Donnaleigh de LaRose (Tarot and Lenormand educator extraordinaire and owner of cool birds and cute dog) asked a really cool question on Facebook the other day. “What draws you to the cards?” she asked.

For me, two things: The stories, the myths they reflect of the human desire to understand the intangible; the power they give me to channel the energies of what I know through my brain so my insights can be interpreted and expressed.

Story and Myth

The cards (whether pictorial or just playing cards) all have traditions attached to them that reflect universal human questions and conditions that have been explored in mythological stories and more recently using the scientific method and perspective. We learn from both. As Neil deGrasse Tyson says in his new version of the show Cosmos (you can find it on Hulu), no matter how we approach the universe, it’ll always be with a combination of rational observation and wondrous imagination.

Finding the Energies

And then there are the energies. The web of the universe’s energy and matter is also available to us to feel into what’s going in with the collective consciousness that I think pervades the entire universe. God, if you want to call it that. It’s physical, and the scientists will get a handle on how this works as time goes on (the quantum physics area is providing some current mysteries that may eventually shed light on what I can feel but not measure yet). Some folks interpret the voices they hear or the visions they see; I feel waves of emotional energy from others and the universe at large. I use the cards as a symbolic language to translate that. My Tarot readings seem to be getting some very synchronistic results for my querents as a result, so I can tell I’m getting better at the translation. It’s a very cool thing!

I need to create a spread for the current edition of the British Tarot association’s (TABI’s) newsletter, so let’s play one off of Donnaleigh’s question.

Physical/Metaphysical Spread

Use for a question where you want to know where to look for the answer to something, like a new idea, relationship, career move, etc.

Three cards, like this:

1) In the physical, what should I look for to shed light on this question?

2) In the metaphysical (inside me), what should I look for to shed light on this question?

3) Integration: What insight can I use to integrate these two perspectives and set my direction?

I took out my trusty Universal Waite deck and went after this one with a question about how to express the “I give good space for you to be your own star” service that I’ve been providing on an informal basis to friends and family for the last fifteen years.

So, in the physical, I see that I need to take some risks and then my results will be tangible (as this guy’s ships come in). I’ve planted the seeds and practiced; it’s time to make this my business, one way or another. Turning inward, I’m meant to take a very practical but nurturing approach, starting close to home, but looking for a fair energy trade (usually money) for this service that I provide. I need to share in a practical way, but close to home first. To integrate these aspects, I need to use the clear and rational perspective of the Queen of Swords. Keep it straightforward and again share and work with others to build an intellectual structure for this service.

So, let me know how this spread works for you, and what draws you to the cards. 🙂