#elemental spread

In the Oxford Dictionary, the Elements are defined as “any of the four substances (earth, water, air, and fire) regarded as the fundamental constituents of the world in ancient and medieval philosophy.”

For the purpose of this Spread I would like to include a 5th, more elusive, element: that of Spirit.

This Spread is made up of 4 mini-spreads and a 1 card-draw, each one providing you with more insight in to the elemental forces at play in your life right now.

I recommend completing the whole Spread to get a balanced overview of how the Elements exert their influence and see how they might interact with each other - but you can also use each mini-spread separately, if you want to focus on just one area that you believe needs some attention.

For those less practised in Tarot: do not be deterred, the exercise is broken down in to bite-sized components so everyone can give it a try, just take it step by step. The suggested exercises at the end are just that: suggestions. Feel free to discard or incorporate them as you see fit!

Everything you learn during this exercise can be implemented in other spreads you complete, providing more insight and depth to your Readings.

The Spread

Start by dividing your deck in to 5 piles: Separate all Major Arcana cards first and put them in one pile. Then divide the Minor Arcana cards in to their respective suits.

1. Earth ~ using Pentacles only!

The element of Earth is represented by the suit of Pentacles. It stands for the Physical World, Material Possessions, Abundance/Poverty, Money, Education, Employment, Craftsmanship, Skills, Homelife, Housing and Health.

Earth can be rich and fertile, allowing for abundant crops; It can be dry, parched and brittle, providing little nutrients for what we plant; Our roots can reach deep down, providing us with stability and strength; or we can find ourselves on shaky ground, giving us little comfort and security.

1) Current State: My Field of Dreams.

2) Negative Influences: What is eroding my soil, causing instability and stress?

3) Positive Influences: What is nourishing my soil, making it fertile to sustain my accomplishments?

2. Air ~ using Swords only!

The element of Air is represented by the suit of Swords. It embodies Thoughts, Intellect, Knowledge, Action, Power, Communication, Judgement, Analythical Powers, Excitement, Anger, Anxiety and Defence Mechanisms.

Air is a powerful driving force, it can carry a seed as well as an aeroplane; it can be a forceful wind or a gentle breeze; a typhoon laying waste to everything that surrounds it or an unseen force driving the rainclouds from the sky; it can push a ship firmly towards it’s destination or blow it off-course all together.

1) Current State: The Wind in my Sails.

2) Negative Influences: What stormclouds are obscuring my view, preventing me from thinking clearly?

3) Positive Influences: What fresh winds blow away the rainclouds, allowing my truth to shine through?

3. Water ~ using Cups only!

The element of Water is represented by the suit of Cups. It stands for Emotions, Intuition, Relationships, Sensitivity and Receptiveness.

Water can appear as a steady river flowing freely through your life; be reduced to a slow trickle or evaporate in to thin air; it can turn in to a crushing waterfall or a raging torrent, sweeping away everything in it’s path. It can choose the path of least resistence whilst simultaniously wearing down the hardest rocks. It is restorative, adaptable, receptive and cleansing.

1) Current State: My River of Life.

2) Negative Influences: What acts like a dam, preventing my river from flowing freely?

3) Positive Influences: What could prevent my river becoming stagnant, helping to keep the water running clear?

4. Fire ~ using Wands only!

The element of Fire is represented in the suit of Wands. It stands for Passion, Inspiration, Ideas, Creative Force, Sexuality, Enthusiasm, Risk-taking Behaviour, Temperament and Energy.

Fire can be imposing or terrifying - it can rage, frighten, consume and destroy; or it can be comforting and warm, inspire and illuminate; it can provide protection or cause chaos in it's wake.

1) Current State: The Fire in my Soul.

2) Negative Influences: What causes my fire to either die down, or burn too bright so it consumes everything it touches?

3) Positive Influences: What sparks my fire and feeds it, keeping a warm, steady glow?

5. Spirit ~ using Major Arcana only!

The 5th element of Spirit is often forgotten about, but it is the one that binds the other elements together and can shape, control, direct, unleash or temper them.

To clarify what I mean when I speak of “Spirit” here, I will provide you with some suitable synonyms:

Words like Psyche; Ego; Life Force; Soul; Essential Being; Inner Self; Anima; Ethos; Essence; Temperament; Disposition; ... any or all or a combination of these terms can be used to describe this Elemental Force we all feel within us but can find so hard to define.

Draw one Major Arcana card to identify your driving force, that what helps you create and maintain balance between the elemental forces influencing your life, your well-being, actions, thoughts and personality. This card is neither Upright nor Reversed, as you should take both sides in to account - it represents both your Strengths and what you need to be Mindful of.

I have included a picture of my own spread to give you an idea of what the whole may look like:

Suggested exercises to get even more out of this spread:

A• Write down your findings after each spread completed, so you have a clear overview of all 5 elements and can compare them, see how they might interact, counteract or reinforce one another. This will tell you where your Strengths lie, as well as which areas can use more focus and developement.

B• Put your Spirit card next to each individual spread and interpret how this driving force might influence each element.

C• For each separate spread, add up the number value of the cards and simplify until you have a number between 1 and 10, this gives you the numerological value for that spread and shows you where you are in the development of that particular area of your life. Court cards have no numerological value so should be counted as “0”.

Example:

Ace + Page + 10 = (1) + (0) + (1 + 0) = 2

Or: 8 + 9 + 6 = 23, then 2 + 3 = 5

0 = Infinite Potential - embodies all that is and all that will be - wholeness - no separation - everything is possible.

1 = Beginnings - Potential - Inspiration - Gifts


2 = Duality - Choices - Balance/imbalance - Reflection


3 = Chaos - Birth - Synergy - Growth - Creativity


4 = Stability - Power - Rest - Organisation


5 = Conflict - Competition - Adaptability - Forced Growth


6 = Success - Harmony - Transition - Compassion 


7 = Strategy - Planning - Victory - Discipline


8 = Strength - Control - Evolution - Release


9 = Contentment - Contemplation - (Re)Evaluation - Luck


10 = Completion - Satisfaction - Fulfilment - Germination - Karma

D• Add the Numerological Value of your Spirit card to that of each separate element and compare the outcome to the exercise above to see wether the energy of your Spirit adds value to that element in your life or diminishes it. This will show you wether you need to work on your Spiritual Energy or if you are on the right track.

For example: The numerological value of your Fire Element is 2 and your Spirit card is the Hierophant with a value of 5. The overal outcome is 7 so your Spirit Element has a positive influence over your Fire Element.

If the numerological value of your Water Element is 9 and you add the value of your Hierophant Spirit card, this would make

9 + 5 = 14 and 1+ 4 = 5. So your Spirit Element has a significant diminishing effect on your Water Element.

In practical terms this might mean that you need to watch out you are not repressing your emotions by focussing too much on the objective, rational side of things - it might be healthier to allow yourself to have an emotional reaction to an issue, just let yourself feel it and then let your emotions flow through you.

E• The number of cards used in the collective Spread is 13, with a numerological value of 4, denoting stability and power.

Add up the numbers of all 13 cards in the Spread to get an overall idea of your current position in your Life Cycle.

~~~•~~~•~~~•~~~•~~~•~~~•~~~•~~~•~~~

*NOTE:

A lot of sources will also attribute male or female qualities to each of the Elements, describing Earth and Water as being Feminine (passive, receptive) and Air and Fire as Masculine (active and imposing).

You can do so if you wish, but I have chosen not to. My personal feeling is that these notions might be outdated and we lose nothing by taking away these supposed gender specifications - in fact what we could gain is a deeper understanding of fundamental “sameness” of each individual Soul.

Spirit knows no gender, we all carry each element inside us, inextricably blended, albeit in different proportions. We are all just people in the end, and that is what I choose to focus on!

**NOTE 2

Please be aware that some Tarot Decks work with a modified system, where they attach the suit of Wands to the Element of Air and Swords to Fire. So should you be using decks like The Modern Spellcaster’s Tarot, The Art Nouveau Tarot, The Shapeshifter Tarot, The Dreampower Tarot or The Celtic Dragon Tarot amongst others, please make the required adaptations!

11. What spread do I use most often?  Why?

I usually do a regular three card spread, but another I do just as much is the five card elemental spread.  It’s one of my personal favorites.

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January 7, 2016

Hi! This is an interesting question to me because I don't worship any gods or do much with deities in general, but I was considering how I wanted to approach tarot religiously a few days ago and my thought was that I would want the people I was reading for to bring their own gods and spirituality to the table so that they could be guided via them in their readings, versus via mine (or my lack of). I don't know which gods you like to work with, but I'm honored you asked me to read for you regarding them, and I took into account that they could be guiding the reading.

The way the spread works is that there are 7 cards, six representing different elements and what they mean in conjunction with your life and what action you can take. 

The first card, the card that represents your current situation and is elementally neutral, is the Eight of Wands. This indicates a long journey ahead of you, but one that you are well equipped to take, as you have an alignment with fire and water and you do good with any sort of challenge so long as you know you can flow to a specific destination. The Eight of wands is an assurance that you are on a feasible path and not just wandering lost, and that there very much is a destination you are capable of reaching. What is also notable to me about this card is that the figure is not alone and has some animal familiars – there are others taking a similar journey with you who may be aiding you.

Your metal card represents the outside force that you cannot change very easily – metal is malleable, but it is the hardest of all of the elements and would require great force to change. It is often better to just work with it or work around it. This card is the Eight of Pentacles in reverse – you should know this card jumped out of the deck for you when I was selecting it. The Eight of Pentacles in its regular position represents an architect, someone who can build up and use both creativity and logic to create something out of nothing. In reverse I think this indicates that you may not be aware of your ability to do this, but in order to better your relationship with your gods, you will have to recognize it and recognize that a forward effort to create rather than just move on an already scoped path is required. This is simply what your gods seem to be looking for, which is why it is in an outside force slot, and its reversal may just really show the visual for you of a spider building its web up from an earthly branch and into the sky.

Your air card represents your hopes and your dreams for your relationship. This is the word in reverse. Reversals in this spot I often feel tends to mean a fear is stronger than a hope. You fear not achieving this final peace and ultimate understanding with your spirituality. You do not want your goals and hard work, as well as the great satisfaction that your gods can bring you, to go unfulfilled or unrealized and you feel as if there is a distinct chance that you simply won’t be able to tap into and fully realize this connection.

Your earth card represents the most grounding force in your relationship. You have the Five of Cups, a water card that often indicates regret or a sense of feeling like you missed something. You have an ongoing yearning for something or feel like you have otherwise missed an opportunity. What I see here is you surrounded by many spirits and not looking at them. Usually in most spreads, the thing that grounds people is usually a force they can rely on (not an immutable force unlike the metal card), but in your case I think this is a literal “grounding” that is preventing your spirituality. You are stuck on earth visually because you are too busy feeling like you have lost something you will never be able to get back, and there are plenty of other figures and similar things around you waiting to be seen that I think you need to get this bird’s eye view of by looking at it from a third person perspective. Especially since you are drawn with water, this card seems really meaningful and a little off the wall from my normal readings for you, but I get the sense it is just extremely important you look at it and see yourself outside of your body. 

Your fire card represents your will and your ability to move forward with your action. This is the nine of swords. Has something happened with you and your connection with the gods lately that has you questioning your security? You seem to be extremely anxious. There is a sense of looking upwards, clutching your strengths to you rather than letting them guide you anywhere, feeling very vulnerable. I get the sense that perhaps you are waiting for the gods to show you favor just via your vulnerability and fear alone. Don’t be paralyzed – based on the other cards coming up, it seems that the gods really want to show you that you have a solid path here, you have an ability to create, you don’t have to stay stuck on earth anymore. But you have to be the one to let yourself be guided out, and don’t let your own anxiety and stress over the gods be the thing that stops you from acting on your relationship with them.

Your water card represents your next moves. This is the Knight of Wands, a fire card – I am extremely fond of the knight cards in general, especially when it comes to the water slot and action, because they are always about direct, brave and unhesitant movement. The Knight of Wands is charming, brave and willing to change direction quickly, much like fire. He doesn’t dwell on his past mistakes and just moves forward almost haphazardly – moving too fast without thinking can sometimes be a bad thing but I think in this case you just have to get moving and start thinking about how to build. He has a gem on his steed that is almost identical to some of the green gems in the Eight of Pentacles, making me think that his quick action relates to what the gods were trying to tell you about creating. He also has the same fox familiars that the Eight of Wands (a similarly related card) had. Enlist aid from anyone who is helping you and let your passion for your gods get you out of your funk and lead you down your path.

Finally, your spirit card represents your ultimate elemental value and your overall conclusion. You have the Four of Wands, another fire card. Celebrate your victories as you start to move forward with your relationship – I think you will find your reward comes in small spurts rather than one large, immediate sense of enlightenment. Once you start feeling that you are going in the right direction, be sure to keep moving and don’t stay complacent, but approach your journey from the sense of someone who is joyful and celebratory of everything you are granted by the gods rather than someone who is ruled by anxiety of never attaining a good relationship.

Here is a picture of the reading: http://tinypic.com/r/34q4f9e/8

Hi! Happy Belated Birthday! 

So the spread I developed is an elemental action spread, which is similar to the pentacle spread and adapted for my purposes. There are seven cards in total. 

Your query card describes your current situation and the point your romantic path is currently at. This card is the Eight of Wands, which often signifies a long journey – believe it or not, you’re not too far off track. The very fact that you’re looking to get back on track indicates that you could be a lot more lost, and while this journey is extremely winding and long, there is a definite destination at hand for you that you can take solace in. This card is technically a fire card but also has a lot of earth imagery with trees and the figure standing on rocks and being very grounded – I’d imagine this is a great path for you to have decided to take!

The metal card is the outside force you cannot change - metal is technically malleable, but requires the most force and effort to alter and it is often best just to work around it or with it.  This is The Empress, a very nurturing, motherly card. I’m getting the sense that this refers to someone outside of yourself who is a motherly or sisterly feminine figure in your life. She may be taking a journey of her own – she is standing on tree branches acing and gesturing up the same way as the eight of wands’s figure. This individual is going to be involved in your life and will have some kind of effect on where you are going. I do not think it will be a negative one, and it is best to include at the very least her influence, if not her herself, in your path.

The air card represents your dreams and goals regarding your life path. This is the Ace of Pentacles in reverse. What I get from the reversal is that you are actually deeply scared of something – failure. The normal card is the promise of flourishing and a spark towards prosperity and abundance. You fear that your hard work and your efforts will be for nothing, and the fact that your earth dominance appeared even in its opposite element indicates that righting this to be back on the right track means quite a bit to you. You fear change and you desire security – you don’t want to be stuck in a constant dream, you want the world to actually be the way you want it to be.

The earth card represents the most stable part of your life’s path. You have the seven of pentacles. You have a ton of options! Lots of sensible options that could make you happy are in front of you where your path could branch out, and while this can be overwhelming from time to time, your greatest strength is that you just have so many fallbacks and places where you could thrive. You have security in the fact that there are a lot of places you could be, even if not all of them go well by chance or by fate. You are not stuck to only one or two options, and if one selection turns out to be rotten or not what you wanted, you can keep a few on standby. Just be sure not to try to do everything all at once! 

Your fire card represents your will and ability to continue on your chosen path. You got death, reversed. I suppose the cheesy way of putting it is saying that your will is so strong that it thwarted death itself, but what I really see here is an incredible amount of fire – in my deck, this card is represented by a Phoenix and truly represents a rebirth. I think the reversal in this case simply indicates a deepening of your will that you may not necessarily recognize, but the card appeared for a reason – even if you don’t know how much will power and ability to thrive off of change and not fail permanently you have, it is very present within you all the same.

Your water card represents your next steps and your upcoming action. You have the star in reverse.  Again, the way I read reversals is usually not just an opposite but usually indicates to me a denial, being unaware of the card’s presence, or a block. I think your next step, while it may be difficult, is to get your hope back. You may have taken a blow recently that has you caught thinking tha your life is off track or that you will fail and not be prosperous. You have the willpower to back you up – now find your hope. One way of doing that as indicated by the star is to reach out and be very generous – visually, this image seems to show a flowing out of energy. Reaching out selflessly and helpfully to others may result in a restoration of the validation you need to right this card and proceed down a clarified life path. 

Your final card is the Spirit card, or the card that shows your overall result. It is the nine of pentacles, a fitting card for your life path, and I hope you take some comfort in it regarding your fear – the Nine of Pentacles represents a balance of spiritual wealth and material prosperity. The success level will be high enough for you to appreciate it and not consider yourself a failure, and you will find a level of spiritual richness also accompanies you. You will have a great deal of gratitude for what you accomplished and feel much more grounded. There is a pianist on this card and as a pianist myself I notice she is looking up while playing – she is enjoying her music and is secure in her ability to perform it without having to obsess over the movements of her fingers by watching them. You will achieve this same balance of enjoying your fortune without having to obsess over stalls or drops in it.