Last week on the blog, I talked a little bit about contemplative tarot. I’d like to be clear: this is not my specialty. I don’t believe I am a very contemplative person at the core. I am able to think deeply — on an intellectual level — about any situation, of course, and I can reach a state of empathy when I’m reading for another, but I’ve always had a bit of cognitive dissonance when it comes to really feeling & sorting through my own bullshit (avoidance is much easier for me — which is probably why I’ll die of an inoperable brain tumor someday). Also, I don’t like to cry. Just thinking about crying makes me feel nauseous. And damned if not every time I agree to go there — whether I’m reading for myself or am having my cards read by another professional, I end up all weepy and wet-faced.
So I’ve only just recently tried this shift in my self-care (journal, yoga, hot baths) that is inwardly focused and I must say, it’s scary! It’s really unpleasant to face some of what you might experience when you begin to seek these kinds of answers from The Universe. What you find within yourself may be ugly or need corralling. You may linger over a reading for several days or a week. I am not a psychologist, but I think that’s ok. In fact, I think it’s healthy to ask big questions and then feel disturbed when you get the answers. It means you’re human. It means you’re vulnerable. It means your heart hasn’t gone completely cold, despite yourself .
So I want you to take the following reading blueprints and advice from a position of sharing what I’m working with. And we can go through this together.
Ooh, I said blueprint. I don’t like the phrase “tarot spread” because I don’t think it’s very good description of the actual usage. I also find the word spread kind of ugly – purely aesthetic. I’ve considered other words that might better convey the purpose – layouts, maps, positions, etc. I like “blueprint” because it also suggests that we’re building something. We are. We’re building a base of understanding of the Self.
The other aspect of the following blueprints (this is the first of a series that will run through the end of October) is that they’re all Halloween-themed. This adds a layer of spook, for sure. We’re going to be using scary themes – monsters, ghosts, death, afterlife, etc., as the backdrop for our readings. In working with these spreads, I’ve noticed that the themes add serious depth to my experience. In a way, it’s like enjoying a scary movie – thrilling – because we’re actually safe the entire time.
Of course, I’m actually kind of creepy and morose and I probably have hidden goth tendencies… so your mileage on these spreads may vary.
The first spread we’re going to examine is about the changing seasons. The equinox was a few days ago. In the Northern Hemisphere, it’s fall. This means cooling weather, first frosts, leaves changing color and the onset of the harvest season. I’ve called this blueprint “Leaves Fall” and I think it’s very appropriate for this time of year (you know, if you’re entering the fall season, like I am – everyone else can just wait six months!).
You must understand this if you want to get the most mileage out of your readings:
The blueprint is the metaphor.
A tarot reading is a narrative.
We use the metaphor to add layers of understanding to our narratives.
In this case, the metaphor is a tree in the fall. The leaves are falling — being shed to conserve energy while the tree hibernates for the winter. After the leaves fall, they become compost to nourish next Spring’s new growth. This is not a spread to use if you are beginning an outward exploration of the world, but is rather suited for the times in our lives when we need to become self-reflective, concerned with our own energy usage and regroup while we wait for a re-emergence with the arrival of brighter seasons. This spread looks at our histories, our growth, our gifts and then examines what is ready to fall. This spread answers the question, “What can I let go of to better preserve the self? What happens to the leaves of self I’ve let fall?”
The first thing we do when we begin any act of divination is to get grounded. I’ve recorded this short grounding meditation that you can use if you are having trouble or feeling off balance/out of focus. Get your cards and your reading place ready. Light candles, make an offering to your internal/external Spirit, etc. Listen to/download the grounding guided meditation by clicking here.
So you are grounded and safe. Before I do a reading, after I have grounded, I shuffle until I reach this place that is close to trance – and then I find knowing. I know the cards are in order to reveal whatever The Universe might reveal. I don’t question this, I just know it. This is basically how divination works, in case you were wondering
Place seven cards so the arrangement approximates the blueprint. I start at the bottom of the tree and work up, then lay the two cards on the right. I am not concerned with ordered numbers with this blueprint. The tree should grow organically, so trust your hands to put the cards in the correct order, however you find your hands working.
Let’s talk about the metaphors in this blueprint and how you might use them to add a layer of meaning to your narrative. The following are just ideas you might implement. Use them as suggestions, not hard and fast guidelines:
What roots me – The tree’s roots. Where were you planted? Where did you grow? What is your connection to your past? To your personal, family, ancestral history? To the history of the Universe?
How I grew – The tree trunk. What summarizes your experience of growth? What describes your inner rings of growth? What is at your core? What is ingrained (as in, wood grain)?
What sustains – (two cards) The tree leaves. What do you use to sustain yourself in the present? As the leaves turn sunlight into energy, where do you find your source of energy? What have you used (a skill? a talent? a gift? a person?) to live in the way you do/am/have been?
What I’ve brought to fruition – The fruit of the tree. What has come into being as a result of what sustains? What is your highest potential for growth? What is the ultimate gift you cultivate? Is it sweet? Bitter? Useful? Poisonous?
What falls – The falling leaf. What is the part of self you need to let go of? Which part of self no longer serves? In order to survive another season, what must be shed?
Where it rests – The fallen leaf. What is your experience as you let go? Where do you move away from? What grows from your transition? How do you cope with what’s left behind?
And finally, how might a reading go with this spread? Since this entry is toppling a cool grand in word count anyway, I’ll post my reading on Tuesday morning, along with the modifications for using the Lenormand or another oracle instead of tarot. But in the meanwhile, if you’d like to try this and post about it, be sure to leave a comment here so I can pop over to your blog and check it out!
Oh, and because I’m just super-fantastic like that, I’ve made you a handy PDF you can download with the complete diagram and suggestions for usage, so you can turn off the damn glowing screen and get some good old fashioned divination done. Right click and save here!
I want to make a confession. Until recently, I almost never used spreads1 in my tarot readings.
I would throw spreads, such as the Celtic Cross, when a client would request one. In all other circumstances, I would either line up seven cards to read as a line, put nine cards in three rows of three, or simply draw card after card as I was speaking (in which case my experience was more akin to channeling than reading cards). I could never get comfortable reading the Celtic Cross because, as a spread, it sends out mixed messages.
My clients either want a spiritual tarot experience, or they want answers to whether or not they’ll get the business loan. Rarely do the two mix. But the Celtic Cross, and many other tarot spreads out there, mix contemplative tarot with predictive tarot. Does my client who wants to know about her business loan care about subconscious influences; how she views herself in the world? Does my client who wants a general reading, interested in the spiritual insights that they might garner from the cards, care about the problem/outcome cards dangling at the top? My problem with tarot spreads is that I often felt like my predictive readings were getting cluttered up and unnecessarily complicated and long-winded because of all the insightful self-reflective stuff. And my contemplative readings were being convoluted and overshadowed by that tiny bit of prediction, often out of context, at the end.
I’ve come to accept two precepts about divination:
Predictive divination is best accomplished by reading in lines or blocks.
Contemplative divination is best accomplished by setting aside the expectation of future prediction.
Predictive divination is best accomplished by reading in lines or blocks.
Ok, I admit. I read tarot like a Lenormand reader. Or I read Lenormand like a tarot reader… I’ve been told both by different people . I guess I read cards the way I read cards and this is what works best for me.
Explanation: My son, who is four, has started to tell stories. He tells his sister stories now. His stories begin, “Once upon a time, this happened. Then this happened. Then this happened. The end.” Try to recall everything that happened to you this morning. You probably recall it like, “This happened. Then this happened. Then this happened. The end.”
Now I want you to make predictions about what will happen to you tomorrow morning. Think about it a minute, then come back… I’ll wait right here.
Ok, so it probably went something like, “I will wake up. I will drink coffee. I will eat an omelet. The end.”
Clear narrative is the key to powerful predictive divination. I could write a whole book on this topic, but for now I’ll just promise to touch upon it in a later blog post.
Contemplative divination is best accomplished by setting aside the expectation of future prediction.
This didn’t occur to me until I was writing in my journal one morning. See, I’m a compulsive journaler. Journaling, for me, is a totally indulgent experience. I write all about ME ME ME. I write about my deepest, darkest, inner desires, dreams, impulses, fantasies… In my journal, I’m really a 14-year old girl – because that’s about how much awareness of any world/connection beyond my self makes it to the pages.
And then one day, I thought it would be fun to mix that up a bit — and combine one of my Goddess-care routines with something a little more “Godly” — that is to say, I yearned for an exercise that would prompt me to dig deeper in my journaling. So I picked up my cards and sat around trying to fathom a way to use them. It occurred to me to try a tarot spread! Ah, finally, a use for that pesky Celtic Cross! But then, when I was working through it, I got to that pesky problem/outcome at the end and it suddenly made no sense in context of my reading.
To that end, I started collecting and creating tarot spreads to use in my journaling. And starting later this week, I’m going to be sharing some spreads I’ve created for contemplative divination with you. Wait, it gets better! The spreads I’m going to be sharing with you are Halloween themed! And wait, wait it gets even better!!! I’m illustrating it with an adorable little Halloween tarot I’ve whipped up for just the occasion (preview at the left)!!!! Just because I love Halloween that much! Aaaaaahhhhhhhhhh!!!!! (*dies*)
I’ve already written six entries for the series, so there will at least be that many posted before the end of October, but perhaps more, since I have a grand total of 28 Halloween-themed spreads in my notebook at last count…
You can treat this series as a free e-course, because that’s really how I’m writing it. And you won’t want to miss it. So if you aren’t subscribed via RSS in some reader already, do that now. I’ve also set it up with my new mailing list provider to send out blog updates once a week via email. If you want to subscribe to the blog by email, fill out the form below. NOTE: this is a different list than my email list — this form is for blog subscription only, and you will ONLY get blog updates via this email. If you’re not on my regular mailing list, you’re also missing out — and you’ll want to subscribe in the sidebar of my blog.
For the n00bs out there, a tarot spread refers to the arrangement of the cards on the table. Placing your cards in a specific layout will give each card significance based on the meaning assigned to the spread position. For example, you might do a 3-card reading, laying the three cards in a row on the table. The first card refers to bodily matters, the second card refers to matters of the mind and the third card would refer to spiritual matters. This is a common 3-card spread — body, mind, spirit. ↩
I recently revised my list of 10 best tarot decks for beginners, and I thought I’d share. The best way to learn tarot is to pick up a deck that you’ll both love and is suited for beginning readers. Here are ten suggestions that will appeal to a variety of aesthetics.
Learning how to read tarot cards is a massive undertaking and the first step is to find a tarot deck that you can work with. Beginners are often overwhelmed with the vast catalog of tarots available and are at risk of fumbling through the learning process with a deck that is unsuited to new readers. When picking your first tarot, look for a cards that follow the Rider-Waite system. This is the most popular symbolic system of tarot in the West and the one most frequently cited in mainstream tarot literature. You’ll also want to find a deck that doesn’t have a separate symbolic system overlaid (such as fairy-tales or literary metaphors layers onto the cards). Finally, pick a deck with artwork that speaks to you and the type of readings you plan on doing with your cards. You’ll have more fun and will be more likely to continue your tarot studies if you use a deck that appeals to you and can be used with the vast amount of beginning tarot information out there.
Here are ten recommended decks that are suitable for tarot beginners and readily available from most major booksellers:
This beautiful watercolor deck features fairies, forest folk, bugs and animals in Paulina Cassidy’s signature whimsical fantasy artist style. The palate is muted and the landscapes are dream-like, making this deck perfect for reading cards during the golden hour of a hazy summer afternoon in a field of wildflowers and cicada song.
This deck is full of dark, sinister and surreal moon-faced creatures. Though admittedly too creepy for some, these cards offer biting, to-the-teeth readings ‘” without the gloss, sugar-coating or fluffy bunnies of some other modern tarots. If you’re a fan of Tim Burton’s work, you’ll probably appreciate the dark humor and artistic sensibility of Valenza’s very popular Deviant deck.
They made a tarot deck with gummy bears on the cards? Yes, yes they did. And this is the result. It’s a fun, quirky Rider-Waite clone deck that is appropriate for people who might normally be frightened of the images on a more traditional tarot. This deck is also great for reading at parties or for children. Even better, the cards are smaller than a standard tarot and come shipped in an adorable little tin box.
You shouldn’t argue with a classic like the Morgan Greer Tarot, especially when it’s as lovely as this gem from US Games, Inc. The cards are borderless, which allows the richly colored (albeit vintage-looking) artwork really stand out against your reading table. This deck is a standard in the catalog for a reason. It follows standard the Rider-Waite system with a modern medieval appeal, but zooms in on the action, so the cards just feel more immediate. This pack of cards is perfect for learning with almost any western text on the tarot.
Another US Games, Inc., deck that comes in a smaller size and packaged in a tin, the Vanessa Tarot is absolutely hands-down perfect for romance readings with your girlfriends. This is a funky, modern pack of cards that feature funky, modern illustrations. If you’re a fan of anime you’ll appreciate the artwork on this handy tarot, and it’s small size and sturdy packaging make it easy to throw in your bag for a reading and a cappuccino at your favorite coffee shop!
Richly textured and beautifully rendered, this collage deck by artist Kat Black and published by US Games, Inc. If you’re a fan of Medieval and Renaissance-era artwork, you’ll adore this emotive and striking pack of cards. The set comes in a sturdy cardboard box with a substantial LWB (little-white-book of card meanings) and features scrumptious gold gilt edging. This is a deck that will transport you to another time, perfect for readings at Ren Faires.
This set was originally published in Korea before getting picked up by Tarot publisher Lo Scarabeo. The figures in the cards are all large-eyed animals, which are surprisingly emotive and accessible. The palate is muted with soft pastel shades. Don’t let the sweetness of this deck fool you ‘” the cards offer deep and often poignant advice, and many, many readers have fantastic success connecting with the art.
This is another multicultural, inclusive deck that is illustrated in a lino-block style with bright, contrasting colors. Though the artwork is bold, the cards do not come off as garish and the color scheme is lively and pleasing. The cards are wider than a standard tarot deck and the set comes in a two-part box with a larger-than-usual booklet explaining the symbolism in the cards. The deck may be out of print, so you’ll want to grab a copy of this deck while you can still find it on bookshelves.
This amazing deck, published first in a collectible limited edition and then later for the mass market by Llewellyn, appeals to an earth-centered spiritual sensibility. The figures in the cards represent all colors, shapes, sizes and ages of people ‘” which is actually pretty uncommon in the current catalog of tarot decks available. This is a deck of cards that invite you into a world that is both modern and timeless.
The Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot is arguably the most influential tarot deck in the Western world and certainly of this century. US Games has produced this beautifully re-colored set in a lovely box set that includes two books and postcard prints of Pamela Coleman Smith’s artwork. This is the deck that nearly every book in print written on the tarot references and for the price and value of this edition, you cannot lose.
Do you have a favorite deck of cards you recommend for beginners? In the market for a first-deck and looking for something specific? I’d love to hear your thoughts!
My second tarot lesson focuses on my top ten recommendations of fantastic tarot decks for learners. For the purpose of this video (I had to cut out much more than I hoped to fit it in the 15 minute youtube limit!) — we are looking for a Rider Waite Smith clone type deck. I offer ten suggestions, with hopes that they have broad appeal.
(If you click on these links and make a purchase, I will get a percentage of the sale. But I only endorse products that I fully 100% support and have purchased myself -- or ebooks or magazines that I have contributed to or write for.)
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To that end, I started collecting and creating tarot spreads to use in my journaling. And starting later this week, I’m going to be sharing some spreads I’ve created for contemplative divination with you. Wait, it gets better! The spreads I’m going to be sharing with you are Halloween themed! And wait, wait it gets even better!!! I’m illustrating it with an adorable little Halloween tarot I’ve whipped up for just the occasion (preview at the left)!!!! Just because I love Halloween that much! Aaaaaahhhhhhhhhh!!!!! (*dies*)
