Dear Friends,
Have you ever heard the phrase “not playing with a full deck?†In some cases, when it comes to tarot cards, it’s best to use the vast majority of your deck for a spread. This type of full deck reading is rare, but it is very powerful. Instead of receiving just three cards in answer to your question, you’ll get 72 different aspects of the situation. You can use full deck spreads to paint a complete picture of your life, to get a “status†quo update of the major influencing factors and a heads up for what’s around the corner.
Since interpreting a full deck tarot spread is a major undertaking, before you start make sure that you have the time to devote to the interpretation. With this, you want to make sure that you cast a circle and shield yourself. It takes a great deal of psychic awareness to divine the true meaning of this amount of cards, so you need to open yourself psychically before you dive in. As you know, it’s important to shield yourself when you are opening your third eye. Burn some protective incense, put a few crystals on your altar or take a ritual bath before you do this.
It goes without saying that this type of spread should only be done when you are looking into an issue that has many levels or is very complicated. This isn’t the spread to use if you want a clear, concise answer to your problem. However, it is a good spread to use if you want to forecast for the general future. I do it once a year on my birthday to forecast for the coming year.
Start your reading by casting a circle and lighting your incense. Orange, sandlewood and hibiscus are good choices. Shuffle the deck until you feel comfortable with it. Don’t try to rush this part of the process. Shuffle as long as you need to because you need to be completely in tune with the order of the card.
Deal from the top of the deck (while the deck is facing down) and then deal out thirteen piles of six cards each. The first pile should be in the center with the others in a circle around the the center, starting with a pile immediately to the left of the center pile, and distributing the cards in a counterclockwise fashion. Each deck should be dealt in a group of six. For example, cards one through six should be in one pile, with cards seven through twelve in the second, and so forth and so on.
The thirteen different piles are representative of the twelve house of the zodiac wheel, as well as a pile for overview (the center pile). Take the first deck of cards that were dealt after the center deck (the one directly to the left) and then spread out the cards in a line. This portion of the deck deals with your first house, which is your personality, your outward appearance and how you approach the world. Card one is representative of the question or problem in this area of your life. Card two is the source of the problem. Card 3 is the factors that have impact on the matter but are effecting it from the outside. Card 4 is the internal factors that are effecting the matter. Card 5 is the outcome of the actions that you are taking.
Card Six is the heart of the matter at hand. It gives you a basic overview of this part of your life and all of the factors that are working for and against you in this area. In some cases, it can be the hidden part of the issue that isn’t seen. It may be something that you are forgetting or are blind to.
The rest of the houses are as follows:
Second house: personal finances, self-esteem
Third house: communication and thoughts
Fourth house: early home life and family
Fifth house: creativity and children
Sixth house: daily work and health
Seventh house: partnerships and marriage
Eight house: shared property and spirituality
Ninth house: travel, philosophy and higher education
Tenth house: career, public persona
Eleventh house: social groups, friends
Twelfth house: secrets and psychology
The houses should be read in order, ending with your thirteenth pile which is an overview of the entire situation.
If you don’t have time to interpret all of the cards at once, make notes of the cards that you drew so you can refer back to them later. When you follow this route and do an interpretation at a later date, make sure to pull back out the cards that you are using so you can look at them. Don’t simply rely on the interpretation offered in a book.
This is an insightful, but labor intensive, spread so make sure to pick an appropriate time and place to complete it. I hope it works as well for you as it has for me.
Brightest Blessings,
Rose Ariadne
Your Warm And Caring “Resident Witch In Charge”
