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Encounter with a new deck
I had been looking for a introductory spread for quite some time, but none of those I had found really were completely satisfying. Indeed, I was looking for a spread that could introduce a new deck to me as a new friend and give me an overview of the relationship we could build. The arrival of the beautiful Chrysalis Tarot was the perfect occasion to design such a spread, and I found in this deck all the inspiration I needed to do so! That is how I came up with this spread, which everyone can use, beginners included!
Object
This introductory spread aims at getting to know a new deck and getting an idea of the kind of work you will do with it. It will show you what kind of insight you will get from your new deck.
How to proceed
After shuffling and cutting the deck, draw eight cards and lay them out as follows:
Interpretation
Card 1: Who are you? Introduce yourself. This card represents the main characteristic of the deck, which is something that was given to it by the person(s) who created it.
Card 2: What will the nature of our relationship be? This card is a general overview of the kind of work and of the type of explorations that will be done with the deck. It is thus important to read this card according to the kind of feelings (enthusiasm, excitement, calm and peace, etc.) and tendencies it shows. Do you get an impression of peace or do you get worried by the card? Do you see trust and confidence, a harmonious relationship, or something else?
Card 3: What do I expect from you? This card shows what the reader-querent expects from the deck, what they would like to do with it and the hopes they nourrish toward this new relationship.
Card 4: How will you help me deal with my fears? This card pictures how the deck will confront the reader-querent with their own fears, worries and doubts. Will it be in the soft way, or on the contrary in the harsh way? Will the reader be directly confronted with their fears or will they rather be suggested to them? Will they find solutions to weaken them, dominate them, or even vanquish them with the help of the deck?
Card 5: How will you help me deal with my sorrows? Whether they belong to the past or to the present, sorrows are part of everybody’s life and can only leave prints into it, which act as everlasting reminders. This card thus helps the reader-querent to know how the deck will enable them to « digest » and to transform their sorrows so that they are no longer obstacles in their life. The reader-querent will then be able to start anew, rich of their experiences.
Card 6: How will you guide me toward the accomplishment of my hopes and desires and the fulfillment of my dreams? This card highlights how the deck may help the reader-querent to go forward toward the fulfillment of their dreams, hopes and desires. Important personal accomplishments are also shown here.
Card 7: How can you and I work together in order to help others? The card pictures how the reader-querent can use their deck to help other people. It may also reveal the very nature of this help.
Card 8: What aspects of myself will you help me look deeper into? A tarot or oracle deck is a mirror to the person who uses it. It helps the reader in getting to know themselves better and in unveiling hidden aspects of their personality. The card thus shows in what way the deck will help the reader to know themselves better and what aspects of their own personality will be revealed thanks to it.
Further remarks
Shaped as a question mark, this spread aims at helping the reader – who is also the querent – to get to know their new deck better. Consequently, the card positions in the spread are defined by questions which address the deck directly. That is how we can have an overview of several aspects of the situations and feelings that can be explored with the deck, which, according to the responses they get, enables the reader to decide to what purpose they will use the deck. Indeed, some decks are more accurate for such or such kind of analysis and questioning, that is why choosing the appropriate deck according to the questions that have to be solved is important. I thus recommend writing down the spread you get in a notebook with its interpretation so that you can get back to it whenever you need it and know your deck and its possibilities better and better each time. This is a very good way of evaluating the kind of relationship you can build with a new deck!
Which decks for this spread?
I designed this spread after receiving the stunning Chrysalis Tarot by Toney Brooks and Holly Sierra so that I could get to know it a little bit, for this deck looks particularly interesting and innovative to me and I was curious to get an overview of how I could work with it and of what it could reveal to me, both about itself and about myself.
Needless to say, this spread has not been designed only for Chrysalis Tarot and can very well be used with any tarot or oracle deck you buy (or are given). It will shed light on the specific characteristics of each deck, whether they are due to its structure or to the cultural approach it illustrates.
(© Morrigann Moonshadow, June 05th, 2014; trans. June 06th, 2014. Further reproduction prohibited.)
