From: blowfish@carina.unm.edu (rON.)
Newsgroups: alt.divination
Subject: My own spread
Date: 15 Sep 92 09:14:38 GMT
Organization: University of New Mexico, Albuquerque



This is a tarot spread that I devised. Its a combination of several different
spreads/ideas, plus some ideas of my own. Feel free to use it if you want.
This is kind of long, I admit, but I go into some details on the 'meanings'
of each of the positions. Longer term readers can probably skim most of this
part :) 

Basically, there are 16 cards that are drawn from whatever method you feel
most comfortable with. They are laid out and explained below:

7   14   4   13   10
8   6   1/2   5   11
9   15   3   16   12

There are 4 'sections' to the spread.
Cards 1-6 are the person being read
Cards 6-9 represent the past
Cards 5,10-12 represent the future
Cards 13-16 represent the elementals

The individual meanings of the positions (explanations follow the list):
1: The significator, usually.
2: Defines meaning for the significator.
3: Base or underlying influences
4: Top or overlayering influences
5: Current influence from or about the future
6: Current influence from or about the past
7: The past.
8: The past.
9: The past.
10: The future.
11: The future.
12: The future.
13: Earth/Disks/'The Body'
14: Air/Swords/'The Intellect'
15: Fire/Wands/'The Imagination'
16: Water/Cups/'The Emotions'


OK- some explanation.
Cards 1 and 2 represent the person being read. If you use a significator, this
can be card 1. This is the way I usually read it. Card 2 then defines meaning
for or of the significator. For example, if card 2 is the Wheel of Fortune, 
then it can be taken to mean that the person being read (the significator) is
going to experience, or about to experience some changes in her/his life. I
don't take the second card to mean an opposing force, like the Celtic Cross
has (in some forms), rather it clarifies the significator.

Cards 3 and 4 represent major influences on the significator. The card below
is a base of influence- a strong support from underneath, a foundation. Some
times it reveals the 'root' of the problem or something inside- the basic idea
is still the same. Card 4 represents influences from 'above', or outside- a
guiding force, or even entity. I, personally, think of it as a 'magic sky
hook'- something that holds ones head up and back straight as if attached from
the sky to the head.

Cards 5 and 6 are the future and the past, respectively. They represent an
influence on the person or situation from the persons future or past. For the
future, its an influence that has yet to reveal itself, though it may already
be around. For the past, its an influence that comes from ones own past, but
has not faded out yet.

If you do things with the moon, cards 3-6 can be thought of as phases of the
moon- from full (at the top) to waning (the past) to new (the base) to waxing
(the incoming future) to full (the top again). (actually, I just thought of
this representation, so I haven't tried it at all :)

Cards 7, 8, and 9 represent people, events, influences, etc. from the past.
These representations are the people, events, etc. that are important, or
significant, to the persons current situation or future.

Cards 10, 11, and 12 represent people, events, influences, etc. that are
going to occur in the future- or the direction that the future will take if
events aren't changed. These cards can be, like I said, people, or events,
or just general influences that are going to have an impact on either the
persons current situation or that will be occuring in the persons future.

Now, card 6 (the past influence) is read alongside with the past cards, and
card 5 (the future influence) is read alongside with the future cards. You
can think of these influence cards as being a 'distillation' or 'summary' of
the past/future cards.

The next four cards in the spread represent the 4 elements: Earth, Air, Fire
and Water. Now, the additional meanings that >I< assigned to them are by
no means the only ones. You are free to chose your own interpetations of
the elemental cards in your own reading. :) 

Card 13 represents Earth. I assigned the tarot suit Disks to it, and the
'human' (sharp-eyed readers will note the similarities to the Jungian
interpretations :) factor of 'The Body'.  The Body is the senses- how you
feel, physically. The Physical Body. It includes sensuality and sex.

Card 14 represents Air. I assigned the tarot suit Swords to it, and the
human factor of 'The Intellect'. This is thinking. Analytical thought.
Ideas (but not dreams!). Logic. How and What one thinks.

Card 15 represents Fire. This is the suit of Wands. The human factor is
'The Imagination'. This is the right brain. Dreams, fantasies, imagination.
This is the colorful, playful side of the brain as opposed to the stricter
structure of the left brain- the Intellect.

Card 16 represents Water. The suit is Cups and the human factor is 'The
Emotions'. This is the heart- feelings and emotions. Emotive expression
is here as well.

These 4 cards represent strongly the way the person see, thinks, feels,
hopes for a situation, or the way the elements are shaping up for the
future. Let me make an example of these 4. I'll use the 2 of cups (generally
recognized as meaning 'love').

If this was in 13- The Body- this might mean sex- Physical love, or it could
mean that you physically feel like you're in love- the tense stomach, etc.
("Gee, I felt like that once, but I thought it was cooties."- Calvin and Hobbes)

In 14, The Intellect, this card might mean that you've thought over the 
situation, and have come to the conclusion that you are in love- or that
a person is in love with you. Its not a feeling thing- you've analyzied
the availible datum and have reached a conclusion: "there exits love".

In The Imagination a card like this usually would mean that you are hoping,
or dreaming about this person. Wanting them to be in love with you- you
fantasize about them near you, etc. It could also mean (depending on the
other cards) that you have 'future hopes' and plans with the person- an
impending marriage, or you'll move in together, etc.

In spot 16, The Emotions, this card would mean, most likely, that you are
in love. (Which comes as a surprise to a lot of people when a card like this
shows up in this spot :). Whether that love is returned or unrequited is
revealed by the other cards. In this spot you >are< or >feel like< you are in
love, which is what counts.

In general, cards falling in the same spot as their suit references (the 2 of
cups falling into the Emotions/Cups spot) means its a 'major' influence- I
treat it as if a Major Arcana card fell on that spot (I assign more 
signifigance to MA cards than minor ones.)

The 4 elements also fall into some different separations and opposites.
The two on the right (Earth/Water) are influences of the body, and the
two on the left (Air/Fire) are influences of the mind. The two on top
(Earth/Air) are 'hard' or solid influences and the two on the bottom
(Fire/Water) are 'soft' or less-solid influences. 
What do I mean by 'hard' and 'soft'? Well, the 'hard' influences are more
tangible- an idea, conclusion, or senses of the body. The 'soft' influences
are less 'tangible'- more subject to personal interpetation. For example,
if I poked the hands of 3 people with a pin, they would all feel (earth)
the same thing, pain. How they reacted (water) to it would be different
(from anger to surprise to enjoyment, even). Of course, the level of pain
each feels would be different- we are all wired differently. On the brain
side, if I asked you to add 1+1, most everybody would come up with the
answer 2 (this is the air part). But if I asked you to add 1+1 and come up
with your own answers one could get an answer of 1+1=1 (if you're in love)
or 1+1=10 (if you've been programming to long), etc. (this, of course,
is the fire part). 'Hard' and 'soft' can be interpeted like 'objective'
and 'subjective'.


OK- thats about it. Feel free to try it out, comment on it (good or bad!)
and let me know. Its the spread I use, I created it out of elements that
I've found here and about, and incorporated into my readings. Its of course
not a static thing- I am coming up with new ideas/interpetations (like the
moon thing- seriously I just though of that connection tonight! :) and
so your comments are welcome.

peace-
r.
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