Eight Useful Tarot Spreads
Doom and Gloom
I won’t be covering Tarot 101 or delving into individual card meanings in this book. (There is some good 101 material elsewhere on the blog.) However, since some of you may be new to tarot, and many folks come to this field with minds full of myths and misconceptions, it’s important to spare a few words for the scary cards.
Because this book deals with the climate of our times and lends itself towards shadow work, it does discuss heavy matters. These spreads are likely to draw some of the more challenging and frightening cards in the deck. I’ve seen Death, The Tower, and plenty of swords throughout the readings I’ve drawn with them, myself, and rightly so. Please know that my intentions are rooted in pragmatic realism, even idealism. I wish to face things as they are, so that we can better create lasting, beneficial changes. I’m not here to breathily forecast doom and gloom on y’all à la Professor Trelawney. Please sharpen your skepticism around anyone who is.
Tarot speaks to us through art and story, allegory, encoded symbol, and metaphor. It speaks of our thoughts, feelings, desires, and inner landscapes as much as our physical situations. Tarot can be sharp and pointed, blunt and snarky, witty, funny, and to the point, but it’s not usually literal, at least not in a strict sense. Death in tarot speaks of change and metamorphosis. The Devil speaks of oppression and materialism, and so on.
If, for example, you pull the cards Death and the Knight of Swords together, depending on the placement and context, it could mean “your relationship with a Gemini friend is going through some major changes.” It could even mean “your Gemini friend is driving you up a tree—don’t kill them.” It doesn’t mean “your Gemini friend is going to die,” and it extra doesn’t mean “a knight is going to kill you with a sword, avoid Renaissance fairs.”
The Death card does not portend physical death. The Devil does not conjure Satan. (At least not without some serious effort on your part!) The Fool does not send in literal clowns and jesters. Deep breaths.
If your reading gets too intense or triggering, it’s fine to stop. Or you may prefer to pace yourself, taking it one card at a time in your journal over a span of days.
It’s okay to take tarot with a grain of salt. It’s okay to stop if and when it feels like it’s not working. It’s okay to stop when it is working, but you’re getting thoughts and answers that are too stressful to dwell on right now. Trust your gut and honor your needs. You matter.
Because this book deals with the climate of our times and lends itself towards shadow work, it does discuss heavy matters. These spreads are likely to draw some of the more challenging and frightening cards in the deck. I’ve seen Death, The Tower, and plenty of swords throughout the readings I’ve drawn with them, myself, and rightly so. Please know that my intentions are rooted in pragmatic realism, even idealism. I wish to face things as they are, so that we can better create lasting, beneficial changes. I’m not here to breathily forecast doom and gloom on y’all à la Professor Trelawney. Please sharpen your skepticism around anyone who is.
Tarot speaks to us through art and story, allegory, encoded symbol, and metaphor. It speaks of our thoughts, feelings, desires, and inner landscapes as much as our physical situations. Tarot can be sharp and pointed, blunt and snarky, witty, funny, and to the point, but it’s not usually literal, at least not in a strict sense. Death in tarot speaks of change and metamorphosis. The Devil speaks of oppression and materialism, and so on.
If, for example, you pull the cards Death and the Knight of Swords together, depending on the placement and context, it could mean “your relationship with a Gemini friend is going through some major changes.” It could even mean “your Gemini friend is driving you up a tree—don’t kill them.” It doesn’t mean “your Gemini friend is going to die,” and it extra doesn’t mean “a knight is going to kill you with a sword, avoid Renaissance fairs.”
The Death card does not portend physical death. The Devil does not conjure Satan. (At least not without some serious effort on your part!) The Fool does not send in literal clowns and jesters. Deep breaths.
If your reading gets too intense or triggering, it’s fine to stop. Or you may prefer to pace yourself, taking it one card at a time in your journal over a span of days.
It’s okay to take tarot with a grain of salt. It’s okay to stop if and when it feels like it’s not working. It’s okay to stop when it is working, but you’re getting thoughts and answers that are too stressful to dwell on right now. Trust your gut and honor your needs. You matter.
