The Alchemy Tarot Spread

This is my own little twist to some basics found in most spreads. This is an easy spread for a quick look into any subject.

The Alchemy spread consists of just four cards.

 

APEX is positioned at the Top Center

NEGATIVE INFLUENCES is positioned on the Left

POSITIVE INFLUENCES is positioned on the Right

SELF is positioned at the Bottom Center

 

 

 

When throwing the cards, the order is:

 Self, Negative, Positive and then Apex. 

 

 

 

 

 

The deck presented here is Waking the Wild Spirit By Poppy Palin 

 

Card interpretations below come from my own intuitive eye 

The reading is a 'General' or "What does the Universe want me to know" type reading.

 

The SELF card is as it sounds. It is a reflection of you (or the sitter) in the situation of focus.

The card in this position is 6 of Earth. This is about creative energy combined with passion, it is the driving force and source of joy that keeps one fulfilled in life. This is is connecting to the creative energy that is within as well all around. It is a love of nature and being in tune with nature, inspiration from and honoring everything in life. *If you have been stressed or fatigued, the recommendation is to take a mini-vacation to somewhere you can immerse yourself in nature. Get to know the sounds of the life that lives there and their routines. A lot can be learned from nature.

 

Negative Influence card is 3 of Air. The 'seasons' are changing and thus, one needs to adapt and adjust the routine. What once was not, now is; and there is trouble if one cannot make the adjustment. The challenge here is NOT taking charge of things and making adjustments and tending to the things that need tending. Responsibilities are not being dealt with. This is a need to get your head into the game and get down to business. If motivation is lacking, then it is going to take strength to get the mind into a determined mood to 'attack' the needs in life and get everything in order. The warning applies: Avoid a downward spiral into chaos. Think Ready, Set, Go. While it seems like a lot of work, just getting it done and out of the way feels so much better in the end. Order (and not chaos) is liberating.

 

Positive Influences card is Queen of Earth. The Queen is a wise, skilled and compassionate individual. This speaks of hands on nurturing, the training of others in the ways of different skills and crafts. The Queen has a love for all life. This virtue has animal whisperer qualities and a green thumb. She is one that listens to the sounds of nature and nature for a deeper understanding in how it all works. This allows her to know what her environment needs and what it will give or bring. It is the call of the cows that lets her know a storm is coming. It is the color of the leaves that lets her know what to feed her plants. You have much skill and wisdom and are capable of self sufficiency. You pay attention to everything around you be it natural or urban and thus know what to do, how to do and what not to do. 

Do what you do best!

The Apex card is the card that brings it all together and speaks on the over all energy and situation. The card in the position of Apex is the 8 of Water and speaks of an unpleasant environment. There are 'bad spirits' that are fouling things up and causing problems. There is stagnation and things out of balance. This takes us back to the negative influences card, things in chaos. Like a song the get stuck in your head, certain 'bad habits' have developed and persisted; things need to get cleaned up and put into order. This is not a healthy space for the soul as it bogs down everything in life. Things cannot grow and flourish in this sort of environment. This card's call to action is to cleanse your space energetically and physically, and to cleanse yourself spiritually and emotionally.

 

 

 

     

 

 

 

 

 

 

How To Ask A Question

Tarot is a wonderful tool for getting insight and helps in finding answers. The cards themselves may or may no provide a specific answer, but a reading allows the mind to work things out so that a person can find some direction.

With tarot having the stigma of being a tool for fortune telling, questions get often phrased in a direct manner.


"Does he like me?"


"When will I get married?"
"Will I have a baby?"


"Will I find a job?"


These questions are limited to two answers- either 'yes' or 'no'. Tarot does not work that way (well not exactly, but more on that later).
Now, let's examine these questions for what they are. If someone was to ask another these questions, just to get an opinion or advice, what would they be told?

"Well, how would I know, why don't you ask him?"

"Are you dating anyone right now?” Or, “Have you talked about marriage with your SO?”


"Well, do you want a baby?"


"Only if you get off your butt and go look for one."



Getting a tarot reading for these questions would be a waste. So how can these issues be addressed utilizing the tarot? First thing is to properly phrase the question. Questions need to be in an open-ended format. If you are not sure what an open-ended question is, it is a question that invites a dialog.


'Does he like me?' would be, 'How does he feel about me?'
‘When will I get married?’ would be, ‘What can I do to find a life partner who will commit to marriage?’


'Will I have a baby?' would be, 'What is it best for me for having children?'


'Will I find a job?' would be, 'What do I need to do to find a job?'


Of course there are many different questions that can be asked for these issues.


'How can I make finding a job easier?', 'What do I need to do to be a good parent?', 'How do I make myself more appealing and desirable?'



In forming open ended questions, it allows for the cards to give a more in-depth response compared to a plain old 'yes' or 'no'.

 

So what about the 'well not exactly' (mentioned earlier) as far as tarot giving a yes or no? This is a matter of likelihood.
 If the cards are asked 'Does he like me?'; they will describe, based on the spread used, the thoughts, emotions, attitude of the person of interest. In a long winded manner, the reading will express dislike, unawareness, or interest. While this then would give a yes or no in essence, as a reading, it is still a waste to a degree. If the reading indicates that there is no interest, then the person is able to move on right then and there and that is not really a waste, but it is in the sense that so much more could have been discovered.



Side Note: It is not a (my) typical practice to do a reading that involves intruding into the lives of a third party. However, I use the 'does he like me' as an example for it is often asked. In rephrasing the question, the question is made into something that becomes more focused on the person asking the question that their person of interest.

 When I say so much more can be discovered, we find that in the rephrasing of the 'does he like me' question into 'what can I do to be more desirable?', we get a reading that carries a lot of value. Value that goes beyond just focusing on the person of interest for the information and advice provided in the reading can be utilized throughout life.

With all that said, I still can do a reading with a question that is phrased in a manner that can be answered with a ‘yes/no’, but the reading will say a whole lot more.