The Whys and Wherefores Tarot Spread

WRITTEN BY: MAGENTA

Magenta takes us through a fantastic new spread creation complete with breaking down each card position and allowing us to see exactly how to get the most out of this 11 card tarot spread. 

This spread uses 11 cards. It would be a good spread for a question about something that includes a lot of ‘why/when/how’ aspects.

Layout as below:
1
5 8 9 6
7
3 10 11 2
4

Example of the Spread (pictured):
Card 1 – Who – This is the querent or another important person in the situation – Strength
Keywords – a strong person (usually female), someone with faith, someone using gentleness over force

Card 2 – When – The time frame – Hanged Man
Keywords – something taking its time, patience, something in suspension, astrologically Pisces Feb/March

Card 3 – Where – The location – Knight of Wands
Keywords – somewhere warm or hot, overseas, holiday, different country

Card 4 – What – Describes the event and the effect – 6 of Cups
Keywords – looking back to the past, memories, childhood, past successes

Card 5 – Why – The Cause of the event – 6 of Wands
Keywords – victory, winning, celebration

Card 6 – How – How events will unfold or manifest – 6 of Swords
Keywords – moving away from something, travel over water, turning back on something

Card 7 – Maybe – Possible outcome – Queen of Swords
Keywords – focus, cutting something out of life, seeking the truth, clarity

Card 8 – If – Potential events – 9 of Wands
Keywords – being prepared for something, alertness, not wanting to repeat mistakes

Card 9 – But – Potential obstacles – 10 of Swords
Keywords – being pinned down, unable to move, at rock bottom, stabbed in the back

Card 10 – Yes – What to do – High Priestess
Keywords – listen to your intuition, feminine issues, trust gut feelings

Card 11 – No – What not to do – 2 of Wands
Keywords – pause, wait, procrastination

When interpreting the cards, look also at total of Majors, suits, Courts and recurring numbers or Courts in the spread. A large number of any one factor or indeed any absence gives further
indications about the situation.

In the above example, we have 3 Majors, 4 Wands, 3 Swords, 1 Cups & no Pentacles, 2 Courts. We also have 3 sixes. The 3 majors, 3 Swords & 1 Cups are a fair distribution of cards. The 4 Wands suggests energy and action in the situation but the absence of any Pentacles would suggest that practicalities and grounding are missing. Traditionally 3 sixes mean a goal or balance achieved, so this could suggest a happy or successful outcome but of course this will depend on the interpretation of all the cards.

Like most spreads, additional cards could be laid at any position for clarification.

Have fun!

Why not let us know how you got on with this spread in the comments below?