The Door

Oddball Zoe

I had developed a strong preference for free-form readings, but the Door's accuracy and helpfulness quickly cured me of my rebel ways. To give credit where it's due, I found this spread in "Keywords for the Crowley Tarot" by Banzhaf and Theler. I disagree with the authors' assessment that the Door is of the highest difficulty, but their opinion may be important to new readers. This spread's purpose is to reveal what hides behind a door that you haven't yet opened, so the question probably should ask what awaits you on the other side of some threshold.

You'll need 11 cards.
1: The door's name. It's a quick overview, like an article's headline.
2: The keyhole, which adds a bit of detail to #1. It gives you a glimpse of what lies behind the door.
3: The lock, which has kept the door closed so far.
4: The knob, which is necessary to open the door.
5: This leads to the door.
6: Hopes and fears; the querent's expectations for what may lie behind the door.
7: The querent's attitude toward the door.
8: What is actually behind the door. Where the path through the door will lead in the long run.
9: Where the door can be found.
10: What happens when the door is opened. Short-term feeling or experience in crossing the threshold.
11: The key to the door, which should fit into the lock (3).

____1___
3______6
2___8___
4__10__7
5______9
___11___

The book's picture also shows connecting lines between certain related cards: 1-6, 1-7, 3-11, 2-8-10, and 4-5-9.

6 and 7 are the querent's subjective expectations, while 8 and 10 show whether those expectations will be justified or disappointed. 6 corresponds with 8 (long-term perspectives), and 7 corresponds with 10 (short-term experiences). 4, 5 and 9 are preconditions for reaching the door, and 11 is especially important because it opens the lock (3) that has kept the door closed. Note: if 8 and 10 are undesirable, then the spread can be used to avoid opening the door.

I hope that you find this spread helpful!
 

wordwitch

I like this spread and how it all fits together.

this spread zeroed in on a special topic for me! Uncanny!
 

Tarotingineer

I don't understand...........

Could you please state examples of how it's in use? And what's it used for?
 

Oddball Zoe

Think of the door as any challenge, opportunity or step for which you're not sure what will follow. You'd use the spread to discover what might happen if you open the door by changing jobs, moving to a new city, accepting a marriage proposal, etc. You have some idea already (#6), but you can't see past the big, solid door to know what's on the other side. This spread can help you decide whether you want to open the door and welcome the future that it brings, or keep it securely locked and turn away.

Here's a reading that I did, but I am not including the question because I don't want the mods to think that I'm soliciting opinions. It's an example ONLY.
1. 3 of Cups (name, what it's about)
2. Fool (keyhole, a peek past the door)
3. Hermit (lock, why I haven't opened the door yet)
4. Prince of Disks (knob, opens the door)
5. 6 of Cups (what leads to the door)
6. 8 of Disks (what I think may be behind the door)
7. 4 of Wands (how I feel about the door)
8. 3 of Disks (what's really behind the door)
9. Ace of Swords (where I can find the door)
10. 6 of Disks (what happens when I open the door)
11. Prince of Cups (key, opens the lock (#3))

The opportunity in question is represented by #1 (3 of Cups), which I can find if I use #5 (6 of Cups) to guide me to #9 (Ace of Swords). Once I arrive at the door, I'll need to decide whether I want to open it. I think that #6 (8 of Disks) awaits me on the other side of the door, and I feel #7 (4 of Wands). I peer through the keyhole and am pleased to see #2 (Fool), so I use #11 (Prince of Cups) to end #3's (Hermit's) ability to keep the door closed. After the lock clicks open and I take a deep breath, I twist #4 (Prince of Disks) and push forward. As I step across the threshold, I experience #10 (6 of Disks) and follow this new path set by #8 (3 of Disks).

To figure out whether I've set myself up for disappointment or pleasant surprise, I would want to compare my subjective opinions/expectations of #6 (8 of Disks) and #7 (4 of Wands) to a potential future with #8 (3 of Disks), #10 (6 of Disks) and #2 (Fool). Remember that #10 (6 of Disks) would only be a short-term experience right after I open the door, while #8 (3 of Disks) notes the long-term implications of stepping across the threshold. #2 (Fool) should be taken into account when determining what the door is hiding, but it's just a glimpse rather than the whole story. If #6 (8 of Disks) and #8 (3 of Disks) are closely related, then you already have a good sense of what lies behind the door. If they are dissimilar but #6 (8 of Disks) is related to #2 (Fool) or #10 (6 of Disks), then you have a limited or short-sighted understanding of the consequences. If #6 and #7 aren't at all like #2, #8 or #10, then you really have no idea what's going to happen if you open the door. ... Well, hopefully you do now and can make a reasonably informed decision. For example, a different question and reading forced me to reassess the situation because comparing #6 (2 of Disks) and #7 (Prince of Wands) to #2 (Knight of Wands), #8 (9 of Swords) and #10 (3 of Swords) showed that I was missing or overlooking an important piece of the puzzle. In that case, I decided to keep the door closed by not pursuing the matter any further.

I hope that I've clarified the spread, and not muddled it up more. Let me know how it goes. :)
 

VintageButtons

Wow, I really like the look of this spread and you did a great job explaining it. Thanks for the examples, very helpful. :)
 

MysticalMoose

I Like It!!!!!!!!!!

I really like this spread & I also loved your explanation of it :) Thanks for sharing Zoe...This is definitely one for my book to practice & use regularly!!

:D MM
 

Tarotingineer

Yeap, the explanation cleared it all. Thanks. ^.^
 

Oddball Zoe

Thank you all for the feedback. I hope that the spread is as kind to you as it's been to me. :)

Happy readings!
 

Quantum James

This looks fantastic, thanks for sharing it Zoe. I normally dont go for spreads with more than 7 cards (9 cards max), but this looks great!

Thanks again,
QJ