When I woke up this morning, a look out the window quickly revealed that Mother Nature had dumped at least a foot of snow in my driveway.
Undaunted, I bundled up and stepped outside, ready to brave the elements, optimistically focusing on snow removal success.
Silly me.
A half hour later, frozen to the bone with little to show for my work, I dragged myself back inside, fixed a cup of coffee and sighed. Wondering if I could expect any help, I picked up my Bicycle Club Tattoo Playing Cards deck and threw an Answer Spread.*
“If I Ask, Will I Get Any Help Shoveling the Driveway Today?”
The Answer:
Bicycle Club Tattoo Playing Cards
Preliminarily, five red cards looked to be a good sign, as did two red cards in the “Answer” column (column 2). I also noted no spades were present, suggesting “no problems.” Just as I was about to begin delineating the spread, Daughter #1 called to let me know she, her hubby and their snowplow were on the way to shovel me out!!!
To say this was serendipitous would be an understatement. 🙂
Later, still smiling over my good fortune, I looked over the spread I’d cast and jotted down the following notes:
Column 1: Circumstances Leading Up to the Question
Column 1 of the Answer Spread represents the situation or circumstances leading up to the question. It can show the very recent past or the actual current circumstances.
Here we see the 2 of Hearts and 8 of Clubs. The 2 of Hearts can symbolize a family member or loved one and the 8 of Clubs can symbolize thoughts, discussions, or thinking about taking some action. The cards in Column 1 succinctly expressed that I was thinking about asking my daughter for help but had not yet done so.
Column 2: The Answer
Column 2 of the Answer Spread answers the question. Here we see double Diamonds suggesting great energy is in play, as well as quick results. Diamonds often symbolize money but that is not applicable to my question, so we’ll go with thoughts, energy and immediacy.
In the context of my question, the Ace of Diamonds suggests a new thought or communication, written or verbal, to be given or received. The number 6 suggests harmony and the 6 of Diamonds can refer to psychic energy, among other things. The sense I got from this combination was that a message, thought or communication of some sort (Ace of Diamonds) would show that my loved ones (2 of Hearts) and I were “on the same page,” or psychically attuned (6 of Diamonds) in some way. It so happened that even as I was thinking of asking (8 of Clubs) for help from a family member (2 of Hearts), I received a phone call offering the very assistance I was about to ask for!
Column 3: Something that may affect the Outcome, or Clarification of the Answer
Column 3 of the Answer Spread gives additional information that often helps explain the answer found in Column 2. Sometimes it describes why the answer is what it is. The bottom card in Column 3 is called the Pivot Card because often the answer “pivots” on whatever that card represents. Here, the Pivot Card is the 3 of Diamonds, topped by the King of Hearts.
It was easy to see that the King of Hearts represented my son-in-law, a generous, kind-hearted family man. Because I sometimes (but not always) equate the 3 of Diamonds with the Tarot 3 of Wands, which is the “ships coming in” card, it was easy for me to make the jump to “snowplow coming in.” Column 3 clearly showed my son-in-law (King of Hearts) and his snowplow coming to my rescue!
Once again, I’m happy to report, the Answer Spread* came through with flying colors. Give it a try on your next question if you haven’t already done so, and to those of you living in snow zones, may your driveways stay clear!
Blessings,
Mary Hawkins
*I learned the Answer Spread from The Art of Cartomancy blog by Kapherus.