Long standing TABI member and Tarot reader Magenta introduces us to more of her favourite spreads – two 10 card layouts for in-depth readings that we invite you to try

For this Blog, I thought I would share two more of my favourite spreads, which even though were designed for specific purposes, can of course be adapted to suit many questions.  These are The Bridges & Rivers Spread, which uses 10 cards; and a 9 or 10 card spread, known as The Houses or Block spread.  I’ll start with Bridges & Rivers.

This spread uses 10 cards and looks at the relationship between two people; it could be any type of relationship, not necessarily romantic.  As in many of the spreads I use, in the centre is placed Card 1, the Heart or core of the matter.

Cards 2 and 3 are placed to the far left of Card 1, and then Cards 4 and 5 to the far right of Card 1.

Cards 2 and 3 represent Person 1, while Cards 4 and 5 represent Person 2.

Card 6 is placed to the left and above the Heart card, then Card 7 slightly further above, with Card 8 to the right and above, all forming an arch.  This is the Bridges part of the spread and shows the helpful or beneficial aspects of the situation.

Card 9 is placed to the left but slightly under the Heart card, then Card 10 further below, with Card 11 to the right of it and across from Card 4.  This forms the Rivers part of the spread and shows potential obstacles or undercurrents.

The Cards on the left of the centre Heart card can also show the Past events and the Cards to the right the possible Future.  Again, additional cards can be placed on any already laid for extra clarification.

If you look at the centre line (Cards 2,3,1, 4 and 5), this will often given an indication of how the two people view the situation.

Check to see if there is a predominance of any particular Suit too; an abundance (or lack of) Swords would suggest communication issues for instance.  Also, look at how many Majors are in the spread too.  The ratio should be about one Major to every three Minor cards; too many Majors and there could be a lot of outside influence in the matter, which the people involved may not be able to do much about.

In the attached photograph, the Heart card is the dreaded 10 of Swords, which is, of course, seen as a negative card. Yet numbered 10, it shows the ending of one cycle and the starting of a new one, and as the song goes “Things can only get better!”

The second spread I use frequently is The Houses or Block spread, which can be used for any type of question or situation.  It is similar to the Lenormand Portrait spread, but is read in a different way.  You can use 9 or 10 cards with this spread and again, extra cards can be laid for clarification if needed.

As usual, Card 1 is placed in the centre and is symbolic of the Heart of the matter or situation.

Cards 2, 3 and 4 are laid in a downward column to the left of the centre Heart card, Card 5 is laid above the Heart card and Card 6 is below.  Cards 7, 8 and 9 are placed in a downward column to the right of the Heart card.  If you are using the 10 Houses version, the tenth card is placed faced down to the right of Cards 7, 8 and 9.  This Card is only turned up when all the other Cards have been read and gives the final advice and guidance.

Cards 2, 3 and 4 are generally an indication of Past events and what has brought the situation to the Querent’s attention. Cards 5, 1 and 6 are what’s going on now or the Present situation and then Cards 7, 8 and 9 are the potential Future or incoming energies.

Read Card 1, the centre Heart card, and then progress through the others.  Take note of what Suits are missing or predominant, and also the numbers of the Cards.  For instance, missing two’s could show a lack of balance.  Look at any multiples of numbers; for instance there are two 9’s in the spread and the traditional meaning of this is ‘legal documents’, very apt as the Card in the Heart position is Justice!  Also, in the spread, there are no Wands, which could suggest a lack of energy, so maybe the situation is static at present.

As I mentioned in a previous Blog on spreads, if you are using a Rider Waite influenced deck, see where the characters on each Card are facing.  For example, in the photograph, Card 7 is the Knight of Pentacles, who has his back to the Cards behind him, maybe wanting to leave the situation behind.

So, have a play around with these two spreads and see what you think.

I’ll be writing a few more Blog Articles on various aspects of the Tarot, so until we meet again, have fun with your Tarot cards!

Magenta