way" - Peach
4.7) Sephiroth Spread (26) (Doane)
To do this spread, remove all 22 major arcana and the Ace of each suit. These are the only 26 cards used in the reading.
Layout:
Row 1: 03 18 04 17 Row 2: M C Row 3: 02 19 | 05 16 Row 4: 20 | 06 Row 5: ASC --+-- DES 22 21 Row 6: 01 | 15 Row 7: 11 10 | 14 07 Row 8: N C Row 9: 12 09 13 08
Row 2 begins at the same height where row 1 ends.
Row 3 begins at the midpoint of Row 2
Row 5 begins where Row 3 ends
Row 7 begins where Row 5 ends
Rows 4 and 6 lie at the midpoints of Rows 3, 5, and 7
Rows 8 and 9 are symmetrical to rows 1 and 2
Cards are paired if their sum equals 21 (i.e. 3 and 18 are paired)
Paired cards should be adjacent to each other.
- Pair 3/18 should meet at the same vertical line which divides the card ASC in half. Follow symmetry. Each pair is called a 'throne'. The throne number is the same as the lowest number of the pair. (i.e. 3/18 make up the third throne)
- Pair 22/21 is called the Staff
- Note that ASC, DES, NC, and MC each denote only one card.
Deal:
The four Aces must go in the ASC, DES, NC, and MC position. Shuffle the four aces. Place the first Ace in the position marked ASC and continue in a clockwise direction. (Humorous note: the Doane/Keyes book says to shuffle and three-cut these cards as you would the regular deck. Is there actually anybody out there who has ever bothered three-cutting a four card deck?)The Major Arcana go in the remaining 22 locations. Shuffle the Arcana and deal as shown numerically in the above diagram.
Reading:
The four aces represent the Astral Kingdoms and relate to the four angles of the horoscope. Astrologically ASC represents ascendence or first house and pertains to life. MC stand for Midheaven or tenth house and pertains to honor or business. DES stands for descendence or seventh house and pertains to love or war. NC stands for Nadir or fourth house and relates to secrets or outcomes. You should start your reading based on which kingdom most closely relates to the question your querent has asked. (ie if the querent asks about marriage, start the reading in the descending house)The following is a suggested list of how to interpret each Ace in each location:
Ace Ascendence Midheaven Descendence Nadir Pentacle Strength
Vigor
VitalityFavorable but req. effort Great Strength Unfortunate outcome Wands Favorable
Work or ResponsibilityGreat Power Difficulty caused by Difference struggle or small return Cups Pleasures may deplete vitality Pleasure may ruin honor Joy and Happiness pleasant result Swords sickness/death failure disputes favorable outcome Note that Asc and Des have three thrones while Mid and Nadir have only two. When reading the Asc or Des thrones, the center throne (1 or 6) will indicate the most important factor of that throne.
Determine which kingdom is most appropriate to the Question. Cards in the thrones of this kingdom indicate what conditions caused the outcome suggested by whichever Ace appearing in that kingdom. The kingdom opposite the Question is the opposition. It thrones detail what opposes the querent. The kingdom immediately clockwise the Question represent the events which will lead to the conclusion. The kingdom counterclockwise to the Question yields the outcome of the matter. Its thrones give more specific detail of that end.
If the whole reading or any part of it seem contradicting, the staff will reveal why the answer was unclear.
4.8) Solar Spread (49) (Doane)
Layout: Seven rows of seven
49 48 47 46 45 44 43 -- Saturn 42 41 40 39 38 37 36 -- Jupiter 35 34 33 32 31 30 29 -- Mars 28 27 26 25 24 23 22 -- Sun 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 -- Venus 14 13 12 11 10 09 08 -- Mercury 07 06 05 04 03 02 01 -- Moon
Deal: Right to Left, Bottom up.
Reading:
In each row, the middle card (4, 11, 18, 25, etc) represents present conditions or influences. The three cards to the right represent the past; the three to the left, the future. Each row will relate to either a certain aspect of life or certain people (or perhaps both)Comment: One variation of this reading is that adjacent cards in the same column may also influence each other.
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5) General Variations
This is a list of variations which can apply to many or all of the layouts listed above.
5.1) Additional Card Modifiers
Sometimes one card in a reading may be ambiguous in meaning. Some tarot readers will often throw another card on top of an ambiguous card in order to gain more insight into the matter. For example, in one reading of mine, the querent was engaged and also a college student. The Seven of Pentacles came up in the environment card, an indication that money may be a problem. Since the querent had to worry about both tuition money and trying to adjust to moving out from under his parents support, it was unclear where the root of this monetary concern was coming from. I turned the next card in the deck over on top of the Seven of Pentacles; the card was the Two of Cups, indicating that the marriage and moving out his own would be the main cause of his monetary problems. I have occasionally seen tarot readers put up to three modifier cards in one position, so there is not a one card limit. Remember, however, that putting too many modifiers on the board can also create more haziness than it does clarity, so don't saturate the board either. In short, this is something that, generally, is only used when it is either absolutely necessary or when the reader has an instinct that such a card will be helpful.
5.2) Extending the Path
This is a modification that can be used whenever there is some sort of sequential path or line in the reading. It is, however, very infrequently used on non-temporal lines. Sometimes the querent (or the reader) may wish to more information about what is to happen in the future than what is currently displayed in the layout. To gain more information, the temporal line may be stretched further into the future by simply adding another card onto the layout and the end of the current line. More than one card may be added if desired. On the opposite end, sometimes events of the present or future may not have obvious precursors. The temporal path may also be extended farther into the past to help gain some insight as to the causes of the present and/or future states.
5.3) Rotating the Layout
Usually only used for unclear readings. If a particular layout is symmetrical (like a line spread) or at least partially symmetrical (like the Celtic Cross) you may turn the layout upside-down and re-do the reading with the same cards. Interpretations of this variation differ. Some readers will say that occasionally the reader forgets to rotate the deck toward him and that reversing the layout adjusts for this mistake. (One reader I know tends to make a big deal about the rotation of the deck before and after the shuffle and whether a reading is done from the perspective of the querent or the reader since they usually sit opposite one another.) Another account says that if you turn the layout upside-down that you are reading the opposite outcome, so such a reading should be negated to get the results one is actually looking for. Use your own discretion and stick with whatever fits in with your schema.
5.4) Yes/No Answer (Doane)
This is an additional variation generally only used on the line spread. If you allow the querent to ask a yes or no question, count each card turned upright as a vote for yes and each card reversed count as a vote for no. The middle (or present) card's vote gets counted twice. Interpret tie votes as you see fit.
This variation can actually be applied to any of these layouts, although I doubt anybody would want to do so for some of the larger readings like the Solar Spread. Even if a yes or no question is not asked by the querent, some readers may do such a tally to indicate a favorable or unfavorable outcome for the querent. It should also be noted that many books on tarot strongly discourage the use of tarot decks for yes/no type questions.
5.5) Querent Cards
In layouts that use a Querent card, there are several ways in which such a card may be chosen.
5.5.1) Personality Traits
A third method derives from the descriptions of the court cards themselves. All of the court cards can be used to describe a person's personality or character. Some readers will show the querent a list of these descriptions and allow the querent to choose the one which s/he feels is most like him/herself. If the reader knows the querent fairly well or personally, s/he may choose the card for the querent.
5.5.2) Astrology
One method is to use Astrological symbolism. There are several different and varying methods that will map the twelve symbols of the zodiac into the sixteen royalty cards. These mappings, however, can vary from book to book and, therefore, from person to person. If you wish to use this method, it would probably be best to find a couple of such lists to use as a guide and then compose your own correspondences from there.
Actually, this method is the same as the one described above (5.5.1). Authors will simply take the traits of the cards and the traits of each astrological sign and pair up the ones which match the most. Unfortunately, these matches aren't always perfect which is why you may find different lists.
5.5.3) Physical Traits
A second method used is eye/hair color. Some authors associate each of the sixteen court cards with an eye color, a hair color, and a gender. Simply choose the card whose attributes match those of the querent.
5.5.4) Open Deck
A similar method to the one described above works in the exact same way, only it allows the reader to choose any card in the deck, not just from the sixteen court cards. For example, if the querent has a question related to his/her employment, the Eight of Pentacles would be an appropriate Querent card. However, unless the querent is very knowledgeable about Tarot, it is strongly discouraged to allow him/her to choose his/her own card with this method.
5.5.5) Random Selection
In the same spirit as the method described above, sometimes a reader will simply take the top card off of the deck after the shuffle and cut and use that as the querent card. This method may give the reader more information about either the question that has been put forth or the character and personality of the querent.
5.5.6) No Querent
Finally, and most boring, the Querent card can simply be taken out of the reading. Some readers feel that this actually allows for more clarity in the reading. For example, I know a teacher and a student who are both the Queen of Cups. If I do a reading for the student and pull that card out of the deck as the Querent, it is more difficult to tell when her teacher will have an influence on the matter in question, since her (the teacher's) card can't come up anywhere in the reading. Conversely, if I simply don't use a querent card (or use Random Selection) and the Queen of Cups comes up somewhere in the reading, it is a strong indication that her teacher will be giving her guidance in the matter.
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6) Rituals of Meditation
This section contains Tarot layouts which are not expressly intended for divinatory purposes, but rather, are intended for personal introspection and meditation. DISCLAIMER: Be forewarned that I make no claims as to the usefulness or safety of these layouts. Many of them require some sort of knowledge of the magickal arts and I would definitely reccomend that, unless you are already profecient with such practices, you discuss these techniques with your teacher or path-shower before using them.
6.1) Mandalas (Danburg-Wyld)
From the alt.tarot FAQ:
One simple technique [for tarot meditations] is to select a card and use it as a miniature mandala. Or put out an array of cards and do the same. Some people pick a card in the morning and use it as a 'focus point' for the day - looking for aspects of that cards meaning in the events that occur to them.6.1.1) Daily Focus Point (Buckland)
With respect to a daily 'focus point', Llewellyn's Magickal Almanac notes an old Romany tradition of starting the New Year with The Lovers and proceeding numerically. After finishing the Major Arcana, the next day would start with the Ace of Swords, then the two, three, etc. up through King. Repeat with the Wands, then Cups, and finally Pentacles. The next day would stars with the first card of Trumps and proceed numerically. It should be noted that there are a few differing opinions as to where the Fool (or trump 0) should be placed when ordering the Arcana. The following timetable would be used if placing the Fool anywhere after the Lovers on a non-leap year.
Jan 1 - The Lovers (Trump 6)
Ace of Swords: 01/18 04/06 06/23 09/09 11/18
Ace of Wands: 02/01 04/19 07/07 09/23 12/10
Ace of Cups: 02/15 05/04 07/21 10/07 12/24
Ace of Pentacles: 03/01 05/18 08/04 10/21
Magician, Trump 1: 03/15 06/01 08/18 11/04
Dec 31 - Eight of Cups
If the year is a leap year, The Ace of Pentacles will start of February 29th instead of March 1st. Subtract one day from each date thereafter and Dec 31 will end with the Nine of Cups.
If you choose to order your trump numerically (i.e., placing the Fool before the magician) or in any position before the 6th Trump, then you must subtract a day from each date starting with the Ace of Swords on 01/18.
Finally, I have seen people use different orderings for Trump ranking. Feel free to adjust this schedule to suit your personal ordering schema.6.1.2) Contemplation Ritual (Kraig)
Another simple one-card meditation works as follows:
1) Remove the 22 Major Arcana cards.
2) Perform a relaxation ritual. This is done mainly to help you ocus and such rituals are standard in any book on Golden Dawn magick. Shuffle the deck as you feel necessary.
3) Select any one card and look at the picture on it for a length of time. When finished contemplating the image, take a few breaths to remain focused and relaxed.
4) Record the card name and number in a diary. Also record any feelings, sensations, or ideas you received while focusing the card.6.1.3) Opening the Door (Ozaniec)
Naomi Ozaniec's book contains a number of excersizes which allow one to gain more insight into each of the Trump cards, but very few of them would actually qualify as meditations or rituals. Here is one of the few exceptions described, verbatim, while explaining how to use tarot cards as doorways.
- Select the Trump you wish to work with. Have the relevant Trump in front of you.
- Enter a meditative state. Visualize the Tarot Trump clearly in your mind.
- Allow the image to grow so that the frame of the Trump becoms a doorway.
- Step into the image. Deepen your meditative state. What can you learn from this Tarot Trump? When the meditation is finished, step back trhough the image, reduce it toa proper size and return all images to a passive state.
- Record your experience straightaway.
- Do not attempt to encounter more than one image during a single session.
6.2) Qabalistic Cross of the Tarot Ritual (4) (Buckland)
Layout:
02 | 08 - 14 | 21 | Trumps 2, 14, and 21 are layed upright while Trump 8 is layed on its side (see diagram on right).Ritual:
- Prepare the temple. From a consecrated pack of Tarot card containing the traditional Qabalistic symbolism, remove the following: THE HIGH PREISTIESS, TEMPERANCE, THE UNIVERSE, STRENGTH. Place the four trump cards upon the altar as indicated in the diagram.
- Take a Ritual Bath.
- Place your right index finger above the crown of your head. Bring your hand down as if drawing the Divine Light into your body. Touch your forehead and intone the word, "ATAH" (ah-tah). This means "I Am." Visualize a Bright light centered at the crown of your head.
- Bring your fingre down to the middle of your chest and vibrate the name, "MALKUTH" (Mahl-kooth) which means "The Kingdom." After touching your chest, draw the hand down to the level of the groin and point toward the floor. Imagine a shaft of white light extending from the top of your hand down to your feet and ankles. Concentrate for a minute on the white pillar of light stretching from Kether to Malkuth.
- Touch your right shoulder and intone the name, "VE-GEBURAH" (V'-geh-boo-rah) which means "And the Power." See another point of white lightbeginning at your shoulder.
- Bring your index finger directly across your body to the left shoulder. Vibrate the name, "VE-GEDULAH" (V'-geh-doo-lah), which means, "And the Glory." See a rilliant white shaft of light perpendicular to the first one which connects both shoulders.
- Put both hands out in front of you and clasp them together as if praying. Then bring the
clasped hands close to your body and position them striaght up, just in front of your
heart. Intone "LE-OLAHM, AMEN" (lay-oh-lahm, Ah-men), which means "Forever,
Unto the Ages." Visualize a complete cross of light formed within yourself, which
consecrates the temple of the body through the power of the Divine Names.
Once you have established the Qabalistic Cross you may initiate the Cross of the Tarot. However the image of the Cross of Light must remain firmly fixed in your mind. With your index finger tough the four points on your body a second time, and repeat the names from ATAH through VE-GEDULAH, but add the following visualizations: - At the crown of your head, imagine a brilliant spiral shape contained within the point of light at KETHER. This is the symbol of the First Whirlings. [ed - there is a small picture of a sprial making nearly two full rotations.]
- At the bottom of the first shaft of light, visualize the symbol of the cross within a circle. See this sigil at your feet in black. This represents MALKUTH, the manifested kingdom. [ed - picture of an 'X' circumscribed in a circle.]
- At your right shoulder, see the red symbol of Mars flaming within the white shaft of Light. This symbol alludes to GEBURAH, the Sphere of Severity. [ed - picture of of Mars, more commonly known as the symbol for male, or a circle with an arrow pointing to the NW.]
- At your left shoulder, picture within the point of light, the blue sigil of Jupiter. This suggests CHESED, the Sephirah of Mercy. [ed - picture of Jupiter. Looks like the number 2 with a line going through and perpendicular to the line at the bottom of the 2.]
- Now return to the complete image of the Cross within your body. Vibrate thename of the Hebrew letter "GIMEL" (Gee-mahl). See the first shaft of it from Kether begin to change to the color blue. The blue light descends from your head to the area of your heart and stops there. Concentrate your thoughts on the image of THE HIGH PREISTIESS from the second Key of the Tarot. The High Priestess controls the flow of Divine Power from its eternal Source in Kether to the rest of the temple (you -- as a reflection of the Tree of life). Through her you experience all spiritual events. She controls and regulates all life, and she connects that which is above to that which is below. Contemplate her image for a few moments.
- Intone the name of the Hebrew letter "SAMEKH" (Sahm-ehk). The shaft of light turns brillant blue from your heat down to your groin area. Visualize the figure of TEMPERANCE from the 14th Key of the Tarot. The feminine, angleic form of TEMPERANCE blends the opposing elemnts of Fire and Water, Sun and Moon, Intellect and Emotion, Force and Form. She harmonizes these contradictory elements of your personality into a mixture of perfect balance, clearing the way for real spiritual growth to take place. Meditate upon this image for a short period of time.
- Vibrate the name of the Hebrew letter "TAU" (Taw). The shaft of light leading from your groin to your feet turns indigo or violet-blue in color. Imagine the female figure from THE UNIVERSE, the 21st Key of the Tarot. The form of the Dancing Goddess gives final form to the Manifest Universe. She is the womb of Heaven, giving birth to the signs of the Zodiac, the Planets and the Elements. She is the copletion of the Grand Design in the Mind of the Eternal. Take time to mediate upon this image.
- Vibrate the name of the Hebrew letter "TETH" (Tayth). Envision the second shaft of white light which connects the two shoulders begin to turn bright yellow, starting at Geburah. Imagine the woman from STRENGTH, the eighth Key of the Tarot. She holds the fierce and mighty lion under perfect control through the power of her Will. She has tamed the raw, fiery energy of the beast and transformed it by discipline. The strength generated from passion and intellect working together under will is tremendous. Feel the sense of inner strength given off by this image.
- Repeat once more the words "LE-OLAHM, AMEN" while making the appropriate gestures. Visualize the complete Cross for the final time in glowing white light.
Thus ends the ritual.
6.3) Suit and Function Meditation (14) (Ozaniec)
Layout:
10 01 09 02 08 K Q N P 03 07 04 06 05 Cards 1 - 10 are arranged in a circle, each cards top pointing outward from the circle. In the center are the King, Queen, Knight, and Page of the suit. Note that Ozaniec calls them the King, Queen, Price, and Princess respectively. Deal: Each of the four minor suits is ascribed with a function: Swords - Function of Thinking Cups - Function of Feeling Wands - Function of Intuition Pentacles - Function of Sensation Choose a function which you would to personaly develop and deal the fourteen cards of that suit as shown above and enter a meditative stateRitual: (verbatim)
Find yourself standing in an antechamber within a castle. You wait. Ahead of you a pair of great double doors are closed. Beside the doorway you see a bell. You move forward and ring the bell. A deep note rings out. You stand back. The doors swing open slowly. You enter and find that you stand in a Great Hall. At the far end seated on a long low dais you see four crowned figures. Here are the King, Queen, the Prince and the Princess. An unseen voice rings out, 'Welcome to the Elemental Court'. You move forward further into the hall. A fanfare rings out. 'Let the Elemental Powers step forward.' Now from behind the dais a character dressed plainly comes to meet you. The character carries the Ace of the elemental suit and shows it to you. You meditate on it. The character returns. A new figure appears bearing the Two of the suit. In this way each character appears before you, bearing the appropriate Tarot card. The characters appear from the direction that you have prepared in your spread. When the bearer of the tenth card has returned, spend a few moments in the quiet meditation before moving on to the next phase.
When you are ready, approach the dais where the Elemental Court sit.
Face the King and pose the question, 'What must I do to awaken the function of ...?'
Face the Queen and pose the quesiton, 'What must I do to develop the function of ...?'
Face the Prince and pose the question, 'What must I do to sustain the function of ...?'
Face the Princess and pose the question, 'What must I do to express the function of ...?'
Each question presents an opportunity for personal realization. Meditate on all that has transpired. Offer thanks for what has taken place. Close the meditation.
Write your experiences up straightaway.
The work does not finish when the meditation closes. The impetus is transformed from the private interior experience into daily life and ordinary interactin. Become aware of the repercussions and effects of your work, recording the perceived results inyour diary. These results may in turn become the subject for further reflection. The process becomes self-perpetuating. Initiaion is a cycle.
[paragraph deleted]
Each of the Tarot suits may be used in the same way. We may safely explore and enrich these basic functions within ourselves. Do not hurry such work. It is important to allow alleffects to be integrated into life. The four elemental initiations could be spread throught the space of a year.
6.4) Figure of Eight (22) (Cannon)
Layout:
04 05 03 06 02 07 01 08 00 09 XXX - Cards 10 and 21 should cross 11 20 each other on the XXX 12 19 13 18 14 17 15 16Deal: Deal the 22 Major Arcana cards into the positions shown
Ritual: This is lifted directly from Mr. Cannon's e-mail.
Keep the orientations consistent [when dealing] and you should find that the first loop of 10 cards (Fool-Hermit) are all facing outwards from the loop, yet by an Escheresque twist of orientation, the second 10 cards (Strength - Judgement) are all facing inwards. Significant, huh?
Meditation is a high-falootin' glorification of what I do which is better described as "make a cup of tea and ponder a bit" but you should see the whole story of the trumps click into place before you. Light candles, etc., if that's what you like.
Then you can go on to look at opposites.
The first loop, pretty obviously, is the worldly or "materialistic" phase of the Fool's progress and similarly the second loop the "spiritual" phase. If there was ever a more graphic illustration of the continuity of existence I'd like to see it. Now, if you have laid out your cards carefully and evenly, you should be able to ponder the relationships between the opposite pairs of cards in the two loops, e.g the Pope (5) vs. The Devil(15), or the Chariot (7) vs. Death (13).
I hope I've got these opposites correct from memory, I haven't got a pack in front of me right now to test the layout!
The above technique is from Alfred Douglas' book.
6.5) Square-Triangle Layout (78) (Cannon)
Layout:
+------+ | /\ | | / \ | |======| +------+Deal: Set out the 21 numbered trumps in an equilateral triangle, 7 cards per side, with the Fool in the middle. Outside this, lay out the minor cards in a square, four sides each of 14 cards. Or you can put the square inside the triangle, whichever you prefer.
Ritual: [or more appropriately, ponder this. Again, directly lifted from Andrew's e-mail]
Ponder the fact that the Fool can "see" either the secular, worldly domain of the minors, or the spiritual progression domain of the majors. He can't experience both, because he is constrained within the two-dimensional world of the cards he inhabits and one of the domains is always obscured from him by the other.
Clearly to experience both aspects of existence the Fool must somehow rise along a dimension or degree of freedom supplemental to those in which he normally operates. Alternatively, he must displace himself from the centre of his universe by some kind of leap.
This is a heavy-duty meditation, if you're into that kind of thing, the square and triangle can be considered as "philosophical machines" and it can all get a bit serious.
From Fred Getting's book.
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7) Miscellaneous Stuff
7.1) Divination with a normal deck of playing cards (Vienneau)
The following is a near verbatim copy (spell check changes only) of Viennau's post to alt.divination describing the meaning of each of the cards in a regular playing deck when used for fortune-telling.
Hearts: Aces- Happiness, love, friendship
King- a fair-haired man, affectionate and generous but impetuous
Queen- a fair-haired woman, trustworthy
Jack- a fair-haired young person, a good friend
10- good fortune, happiness
9- the "wish" card; desires come true
8- invitations, but also partings
7- someone is unreliable
6- unexpected good fortune; generosity
5- jealousy, indecision
4- changes, possibly travel or postponements
3- need for caution
2- success, friendshipSpades: Ace- conflicts, a difficult love affair
King- dark-haired man, ambitious, usually successful
Queen- dark-haired woman, can be seductive or unscrupulous
Jack- dark-haired young person, a well-meaning person
10- worry
9- bad luck, can mean delays or quarrels
8- disappointments and opposition
7- a warning against possible loss of friendship
6- an improvement in the person's life
5- anxiety, setbacks, interferences
4- jealousy, business troubles
3- partings, possible due to faithlessness
2- scandal, gossip, danger of deceitDiamonds: Ace- a money, ring
King- fair-haired man, stubborn and powerful
Queen- fair-haired woman, flirtatious, sophisticated, witty
Jack- a relative, someone not quite reliable
10- journey, changes, usually bringing wealth
9- opportunities and surprises, usually financial
8- late marriage or new relationship; unexpected money
7- a gift
6- a reconciliation; a warning against a possible second marriage
5- successful meetings, particularly in business
4- an inheritance, a change for the better
3- legal or domestic battles
2- a love affair becomes more important than hithertoClubs: Ace- Harmony, property, achievements, love
King- a dark-haired man, honest, open
Queen- a dark-haired woman, string-minded, helpful, attractive
Jack- a reliable friend
10- money from an unexpected source, good luck or gift
9- a new romance
8- opposition, danger or recklessness
7- prosperity, though a danger of romantic interference
6- business success
5- help from a friend or spouse
4- bad changes or alliance
3- good marriage or alliance
2- disappointment and oppositionSignificators: 1. fair or grey-haired man over 40....... King of Diamonds
2. fair or grey haired woman over 40..... Queen of Diamonds
3. fair-haired young man ................ King of Hearts
4. fair-haired young woman .............. Queen of Hearts
5. dark-haired man over 40............... King of Spades
6. dark-haired woman over 40............. Queen of Spades
7. dark-haired young man................. King of Clubs
8. dark-haired young woman............... Queen of Clubs=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
8) References and Thanks
Buckland, Raymond (editor), _Llewellyn's 1992 Magickal Almanac_.
Llewellyn Publications, St. Paul, Minnesota. 1991.
(A loan from Monica Withee.)
Carr-Gomm, Philip and Stehpanie, _The Druid Animal Oracle_. Simon
& Schuster Inc., New York. 1994.
(This books comes with the Druid Animal tarot deck, loaned to me by
a friend, Monica Withee.)
Cortese, Janis Maria C. C., newsgroup posting. 9/2/1993.
(cortese@netcom.com)
(Originally forwarded to me by Cranmer. Janis was kind enough to
return my e-mail to her and lend a bit more information to me. She
is also the woman who very courteously offered to lend me part of
her web page as home for this document.)
Danburg-Wyld, Mark, Tarot.FAQ (v. 1.1). 10/22/1993.
(danburg@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu)
Davis-Howe, Bran A., newsgroup posting. 2/18/1992.
(formerly at ba@mrcnext.cso.uiuc.edu)
(Forwarded to me by Cranmer)
Doane, Doris Chase and King Keyes, _How to Read Tarot Cards_.
Harper & Row Publishers, New York. 1971.
(Not a very good book, IMHO. Somewhat strict about how things should be done and interpreted, but it does contain twelve different layouts.)Kraig, Donald Michael, _Modern Magick Elevent Lesons in the High
Magickal Arts_. Llewellyn Publications, St. Paul, Minnesota.
1994.
(Another loan from Ms. Withee)
Lord, Paul, newsgroup posting. 2/18/1992.
(formerly at plord@HUB.CS.JMU.EDU)
(Forwarded to me by Cranmer)
Ozaniec, Naomi, _The Element Tarot Handbook. Initiation Into the
Key Elements of the Tarot_. Element Books Limited,
Shaftesbury, Dorset. 1994.
(Only a few mediational layouts in this book, but other than astrology it contains EVERYTHING you could possibly need to know about interpreting the tarot. If your serious about learning tarot outside the realms of divination, this is a GREAT book to get.)
Peach, Emily, _The Tarot Workbook_. Sterling Publishing Co.,
Inc., New York, New York. 1984
(A fair mixing divination and Qabalistic symbolism.)
Reed, Ellen Cannon, _The Witches Tarot_. Proper cite forthcoming.
Silbury, Tira, _Sacred Marriage, The_ Honoring the God and Goddess
Within Each Other._ Llewellyn Publications, St. Paul,
Minnesota. 1994.
(Another loan from Ms. Withee)
Vienneau, Wade Devin, newsgroup posting. 6/21/1992.
(gmvsw@academic.stu.StThomasU.ca)
Waite, Arthur Edward, _The Pictorial Key to the Tarot_. Citadel
Press, New York, New York. 1993.
(If you own the Rider-Waite deck from U.S. Games, you already have most of this, but there is still some useful information in here and I definitely recommend it if you plan on using a Waite deck regularly.)
Withee, Monica, friend.
(Monica was kind enough to loan me a few books out of her library
on the magickal arts which contained tarot layouts in them.)
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9) History of this document
6/6/95 - Version 1.0 A very rough draft as a favor for a peer on alt.divination. Contained Five Card, Line, Yes or No, Magic Seven, Celtic Cross, Tree of Life, Four Trines, Twelve Houses, Magic Cross, Wish, Pyramid, Three Sevens, Sephiroth, Thirty-Six, Solar, and Life Spreads. Also contained Card Modifiers, Line Extensions, Layout Rotation, and Yes/No general modifiers (Section 4). Released to the public domain. 6/10/95 - Version 1.1 Minor formatting changes, including a grammar check. Included cites with each entry. Addition of Four Seasons, Amanda's Fan, Key, Planetary (Davis), Thoth, Grand Source, and Magic Mirror Spreads. Information added to Magic Seven and Tree of Life Spreads. Never publicly released. Used mainly as a draft for v2.0 7/1/95 - Version 2.0 First version to state copyright. Division of groups into simple, complex, and astrological. Bibliography more 'thorough'. Size of document required changing from text to WP5.1 format (available from me upon request) Three-Sevens Spread changed to Romany Spread Addition of Astrological Information section. Addition of Playing Deck, Waite, Tetragrammaton, Yes or No, Qabalistic Cross, Sixteen Card, Timing, Three Fans, Ladder, Astrological, Planetary (Peach), and Daily Spreads. Information added to Four Seasons, Celtic Cross, Romany, Tree of Life Spreads. Addition of Querent Card Variations added with Personality, Astrological, Physical, Open Deck, Random, and No Querent variations. Addition of Miscellaneous Information with playing card variation only. Addition of FAQ History. 9/17/95 - Version 2.1 Thoth and Sixteen Card Spreads combined into one section. Addition of Meditational Layout Section Addition of Awen Spread, Spread of the Elements, Spirits of the Circle, Hearth, Arianrhod, Split Hexagram, and Soul Dreamers Spread. Addition of Madalas, Daily Focus Point, Contemplation Ritual, Open the Door, Qabalistic Cross Ritual, Suit/Function Meditation, Figure of Eight, and Square-Triangle Layout ?/??/?? - Version 3.0 FAQ split into parts due to size. Addition of a third Ozaniec layout. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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