From: sjgavula@terminator.rs.itd.umich.edu (Susan Gavula)
Newsgroups: alt.divination
Subject: Tarot Spreads File (long)
Date: 11 Nov 1992 13:32:06 -0500
Organization: University of Michigan
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: terminator.rs.itd.umich.edu


Here is the completed file.  Let me know what you think of it.

>From: jah14@po.CWRU.Edu (Jonathan A. Horvath)
Reply-To: jah14@po.CWRU.Edu
Status: R

I've been working with cards for about 9 years now; seen all kinds of
cards and my favorite is the Crowley deck, they are the most
pictorally symbolic, and there is a great book specifically on this deck
called "The Tarot Handbook" by Angeles Arrien.

The spread I use, is a very simple very quick spread for immediate
situations.  Basically, I shuffle/cut the cards three times.  I then
spread them out in an arc in front of me.  I close my eyes and
meditate on the problem for a few moments, then open my eyes and
pick the card which 'catches my eye'.  I then re-collect the cards,
then re-spread them and go through the same routine till I have 3
cards total, placed face down from left to right.  The first two cards
tell about the situation and how I and anyone else associated with
the situation deal with or approach the situation.  The third card tell
the outcome.  It always been dead on for me, and it only takes about
15 minutes to do.  I'm working on a similar one for the people I read
for; presently I use the celtic cross.

--
wisdom is                               Jonathan Horvath [jah14]
there is no mirror                      Case Western Reserve University
there is buddha [ultimate]-nature       RLGN/pscl
dust can never be                       140 Michelson [216] 754-2044
                                        (2043)

>From ba@mrcnext.cso.uiuc.edu Wed Oct  9 23:24:19 1991
For a decent Tree of Life reading, try p.56 of _The Way of the
Goddess_by Ly Warren-Clark.


>From averett@cs.unc.edu Thu Oct 10 17:28:46 1991

I first learned two spreads, the Celtic Cross, which I use for answers
to questions (information concerning conditional events), and a
spread that was taught to me as "the gypsy spread" which is an arch
of 13 cards, with a row of 5 cards under, and a row of 7 under that.
The thirteen cards are 13 months, but basically represent *some*
sort of progression in time.  The five cards describe the individual
concerned, and the 7 cards describe his/her environment and
desires.  I always thought it ended up looking like the spreading
canopy of an old oak tree, with the 5 and 7 lines as the trunk.  The
reading usually takes off in it's own direction for me, though, so I
never tried to force the interpretation too much to fit the formalisms.


>From aa485@cwns5.INS.CWRU.Edu Thu Oct 10 20:12:41 1991
>From: aa485@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (John Strekal)
Reply-To: aa485@cleveland.Freenet.Edu



The "form" of my readings is somewhat peculiar.  I lay the ten cards
out in the pattern of the Sephiroth.  This is a representation of Adam
Kadmon, or primordial man.  You probably know what the pattern is,
but, nevertheless, here it is:

                                  1


                         3                2


                         5                4

                                  6

                         8                7

                                  9

                                  10

Primarily, I use the attributes commonly associated with the
Sephiroth:
1). Kether - the Crown, 2). Chochma - Wisdom, 3). Binah -
Understanding,
4). Chesed - Mercy, 5). Geburah - Strength, 6). Tifereth - Beauty,
7). Netzeth - Victory, 8). Hod - Splendor, 9). Yesod - The Foundations,
and lastly, 10). Malkuth - the Kingdom.

The Sephiroth may also readily be divided into three other aspects,
the left path for femininity, the central path for androgeny and the
right path masculinity.

About 15 yrs. ago, I was also very much attracted to Alice Bailey's
ideasconcerning the 7 rays.  I've integrated this concept with the
seven virtical levels of the Sephiroth.  From top to bottom, these
 attributes are 1) Will, 2) Love, 3) Mind, 4) Balance, 5) Knowledge,
6) Emotion, 7) Manifestation.

I consider a reading of this nature to be the equivalent of a Tarot
Rorschach.


>From chroma@cygnus.com Fri Oct 11 08:33:54 1991


Well I just use the 3 Seven Spread for Past (lowest) Present(Middle)
and Future (Highest), reading right to left with 4th cards as a Key.


>From jtgst1@unix.cis.pitt.edu Thu Nov 14 20:48:51 1991

OK.  Here's the general tarot layout.  It's based on the Celtic Cross
but is layed out two circles, an inner and an outer.  The text is
quoted from _Motherpeace: a Way to the Goddess through Myth, Art,
and Tarot_ by Vickie Noble.

        "The [reading] I use ... depicts a circle or a wheel with a central
disc surrounded by eight smaller discs.  Place three cards within the
hub and eight in the numbered positions as the peripheral discs-a
total of eleven cards.  Each card is read according to its position in
the diagram."

OK.  I've tried to draw the circle.  The cards are much closer than
this when you do a reading; it was just easier to create the idea of
two circles by exaggerating their respective sizes.  Cards #1,2 and 3
form the inner circle and cards #4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11 the outer.


                                6



                8                               9




                                1
        5                                               7
                             2       3






                11                              10



                                4


                "Key to Diagram
1.  Significator:  your essence, who you are, especially right now; the
    heart.
2.  Atmosphere:  the place from which the question emerges; what's
    going on for you now; the context.
3.  Cross Current:  the obstacle facing you, the central challenge;
    what needs to be integrated.
4.  Root:  the unconscious mindset; whatever lies at the foundation;
    the body.
5.  Recent Past: what just happened, what is now passing away.
6.  General Sky: what is conscious, what you think about it all; what
    is coming in; the mind.
7.  Near Future:  what will happen soon; what you can expect if
     things
    keep moving in this direction.
8.  Self Concept: how you see yourself in relation to your significator;
    self-image.
9.  Hopes and Fears: what you hope for, you also fear; your
    unconscious projections.
10. House: who is in your psychic space, your environment; who is
close to you.
11. Outcome: resolution; integration.  (If a Major Arcanum comes up
in the outcome position, I stop with that.  If no Major shows up, I
draw at least two more cards, which I think of as "x-factors."  If
neither of these is a Major, I regard the outcome as uncertain at
this time.)

... I like to notice that the vertical axis throught the "root"(4) and
sky(6), like the spine in our earlier grounding exercise, provides a
link to mental-spiritual realms.  The horizontal axis that runs
throughthe "past"(5) and "future"(7) positions reflects the physical
plane and daily actions in the world.  The inner circle of three cards
moves counter-clockwise ("moon-wise") and represents the "heart" of
the reading, its central meaning.  The outer circle of eight cards
moves in a clockwise ("sun-wise") direction  and represents what is
changeable.
        What about reversed cards?  In traditional, rectangular Tarot
decks, the cards come up one of two possible ways - either "up" or
"down."  But when you use round cards, the images may be slanted
any which way.  The best thing to do in any case is first of all to read theimage as if it were upright.  Figure out what it means, and then work with the additional complexity that a "tilt" or a "reversal" represents.
        You can approach it in terms of polarity, using symbolic
representations for right and left ...  I generally approach cards that
lean to the right as representing a slightly "forced" or pushing
quality - the ego may be controlling the expression of energy
represented by the card (not automatically bad in itself).  When the
image falls to the left, I tend to feel that the energy must be slightly
"held back"... When a card falls upside down ( a full reversal) I
generallytake it to embody the "negative" or opposite aspect of
whatever the image means in its upright form."

        Also, the cards can fall pointing directly right or left.  I tend
to take this to mean that the person I'm doing the reading for (must
be an easier way to say that!) is faced with a decision.  If the card
faces directly left, they are being rather passive about, perhaps even
ignoring, the decsion; it the card points directly right, they are
actively focused on that decision.
        I also think of cards that point towards other cards as being
connected.  I think of them as a group to help illumiate my reading.
This can be done really well with round cards since they can point
in any of 360 degrees.  I also read cards of the same suit and Major
Arcana as groups as well.  It just makes it easier for me to
understand
a meaning in the cards.
************************************************************
"My Lord, you have three proofs of witchcraft:
a cat that drinks blood,
a horse that talks,
and a man who propogates poodles!"
                        The Blackadder



>From jtgst1@unix.cis.pitt.edu Thu Nov 14 19:59:51 1991

This is quoted from _MotherPeace: A Way to the Goddess through
Myth, Art, and Tarot_ which is the book that goes along with the
MotherPeace Tarot Cards, which are round by the way.
        "Another reading you might like to try is a "yes-no" question.
Mix the cards and ask yourself a question that's on your mind and
can be answered with either a yes or a no.  Focus intently on your question, putting it in the clearest language possible.  ...
        When the cards feel ready, cut them and begin to turn them
faceup in a single pile, counting to thirteen.  If an Ace comes up,
stop-that pile is done.  Go on to the next, until you have three stacks
of cards in front of you with either thirteen cards each or an Ace on
top. Aces right-side-up mean "yes" and upside-down mean "no".  The
more Aces you get, the stronger the yes or no.  (If you happen to get
one Ace up and another down, you may read it as a "maybe", or as a
sign that the situation may change, or that it's too early to know the
outcome.) Often however, the reading of Aces is immediately clear
and needs no furtherexplanation-it is obviously yes or just obviously
no."
=============================================================
=
Heaven is mine
I am a warrior am I
Is there a god who can vie with me?

The gods are sparrows - I am a falcon
The gods trundle along
I am a splendid wild cow
        Song Of Inanna
        The Poetry of Sumer, S.N Kramer



>From BIOPA@vax.oxford.ac.uk Tue Nov 19 09:35:06 1991

this is a Tarot spread I often employ:-


                    10
                  8    9
                 5   6  7
               1  2   3   4


It is one which works well for me, and was taught to me by a spirit
guide.I call it the pyramid spread for obvious reasons. The way it
seems to work is that as the problem is expressed, most is known
about that, hence the four cards at the bottom, and as a solution is
found, less and less is allowed (by cosmic law) to be known, hence
the single card at the far point (No.10). However, no time is implicit
in any position, although it does seem to be useful to consider
neighbouring cards, predominance, and a card in relation
to the two cards below it. However, I generally use my intuition to
guide me around the spread for an interpretation, but that is the way
I tend to work the cards - other people may be different.


Why don't you suggest to people or try this exercise:-

Meditate on a particular human condition/quality eg. lonely person
who tends to cling to relationships who finds himself at the receiving
end of a love triangle - a simple case to start with, nothing
complicated. Depending on the case in mind, guess a good no. of cards
capable of either expressing the problem, or that and *also*
expressing a way out of it. Say 5 cards for the above example.

Then meditate on the cards needed.

Arrange these cards in the appropriate manner, using simplicity as a
primary requisite, then see what you end up with.

Check it out on a similar real life problem.

OR, ask guidance on the inner realms - coming from the right contact
it can be invaluable. Don't be afraid to ask one of the elemental
guardians - especially the one with whom you feel most in tune with
- Frequently I ask Micha'el for advice - but it is important to be
polite and have absolutely karmically OK motives for this, as in any,
transaction, otherwise the debt rebounds. It is always OK to ask if a
motive is correct, though, as this does not constitute a Karmic action,
merely a request. At worst, the higher entity can only turn round
and say it is up to you!

Love and Light,

Tom. (J-Cloth)

P.S. Please address mail if poss. to TOM@UK.AC.OX.BIOP (in England,
maybe Earn or something, I don't know!) Ta.

>From: dawn@netcom.com (Darragh Nagle)
Here is the lay:



             4
                                    9
    6                 7            10
            123                    11
                                   12

         8       5





123 are actually laid one on top of the other, with
1 laid vertically, 2 laid on top of 1 horizontally,
and 3 laid on top of 2 vertically.

4-8 form an invoking pentagram.

1 - Significator, person's self, center, important aspects
    in current situation.
2 - Crossing card, "crossed by", opposing, passing, or altering
    forces which may influence 1.
3 - Crown, sum effect of 1 & 2, person's outward appearance and
    self image, way of dealing with the world, state of being.

8 - Past
6 - Recent past
4 - Present
7 - Near Future
5 - Future

9 - World view of person, how others see person
10- How person sees the world/universe now
11- Hopes, fears, expectations
12- Final outcome

This lay was taught to me by my teacher, Bartholomew Green.




>From: jah14@po.CWRU.Edu (Jonathan A. Horvath)


        Well, that's there was to the other spread.....the next one I use
tells past, present, and future---conscious/subconscious aspect of the
current situation....you can see that the two go hand in hand....

again, do the thing from the last spread to get a wild card(s)


then lay 'em out like this



                past            present         future


conscious                       1
                3                               5


subconscious                    2
                4                               6


again throw three on each position and interpret them as before: the bottom one leads to those on top of it.....


I find it quite amazing how accurate they are.....but to be honest, it doesn't really surprise me all that much!


its fun to be a magician in the 90's!




---peace


love


Jon




--
wisdom is                         |  Jonathan A. Horvath [jah14@po.cwru.edu]
there is no mirror                |  Case Western Reserve University
there is buddha [ultimate]-nature |  RELIGION/physics
dust can never be                 |  140 Michelson [216] 754-2044 (2043)


>From: cosc1498@jetson.uh.edu (91F6380)
Subject: Another spread
Keywords:  Tarot, spread, Parkay, etc.
Organization: University of Houston



Sorry to waste the extra bandwidth not sending mine earlier, but I
"devised" another spread the other day that I felt I had to share with
you guys...

It's used to elaborate on situations of conflict and decisions.  Or merely to better understand an adversary/foe...

The spread goes as follows.

                1       2       3       7       8

                11              S               12

                4       5       6       9       10

Use your favorite method for the significator of the situation, dealt
first.

Interpretations:

11 : The source of the decision or conflict.
1 and 4 : Representation of each side of the decision/conflict.
2 and 5 : The feelings related to each side.  (If person v person,
          each person's stance.  If decision, your attitudes on them)
3 and 6 : Family/Friends' views on each side.
7 and 9 : The positive side of the views.
8 and 10 : The negative side of the views.
12 : The current outcome of the whole affair.  Note : subject to change.

I created this one day and used it on a friend having a disagreement with an acquaintance of hers.  100% accurate.  I was quite happy. :)

Enjoy, and let me know what happens if you try it!

Peace,

---Doug
        


>From ST1EL@Jetson.UH.EDU Mon Feb 17 12:06:39 1992


Conflict/Decision Spread
----------------- ------

Used for advice/insight on a dipole conflict or decision.

1   2   3   7   8

11             12

4   5   6   9  10


Deal deck in above pattern and order.

Interpretations by position
--------------- -- --------

One Side     Other Side
--- ----     ----- ----

   1              4       Symbol of the stance/idea
   2              5       That person's/idea's good points
   3              6       That person's/idea's bad points
   7              9       The recent past of that point
   8             10       The present state of that point

         11               The base of the whole matter
         12               The outcome of the whole matter
                           (NOT which choice to make/take)

Good luck, it's worked well for me!

---Doug


>From n9146269@animal.cc.wwu.edu Tue Feb 18 20:47:28 1992


  I have been casting for about 3-4 years now, and have found my FAVORITE deck the Book of Thoth deck by Alester Crowley (SP, I know)... After about 3 months of close-to-religious-use of them, I stopped using normal spreads...

Had quite a few that I liked too, but it seemed almost like the cards would tell me where to put them, or that it felt appropriate to place them this way..

I know that isn't too helpful as far as a spread goes, but I didn't think that too many people read this way, so I thought to respond... spread by FEELING seems to go MUCH more smoothly, and comfortably then traditional spreads...

RWDF
_O_
 |

>From bill@psych.toronto.edu Wed Feb 19 15:04:03 1992
 
I've written this description in two (separable) sections, since
I don't know what format you're using for your files. Please feel
free to use either or both, but I would appreciate a mention or
credit so that I can receive any queries/ comments/ flames,
people's criticism has been invaluable to me in the ..umm..
fourteen? fifteen? years I've been developing this spread.
 
Blessed Be.
 
 bill@psych.toronto.edu  Bill Pusztai
 
----------------------------------------------------------------

 
"The Hours" spread.
 
The pack is mixed, by the Querent's favorite method, and the top
card laid out in the center of the table (#13). The rest of the
cards are then laid out in a circle, in the order 1 to 12. If you
pay attention to the orientation of the cards ("reversed" or not)
as I do, you must take care that the bottom of the pack is facing
the querent when you deal, as the card is judged recto/verso WITH
RESPECT TO THE QUERENT-CARD. For instance, if all cards are
recto, then their "feet" will be towards the center and their
"heads" away from it.
 
 
          Spirit         12     1         Body
          Fire         11         2       Earth
          Distant    10     13      3     Present/near times
"MALE"      times         Question                   "FEMALE"
Sun                       Querent                     Moon
          Intellect   9             4     Emotions
          Air           8        5        Water
                          7   6
 
Call on your knowledge of elemental magic to deepen the
interpretation of each quadrant. It may be used to inquire into
the past, present, or future -- analysis, diagnosis and scrying.
 
A (highly optional) list of correspondences:
 
1 - 2 - 3 Earth -- Body

1 Fixed Earth = Taurus, Venus, (Alchemical) Congelation, neck
 & upper shoulders. Material security, comfort, money,
posessions, food, nurturance. The Infant girl-child.

2 Mutable Earth = Virgo, Mercury, Distillation, stomach.
Health, provision, the feminine. The Queen.

3 Cardinal Earth = Capricorn, Saturn, Fermentation, bones & esp. knees.  Career, achievement, striving. The Crone.
 
4 - 5 - 6 Water -- Emotion

4 Fixed Water = Scorpio, Mars, Separation, genitalia.
Sex, death/transformation. The Seductress.

5 Mutable Water = Pisces, Jupiter, Projection, the feet.
Hidden wisdom, secret desires, the unconcious, time-between- 
lives.  The (female) Oracle.

6 Cardinal Water = Cancer, Moon, Dissolution, the pneuma.
Home & family, basic psychology, emotions.  The Princess.
 
7 - 8 - 9 Air -- Intellect

7 Fixed Air = Aquarius, Saturn, Multiplication, lower legs.
Friendships, aspirations, intentions, consciousness.
The (male) Oracle.

8 Mutable Air = Gemini, Mercury, Fixation, shoulders & arms.
Communication, information, intellectual stimulation. The
Prince.

9 Cardinal Air = Libra, Venus, Sublimation, the dragon-
center (aka lotus chakra). Partnerships of all kinds. The
Seducer.
 
10 - 11 - 12 Fire -- Spirit

10 Fixed Fire = Leo, The Sun, Digestion, the "heart" or center.
Creativity, libido, brilliance. The King.

11 Mutable Fire = Sagittarius, Jupiter, Incineration, thighs & buttocks.
Education, wide association, journeying. The Wizard.

12 Cardinal Fire = Aries, Mars, Calcination, head.
Personal expression, essential body, primal needs, birth.
The Infant boy-child.
 
13 The Querent. Often describes the "ruling influence" over the
querent's life - examine the planetary/astrological
associations of the card. It may also be a statement of what
role the Querent is fulfilling, ie, drawing The Devil may mean
she's under the influence of The Crone, or that she's due to
play The Crone.

>From: sjg@terminator.cc.umich.edu(Susan Gavula)

My own contribution to this list is the Four-Petal Rose Spread:

                1

        2       13      3

                4

                5

        6               7

                8

                9

        10              11

                12

Lay the cards out such that they are on top of each other: card 1 is on
top of cards 5 and 9, card 2 is on top of cards 6 and 10, card 3 is on
top of cards 7 and 11, and card 4 is on top of cards 8 and 12, with
card 13 in the middle.

Cards 1-4 represent the subject's life, cards 5-8 the subject's heart,
or inner emotions, cards 9-12 represent his/her environment or
home.  Card 13 represents the outcome.

>From the Robin Wood Tarot...

The Five Card Spread

1       2       3       4       5

"1 The question.  This card represents the question itself. [...]

 2  The background.  This card describes the events and the
general situation which lead up to the question.

 3  The seeker.   This card represents the seeker.  It may show
how the seeker has tried to answer the question thus far, or it
may indicate the character strength or flaw which has the most
bearing on the solution.

4  The environment.  This card represents the impact of the
outside world on finding the answer to the question.
Specifiacally, this card may represent the influence of
co-workers, friends, or family.

5  The answer.  This card represents the answer to the problem.
The appropriate action to take is enherent in the interpretation of
this card."

>From: sjg@terminator.cc.umich.edu(Susan Gavula)

Lately, I have also started laying out the cards by intuition.  I concentrate on the topic for the reading and then pull cards randomly from the deck, until I  have chosen all the cards that are the crux of the matter, then I draw cards for the positive and negative influnces in the situation, and finally for the  outcome.

Crux of the matter   Positive   Negative   Solution
123                             45               678           9 10

Note that you can have a different number of cards under each column.


>From: ba@mrcnext.cso.uiuc.edu (B.A. Davis-Howe)

plord@HUB.CS.JMU.EDU (Paul Lord) writes:

>Just out of curiosity, does anyone use the spread outlined in the
>booklet that comes with the Thoth deck? You know, the following layout
>(fixed width font disclaimer applies)

>13, 9, 5	4, 8, 12

>	2, 1, 3

>14, 10, 6	7, 11, 15

>Where [2,1,3] = nature of querent and question, [13,9,5] and [4,8,12] are 
>two possible outcomes, [14,10,6] are "psychological commentary" on the whole
>spread and [7,11,15] are factors beyond the control of the querent.

>Works wondrously for me. Anyone else use it?

>paul
>-- 
>% Paratheo-Anametamystikhood of Eris   / Pope Festering Meme 
>% Esoteric, Erwin Schrodinger Cabal   / In girum imus nocte et consumimur igni

>    

I have used it at points.  I think it especially useful for judging whether or
not to take a certain action.  A Priestess friend of mine did one of these last
year when we were deciding whether or not to hold a ritual against the
possibility of war.  She used the Sacred Rose deck.  The S.R. and Frieda
Harris's Thoth decks both work beutifully with this style.  Others may not like
this style, especially not the psychological decks.  But everyones results will
vary.

              Merry meet, merry part, merry meet again,
                               Br'anArthur

Q:  Why do Witches ride brooms?
A:  Because Nature abhors a vacuum.

Yes, Witches do have the sick sense :-)

References

MotherPeace: A Way to the Goddess through Myth, Art,
and Tarot by Vickie Noble.

The Way of the Goddess by Ly Warren-Clark.

The Tarot Handbook by Angeles Arrien.

The Robin Wood Tarot Instructions by Robin Wood and Michael
Short.


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