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
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
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
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.
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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.
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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
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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.
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