In spite of the potentially rude title, this entry IS about tarot.

Today, a wonderful new client visited me over the cards about two issues that had a long-time underlying theme.  We decided to use Art Rosengarten’s five-card layout for both.  You can find this layout in his book, Tarot and Psychology: Spectrums of Possibility.  I figured that would take us most of the way through an hour.

Topic Number One was covered in about 20 minutes.  Client seems to be on track with that one.

Topic Number Two filled the rest of our time together and could probably have taken us through another hour.  The tarot’s images and concepts REALLY spoke clearly to the topic and revealed fascinating underground streams of insight.

In both cases, a five-card layout was involved.  It wasn’t a teeny-tiny two-card job or a massive 45-card spread.  But we interacted with it differently each time.  This told me that the second arena of exploration was the doorway to the larger theme that underpinned both.  We found tunnels of connection from one card to another, ways of behaving that influenced not only the topic at hand, but also many other parts of life, and profound gifts waiting patiently for the person to remember that they’re there.  It reminds me of a time years ago when I spent an hour and a half with someone over a four-card spread.  The dialogue was so rich that we needed no more cards.

All of this to say that depending on HOW we interact with the tarot, the size of the layout doesn’t matter.  A twelve-card spread might take only ten minutes if we speak leanly about each pasteboard.  A three-card map of the reading might take us two and a half hours if we really engage with the cards, each other, and Wisdom.

I prefer to choose or create a spread after the client and I have discussed the purpose of the session.  Then it will truly be THEIR session, no matter how big the spread.