Kosmos
This is a spread I came up with and have used many times. I find it is often fairly revealing when I do it for myself and when I do it for others it also seems to get good results, so I thought I would share. There are a few steps so I will try to keep things nice and clear. I use this spread with my Thoth deck only because it makes use of the cross on the back and the numbers 1-10 (kabbala), but if you can/want to adapt it for another deck please do.
I call it the scratch reading because I intended it for situations where there is no specific question. The first few steps are based entirely around 'getting to know' who you're reading for, and the final step is a spread to reveal an issue they're facing - So its kind of like starting from 'scratch'. I also refer to it as a reading rather than a spread because it uses a couple of different spreads and there's a few steps to it.
*begin with all cards facing the same way (no reversals).
1. After shuffling, have the querent cut the deck. Whatever card they cut to becomes their significator for the reading.
2. Shuffle again, leaving the significator aside. Cut the deck into equal halves and place them in front of the querent, one upside down, the other right side up. Ask that they choose the deck that best represents them from their perspective (using the Thoth deck this means they will be choosing either a cross, or an inverted cross, which *might* reveal something about the querent (but I've found that they often come up with some other reason for picking the half that they do without even registering the position of the crosses.
3. Tell the querent that the half they chose represents the world they see, while the other half of the deck represents the world that is hidden to them. Set the hidden world/other half of the deck aside for now. Now have the querent cut the half deck again, and insert their significator. Because we all face the world, turn the significator so that it is reversed in relation to the rest of the cards.
4. Shuffle the half of the deck that contains the significator thoroughly and deal it out into ten piles. There should be about 4 cards per pile. You will see where the querents card is because it will be reversed. Take the pile that the significator is in. (Collect the rest of the cards and place back with the half of the deck that represents the hidden world. ) The number of the pile corresponds to a number in the kabbala, providing a sense of where the querent is along their journey to self-realization.
5. Lay out the 4 cards in spread 1:
...3...
...2... ...4...
...1...
Cards 1-4 represent the querent's 'body'.
1-physical body
2-emotional body
3-mind body
4-spirity body
This spread establishes the state of the querent's total being. Their significator will be in one of these places, showing where they are most strongly located within themselves.
6. Leave this spread as it is and take all the other cards. Shuffle them back into one deck and spread them out. Ask the querent to select 5 cards. These cards make up the final spread:
.....5.....
2...1...3
.....4.....
1-The current issue
2-Unconscious/factors the querent is unaware of
3-Conscious/factors the q. is aware of/sees within his or her control.
4-The decision to be made
5-The outcome
Hope that wasn't too long. Enjoy.
I call it the scratch reading because I intended it for situations where there is no specific question. The first few steps are based entirely around 'getting to know' who you're reading for, and the final step is a spread to reveal an issue they're facing - So its kind of like starting from 'scratch'. I also refer to it as a reading rather than a spread because it uses a couple of different spreads and there's a few steps to it.
*begin with all cards facing the same way (no reversals).
1. After shuffling, have the querent cut the deck. Whatever card they cut to becomes their significator for the reading.
2. Shuffle again, leaving the significator aside. Cut the deck into equal halves and place them in front of the querent, one upside down, the other right side up. Ask that they choose the deck that best represents them from their perspective (using the Thoth deck this means they will be choosing either a cross, or an inverted cross, which *might* reveal something about the querent (but I've found that they often come up with some other reason for picking the half that they do without even registering the position of the crosses.
3. Tell the querent that the half they chose represents the world they see, while the other half of the deck represents the world that is hidden to them. Set the hidden world/other half of the deck aside for now. Now have the querent cut the half deck again, and insert their significator. Because we all face the world, turn the significator so that it is reversed in relation to the rest of the cards.
4. Shuffle the half of the deck that contains the significator thoroughly and deal it out into ten piles. There should be about 4 cards per pile. You will see where the querents card is because it will be reversed. Take the pile that the significator is in. (Collect the rest of the cards and place back with the half of the deck that represents the hidden world. ) The number of the pile corresponds to a number in the kabbala, providing a sense of where the querent is along their journey to self-realization.
5. Lay out the 4 cards in spread 1:
...3...
...2... ...4...
...1...
Cards 1-4 represent the querent's 'body'.
1-physical body
2-emotional body
3-mind body
4-spirity body
This spread establishes the state of the querent's total being. Their significator will be in one of these places, showing where they are most strongly located within themselves.
6. Leave this spread as it is and take all the other cards. Shuffle them back into one deck and spread them out. Ask the querent to select 5 cards. These cards make up the final spread:
.....5.....
2...1...3
.....4.....
1-The current issue
2-Unconscious/factors the querent is unaware of
3-Conscious/factors the q. is aware of/sees within his or her control.
4-The decision to be made
5-The outcome
Hope that wasn't too long. Enjoy.
hope I understood all this ....