The Fool's Debut Pregnancy & Childbirth Spread

Barleywine

My daughter-in-law's pregnancy got me thinking about how I might model the course of a pregnancy in visual terms using tarot. The occasional question posed here ("Am I pregnant, or will I become pregnant?") added some fuel to the fire. I created this with two "conception" models in mind: the "planned scenario" kicks off with the Magician as an expression of the creative Will, and the "unplanned scenario" begins with the Fool. The title refers to the beginning of a new life, nothing more; consider it a precursor to "the Fool's Journey."

The "model" line shows a best-case projection for taking it to term. The Wheel of Fortune at the center is intended to show a "turning point" in any decision to terminate early.

Two decks should be used for this spread, one for the static "ideal" scenario and one for the moving "reality" line. Consider one the blueprint and the other the work-in-progress.

Here is a sample spread. I used the DruidCraft and the World Spirit 2nd Edition, with reversals.



This was a carefully planned occurrence, so I used the Magician as the conception card.

The Empress rx in the first position makes me think of the line from the song "Hotel California;" she was "programmed to receive." In fact, the husband of a friend of hers who has two kids had the gall to say to her "How come you aren't pregnant yet? You look fertile."

The 10 of Pentacles rx in the 1st Trimester position suggests that she will be wrestling with weight gain. She has what used to be called back in the '60s an "Earth Mother" physique: shapely and full-figured, so this isn't a surprise.

The Sun in the 2nd Trimester position shows "all systems go" for a successful outcome.

The Seer (Page/Princess) of Swords rx in the 3rd Trimester indicates her "control freak" personality; if there is such a thing as an "alpha female," she is it. I'd say she wants everything planned down to the last detail, and may get a little frustrated when she finds that to be an unreasonable expectation. It's possible that anxiety could induce premature labor, but I don't really think so.

Strength rx in the last position implies that she will probably have a long, tiring labor and will be exhausted at the end of it. It doesn't look to me like complications, more fatigue.
 

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Hemera

I really like this one. Very informative but also gentle because of the static upper line that feels very supportive.
This comes a bit late for me now since a family member is just two weeks from her due date. But I'll keep this in my notebook for further use. Thank you Barleywine.
 

Barleywine

A Minor Update

I did some editing on the this spread without changing anything significant in the layout. New version is attached to the original post.