So I was asked by a good friend of mine to share a relationship spread I stumbled across under natural circumstances - these natural circumstances being the way cards happen to spatially present themselves in readings. This spread provides assessment for a commonly asked question in divination: how does this person feel about me? Not only that, it provides an assessment of both parties - as a traditional spread - at conscious and unconscious levels.
First, a significator card or cards is used to represent the two people in the relationship. These cards are placed in the center of the spread. For example, The Lovers may be used to represent a romantic relationship. Court cards can also be used to represent each individual. For non-romantic relationships, the 2 of Swords may be used. Of course, if you don't want to use any cards from the deck for card-saving purposes, then a piece of paper with the querents' names or other objects may be used to represent the pair.
Next, cards drawn are laid out behind each individual. Cards leading up to the individual may describe present feelings, or a progression of feelings over time. The initial root feeling/desire/need is the farthest card from the individual, while current feelings fall near or just behind. Here's an example:
Here, the Queen of Swords and King of Cups are used to represent a romantic heterosexual couple. The first cards represent current feelings, while the cards on each end of the spread represent initial or past feelings. However, this may not always be the case. In this example, my initial impression of the cards behind the man reads differently because of the court card (Queen of Pentacles). In this case, the past may not be represented by the man's initial feelings but by someone who has influenced him to feel his current feelings (5 of Wands). (I tend to read courts as people until feedback is given.)
Cards in this spread may be read as events going on behind each individual as well. It depends on the reader's intuitive register of the cards. For example, behind the man, the 5 of Wands could be read as several women vying for his attention, and the Queen of Pentacles is a potential past lover. To shed some light on the couple's current status, they've been navigating troubled waters negatively affecting their relationship for years now.
Now, let's take a look at the woman's side of things. She has The Sun as her current feelings in the relationship and the 5 of Cups as past or initial root feelings. At first glance, these cards present a self-explanatory assessment. Her feelings about the union are positive and hopeful. The sun provides growth, and that's the energy she's offering. Her past feelings represent disappointment and regret over issues that may or may not have been under her control (5 of Cups). To say the least, she has come out of inner struggle.
The reader could spend all day analyzing the relationship with this spread; however, the basic concept of its use has been clarified. Can you use this spread to read on two separate circumstances? Why not? I'd love to hear comments about how this reading went for those of you who try it. Better if it's taken out of the box and experimented on in your lab of card reading. Until next time...
Happy Halloween!