Spreads come and go, we all like to change from time to time. About a dozen years ago, there was a spread I used quite a lot. I found it in the little white book that came with the Thoth Tarot. I see now that it’s usually referred to as the thoth spread…
It’s an interesting spread, it can be used with a question, or without. Even if it was explained with a tarot deck, there is no reason why it could not be used with another system, it would be a perfect experimentation to try with Lenormand.
Here is a diagram showing how the cards are placed.
As you can see, the cards are traditionally dealt in an outward spiral.
The spread consists of 15 cards, 5 groups of 3 cards, each triad representing an aspect of the reading.
We start with the middle triad, it shows the querent as the time of the question and their current situation. If no question was asked, the middle card should give an indication on what is on the querent’s mind.
The 2 groups on top show 2 possible outcomes. The right one shows potential future events and influences. It shows which direction the querent’s life will naturally take, if nothing is done to change the situation.
The left one represents an alternative course of action that the querent might choose to take. Or, if the 2 sets of outcomes seem to agree, the left one can be seen as a long term development of the right one.
The bottom left triad shows the attitude of the querent and psychological basis of the question, what is under his/her control. The bottom right triad shows external factors to consider, beyond the control of the querent, these could be regarded as advice.
If you are intimidated by doing a grand tableau, this might be the ideal spread to try. It is not too difficult as it consists of sets of three cards, so it might be great if you’re just starting with the system. Combining the different aspects of the question altogether, the five sets of three cards, can certainly give a good overview of what is going on.
Juliet, who is single, and in her 30’s, is asking what developments could happen in her love life. Let’s limit the scope to the next 6 months.
The current situation seems quite nice, with the bouquet as the first card drawn. Together with the garden, it represents meeting people, going out, certainly dates. The sun puts a nice energy and shows that the mood of Juliet is optimistic at this moment. Just a little bit of warning however, the bouquet when combined with the garden can show quite a lot of superficiality, going out on dates does not certainly mean getting in a serious relationship.
And that’s exactly what we see on the top right corner, where the situation is headed if she does not change anything. The danger with all that superficiality is to meet someone who is not in her best interest. Man surrounded by the scythe and the mountain is less than appealing, it shows the danger of finding someone with whom Juliet would feel quickly blocked. Someone that she would cut quickly from her life and she would feel trapped into an inimical relationship.
On the other hand, the alternate course of action, on the top left, shows a completely different picture. There is a possibility for her to find someone much more pleasant in the dog, someone she can count on. And the moon as the central card shows that a nice romance could certainly become a reality, the moon being a card of honors.
The tower in this triad could be seen several ways. As the old instructions say, the tower is about longevity. By that definition it certainly adds duration to the possible relationship. A nice romance, that she can trust and long term. In addition, the tower and the dog together made me immediately think that she already knows that person, a long time friend.
As we’ve seen that the alternate outcome is the most favorable, we can look at the lower left corner, what is under her control, as what she can do to get there. The whip shows that she has some battle in front of her if she wants to change where she is headed. I see the whip as “fighting” against her current behavior to change the outcome. As the anchor and stork are showing, she has to put a grip on her life, try to get into a more stable environment, to improve her chances. That goes in a different direction than what she is doing now, too much getting out and dates, without anything serious coming out of it.
If we look at the bottom right, we get the intangibles. If we take these as advice, that would be first to bury her current commitments, and getting more mature about how she sees her love life. She might also be burdened by a relationship that ended recently, which would mean getting over that king of spade.
Looking at the bottom cards, she can certainly change the outcome she’s headed to. There’s too much going on and superficiality in what she is doing right now, getting to the alternate outcome is going to require settling down and looking for something more mature.
Deck: Mondnacht Lenormand
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