Tag Archives: X-Wheel of Fortune

Risky Decision Tarot Card Spread

The Risky Decision Tarot Card Spread won’t make your decision for you. What it will do is clearly identify what’s impacting your decision-making ability and driving your current mindset: your hopes, your fears or the Truth of the Matter. Once this information is made visible, you can apply corrective action (if needed) and proceed with more confidence you’re not shooting yourself in the foot.

Use the Risky Decision Tarot Card Spread when you have to make a decision that will have consequences either way. You can use any deck that appeals to you.

Here’s how the Risky Decision Tarot Card Spread works:

The Layout

 

Risky Decision Tarot Card Spread Layout © 2021 Living With Cards http://livingwithcards.com

 

The Procedure: 

***Note: Court Cards are not used in this spread. Remove them from the deck before shuffling, or if you happen to pull any, discard them and use the next available (non-Court) card. ***

Thoroughly shuffle the deck while thinking about your situation and the decision that you have to make, pros, cons, whatever comes to mind. When ready, cut the deck into three piles.

Lay out the top and bottom cards of each pile into three corresponding columns, top card above bottom card.

Column 1, pulled from Pile 1, represents your HOPES (cards 1 & 4)

Column 2, pulled from Pile 2, represents your FEARS (cards 2 & 5)

Column 3, pulled from Pile 3, represents the TRUTH (cards 3 & 6)

 

After laying out the first six cards, look through the remaining cards in each pile until you find the pile that contains XIX-SUN (Card 7). Place it in the corresponding column. For example, if you find XIX-SUN in Pile 1, place it above Card 1 in Column 1. If XIX-SUN is in Pile 2, place it above Card 2 in Column 2. And if XIX-SUN is in Pile 3, place it above Card 3 in Column 3.

Take the bottom card from the same pile in which you found XIX-SUN (Pile 2 in the Example Spread) and place it at the bottom of the corresponding column. This serves as Card 8.

 

*** Note the position numbers on the diagram: Cards 1, 2 and 3 are placed left to right in the top row. Cards 4, 5 and 6 are placed left to right in the bottom row. Card 7 (XIX-SUN) and Card 8 (the bottom card from the same pile in which you found XIX-SUN) are placed above and below the two cards that represent that same pile. In the example spread, Cards 7 &  8 are placed above and below the cards in Column 2 (cards #2 and #5) because XIX-SUN was located in Pile 2. ***

Example of the Risky Decision Tarot Card Spread

 

Risky Decision Tarot Card Spread Example © 2021 Living With Cards http://livingwithcards.com
Risky Decision Tarot Card Spread Example © 2021 Living With Cards http://livingwithcards.com

 

Once all eight cards have been selected and placed, the Example Spread above shows XIX-SUN (Card 7) and ACE OF DISKS (Card 8) in Column 2, FEARS.  This is because I located XIX-SUN in Pile 2 and thus have placed Cards 7 & 8 in the corresponding column.

I now will add the card numbers on Cards 4 + 5 + 6 and reduce to a single digit:

2 OF SWORDS + X-WHEEL + II-HIGH PRIESTESS =

2 + 10 + 2 = 14 = 1 + 4 = 5

 

Risky Decision Tarot Card Spread Example: Add the card numbers on Cards 4 + 5 + 6 and reduce to a single digit. Here we see 2 of Swords + X-WHEEL + II-HIGH PRIESTESS = 2 + 10 +2 = 14 = 1 + 4 = 5. © 2021 Living With Cards http://livingwithcards.com
Risky Decision Tarot Card Spread Example: Add the card numbers on Cards 4 + 5 + 6 and reduce to a single digit. Here we see 2 of Swords + X-WHEEL + II-HIGH PRIESTESS = 2 + 10 +2 = 14 = 1 + 4 = 5. © 2021 Living With Cards http://livingwithcards.com

This single digit reduction = your Risk Level:

Risk Level:

1-3 Low

4-6 Moderate

7-9 High

Make a note of it. In the Example Spread, the Risk Level concerning this decision is 5, denoting a “moderate risk.”

If your Risk Level is Low (1 – 3) consider whether this decision is as important or consequential as you think it is… Maybe you’re making too much of it…

If your Risk Level is Moderate (4 – 6)  the stress of the decision may be making you feel you’re under a “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” type of pressure. A moderate Risk Level indicates that it’s equally possible things could work out well or poorly regardless of which decision you make…

If your Risk Level is High (7 – 9) consider the insights you’re getting from your spread to be a red flag of sorts. Perhaps you need to mentally deconstruct and reevaluate the situation/ circumstance as well as the options you’ve come up with so far. Use the additional light shown by XIX-SUN to pinpoint the energy pattern from which your mindset is currently operating…

 

Significance of the Sun Card

As you may have figured out by now, the XIX -SUN symbolizes “the light,” “shining the light,” on what is currently influencing your decision.

If you find the XIX-SUN in the first pile, you’re letting your HOPES rule the decision. If you find XIX-SUN in the second pile, you’re letting your FEARS rule the decision. If you find XIX-SUN in the third pile, you are letting the TRUTH of the matter influence your decision.

None of these placements are “wrong,” “bad,” or negative in any way. XIX-SUN is shining a light on your current energy pattern, making the invisible visible. The now-bottom card from the pile containing XIX-SUN shows the Probable Result of your decision based on continuing with the current energy pattern.

 

**********

In addition to adding Cards 4 + 5 + 6 together and reducing to a single digit to ascertain your Risk Level, you should also read and consider what Columns 1, 2 and 3 are telling you vertically.

In the Example Spread above, the HOPES  column consisting of Cards 1 + 4 are the 7 OF SWORDS + 2 OF SWORDS: This suggests I HOPE I’m not making a decision that will cause me to wind up sabotaging myself or placing myself in a stalemate…

The cards in the FEARS column (Cards 2 + 5) are I-MAGICIAN + X-WHEEL. This indicates I FEAR my decision (regardless of what it is) might prompt a turn for the worse for me…

The TRUTH column consists of Cards 3 + 6, XXIV-STARMAKER* + II-HIGH PRIESTESS. The TRUTH, which this spread makes clear, is that reality tends to be created by the vibrations of thought patterns, whether negative, positive or neutral (STARMAKER). For whatever reason, this knowledge appears to be hidden from my conscious mind at this time (HIGH PRIESTESS). The cards in the TRUTH column make the underlying (invisible) energy patterns visible. Now, if I want or need to, I can consider/ reconsider my decision from a clearer perspective.

* STARMAKER is one of two Alternative Magus cards in the Thoth deck.

Card 8 is the RESULT CARD, pulled from the same pile containing XIX-SUN and placed at the bottom of the corresponding column.

Since I pulled XIX-SUN from Pile 2, I see from the RESULT CARD that at this time I will likely let my FEARS rule my decision. As a result, my fears will have greater potential for manifesting (ACE OF DISKS).

By ascertaining my Risk Level and current mindset (FEARS), I’ve succeeded in making the invisible underlying energy patterns visible. This allows me to reconsider and/or reevaluate the situation/circumstance and the options I’ve chosen so far. Assuming I want to change the outcome, I can now consciously work on changing my approach/ thoughts/ energy pattern to support a more favorable result.

 

**********

The key to using the Risky Decision Tarot Card Spread is self-honesty. I chose the Crowley-Thoth Tarot deck for the Example Spread because Thoth tells it like it is. No sugar-coating. If Thoth is too intense for you, choose another deck but don’t try to put a positive spin on questionable cards just because you’re uncomfortable with what they may be telling you. An open and honest approach will give you the insights you need to make better, more informed and more satisfying decisions that lead to more desirable results.

Give the Risky Decision Tarot Card Spread a try and let me know how it works out for you.

Blessings,

Mary Hawkins

**********

Learn more about how to read Tarot Cards, Lenormand Cards, Oracle Cards and Gypsy Witch Cards. Follow me on Instagram & Twitter  @mary_hawk12 where I post Card Reading examples & tips several times weekly.

 

Disclosure:

The following products link to Amazon. Thank you for ordering — at no additional cost to you — through one of the Amazon links on my website. Living with Cards is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.


Daily Tarot Card Draw: VII-Chariot, XVI-Tower, X-Wheel of Fortune and XIII-Death

I’m sure I’ve mentioned in some post or another that the best way to learn how to read tarot cards (or any card system, for that matter) is simply to do just that — read tarot cards! On a daily basis!

If you’re remotely serious about improving your ability to read tarot cards, you must commit to the practice of casting daily tarot card draws and recording them and jotting down your impressions in a notebook or journal dedicated specifically to card reading. Later, you can review your notes and observe where, why and how you got it “right” or “wrong.”

Just like learning a language, over time, you will learn how your cards speak to you. As you gain “fluency,” your ability to correctly ascertain the cards’ messages in any given daily draw will increase.

That said, remember:

“No matter how talented a reader you may become, you won’t always ‘get it right’.”

 

Three Reasons Why You May Not ‘Get It Right’

 

  1. Taking the information too personally, especially when your draw contains tarot cards that scare you. Your mind might automatically race to worst case scenarios, which, in addition to being a lousy way to start your day, typically don’t manifest in real life.
  2. Forgetting that some daily card draws are fairly mundane. The cards could be showing you something as simple as a weather report (literal or emotional). Perhaps they are describing a local or global event that comes to your attention later in the day or week.
  3. Failing to take “the prevailing winds” into account. Sometimes the energies surrounding a “prediction” shift enough to cancel manifestation at a later time. In those instances you may have correctly interpreted the cards but you probably won’t know it because of lack of feedback.

A Daily Tarot Card Draw with Scary Cards

 

Early last week I pulled some cards in my daily draw that illustrate points #1 and #2 above. I decided to share the reading with you because I think it’s something that card readers experience more often than they care to admit. We get so used to asking for (and expecting!) relevant, personal information that we tend to forget sometimes the cards just want to give a heads-up on a freak thunderstorm or, as you’ll see below, a fatal accident that comes to your attention.

At the time of the draw, having no particular question in mind, I decided to ask one of my go-to generic questions: “Heads up/ need to know/ will happen.” I pulled the following cards:

Q: Heads Up/ Need to Know/ Will Happen:

 

Morgan-Greer Tarot Daily Card Draw: VII-The Chariot - XVI-The Tower - X-Wheel of Fortune http://livingwithcards.com
Morgan-Greer Tarot Daily Card Draw: VII-The Chariot – XVI-The Tower – X-Wheel of Fortune

Morgan Greer Tarot Deck

It took me about a nanosecond to realize that Chariot + Tower is a classic combination for an automobile accident. Having the Wheel of Fortune in the spread (literally, “wheels”) only seemed to solidify the interpretation.

Unsettling at best.

Of course, I took the “prediction” personally. My mind went directly to myself and my family, including a loved one who would be embarking on a road trip later in the week.

As my anxiety levels multiplied, I found myself grabbing another card to represent the Probable Outcome.

I pulled Death, making me wish I’d never done the darn daily draw in the first place…

Morgan-Greer Tarot VIII-Death http://livingwithcards.com
Morgan-Greer Tarot XIII-Death

 

I then proceeded to worry myself half to death (pun intended) for at least two minutes. After getting a grip on myself, I re-boxed the cards and returned them to some storage container or another, amidst the firm resolution of getting on with my day. (I definitely do not recommend fixating on dire predictions!)

I actually succeeded in not giving the reading a second thought until a news story on the next day’s 6 o’clock news came to my attention: a fatal car crash in a neighboring town. Why the previous day’s tarot card draw had pointed that out to me is unknowable. As the Death card indicated, there was absolutely nothing I could have done to prevent the tragedy.

***********************************

 

Could the cards have manifested in some way other than a tragedy? Of course. To a large degree, it would depend on the question. For example, if you pulled these four cards as an answer to a question concerning taking a new job in another city, the cards could be suggesting that this course of action (Chariot) might be interrupted (Tower), thrown off-course (Wheel) and come to naught (Death). The Death card in this example could also suggest you don’t get the job offer in the first place. Regardless of the question, the fact that all four cards in this particular draw are Major Arcana suggests the outcome is out of your control.

**************************************

Notes

 

The cards pulled in this daily tarot card draw predicted a fatal motor vehicle accident. While my interpretation was technically correct, I took the information too personally, causing myself unnecessary angst. It didn’t occur to me at the time of the reading that maybe the cards were foreshadowing a story I’d see later on the 6 o’clock news. Should I pull another set of equally dire cards anytime soon, I’m fairly confident I’ll be able to keep this error in mind.

Because this particular reading left an impression, I probably would have been able to bring those four cards to mind once I saw the news story whether I’d recorded the draw or not. But I’m glad I did. You might think you’ll remember your tarot card readings, but unless you have a photographic memory, you won’t. It’s crazy how easily tarot readings slip your mind when you don’t record and notate your readings.

Don’t let your fear or apprehension of “bad Tarot cards” keep you from performing daily card draws and recording them in a notebook or journal. Keep the three points I made above in mind (Three Reasons Why You May Not ‘Get It Right’) and always remember that there isn’t a card in the deck that does not provide useful information, even if it’s something you don’t particularly want to hear or address.

Blessings,

Mary Hawkins

 

Tarot Clarification Cards Address Relationship Issue

You can almost always glean additional and helpful information from a Tarot spread by pulling clarification cards. While there are many ways to select clarification cards, below I will outline my preferred method.

First, let’s take a look at a simple 7 card Overview Spread* that reads fairly straightforwardly. Later, we’ll add the clarification cards.

 

Tarot spread, overview spread, card positions, livingwithcards.com
The Overview Spread – card positions

Card 1: Significator or Theme Card (Represents the Querent or describes an important aspect about the topic under consideration)

Cards 2 & 6: The Recent Past / Current Influences

Card 3: What is Above You (Describes what’s weighing on the Querent’s mind at the time of the reading)

Cards 4 & 7: Near Future/ What Happens Next

Card 5: What is Below You (Describes what the Querent dreads, doesn’t want to think about or wants to avoid)

*************************************

The template above shows how to lay out the spread once you’re done shuffling the cards in your usual manner while thinking about the topic you’d like the cards to discuss. You can preselect Card 1 if you like (for example, choose the King or Queen who normally represents you, or choose VI-The Lovers for a relationship overview), or let the deck choose for you. I usually let the deck pick the Significator or Theme Card, but please do whatever feels comfortable to you. You’ll still get a valid reading.

***************************************

 

In the following example, the Querent (person asking the question) was a single female who found herself unexpectedly pregnant. She wanted to know if marriage (which she and the man had discussed as an option) was a good idea. I drew the following cards:

Overview tarot spread Universal Waite tarot deck
Overview Spread – Universal Waite Tarot Deck

Universal Waite Tarot Deck

Card 1 – Significator or Theme Card: III-The Empress

Cards 2 & 6 – The Recent Past / Current Influences: 10 of Wands + 2 of Wands

Card 3 – What is Above You (What’s Weighing on Your Mind at the Time of the Reading): 8 of Swords

Cards 4 & 7 – Near Future/ What Happens Next: 3 of Pentacles + 4 of Swords

Card 5: What is Below You (What You Are Avoiding, Dreading or Don’t Want to Think About): 7 of Wands

 

Since the Querent was indeed pregnant, III-Empress as the Significator or Theme Card was certainly appropriate. I quickly noted, however, a lack of cards in the spread suggesting marriage and/or happiness.

10 of Wands and 2 of Wands in the Recent Past position (Cards 2 + 6) suggested feelings of overwhelm and off-centeredness. 8 of Swords in the Above position (Card 3) suggested a sense of entrapment, awkwardly countered by the independent, go-it-alone vibe presented by 7 of Wands in the Below “Don’t Want to Think About It” position (Card 5).

I noted that the Wands cards, which in general can indicate hope and inspiration, were in the Recent Past and Below positions (Cards 2, 6 and 5) while cards from the suit of Swords (indicating fear and worry) showed up in the Above position (Card 3) and as the last card of the Near Future (Card 7).

The child itself did not seem to factor in (no Pages), and once again I’ll mention the lack of cards indicating love, marriage, cooperation and/or happiness.

The Overview Spread confirmed the Querent’s sense of feeling conflicted. With 3 of Pentacles and 4 of Swords in the Near Future position (Cards 4 + 7), it seemed likely that any potential growth of the relationship between her and the baby’s father would come to a halt. Perhaps they would agree to take a break from each other. This interpretation seemed to be supported by 7 of Wands in the “Don’t Want to Think About It” Below position (Card 5) which speaks to what one is avoiding, dreading or not wanting to consider. I got the sense the querent didn’t want to admit to herself (let alone the baby’s father) that she would prefer to remain independent.

Before I went any further, I wanted to see the clarification cards, knowing they would either support or refute my intuitions.

*****************************

How I Use Numerology to Calculate Tarot Clarification Cards

Each Major Arcana card has its own value, 0 – 22.

Each Minor Arcana card 1 – 10 has its own value.

In my system, Kings = 11, Queens = 12, Knights =13 and Pages = 14. Some readers do the reverse. Either way it’s up to you, just be consistent.

*******************************

In this reading there were no court cards so the math was easy enough. I added up the numerical values of the cards in the layout and reduced the total to a number equaling 22 or below. Here, the cards added up to 37, which equals 3 + 7 = 10 = X-Wheel of Fortune.

The next step was to find X-Wheel of Fortune in the remaining deck and pull it out, along with the card before and the card after, giving me a three-card clarification:

Tarot clarification cards VII-Chariot, X-Wheel of Fortune, 5 of Pentacles
Tarot Clarification Cards

 

VII-The Chariot continued with the theme of independence and wanting to do one’s own thing while 5 of Pentacles suggested hardship and more restriction. X-Wheel of Fortune in the middle suggested to me the course had not yet been set. While I felt the fate of this relationship was in the querent’s hands (Chariot), that didn’t guarantee the change would be positive (especially with 5 of Pentacles following the Wheel). “Sleeping on it” (4 of Swords) was not bad advice. She owed it to herself to carefully consider her options and desires in light of what would ultimately prove best for all parties.

Blessings,

Mary Hawkins

*I learned the Overview Spread from The Art of Cartomancy website by Kapherus, which is now back online, I’m happy to say 🙂