Layer One of a Three Card Spread – Identifying the Cause and Setting the Foundation for the Reading
My first layer of cards for a reading for a client is in the form of a cross, three cards vertical, two cards out to each side, and four cards in the corners to “frame” the table.
The ‘heart’ of the matter, the center card, identifies what the feelings are regarding the situation that is being presented. It picks up the energy of emotion of the Querent (the one who is having the reading done for them). The lower card, also known as the ‘root’ card, gives the reasoning or the initial cause of the matter, whether it had been recent or something established in the past. The top card, is the ‘head’ card, which identifies what should be the thoughts of the Querent in this issue. While it truly may not actually be what the Querent is thinking because a person sometimes “thinks” with their heart and not their head, this card stands for Clinical Reasoning and does not show an emotional quality to it. It is factual, analytical, and logical.
The two cards that are out to each side, are the choices that could have been presented to the Querent or should have been made. These ‘arms’ of the cross also can indicate two paths that resulted in the situation, or, two assisting issues that may be running parallel to the main issue.
The four cards in the corners of the table establish boundaries and ‘frame’ the total picture the other cards speak about. These cards say, “it is what it is.” and gives potential outcomes depending on the choices of the Querent. They are read with the diagonal line that they form with the “arm” card and either the “head” card or the “root” card.
Once the first layer is placed on the table and examined by the Querent, the information can be questioned by the secondary method of divination, the Obi, a way to receive “Yes”, “No”, and “Maybe” answers in various intensities, as a way to clarify and obscurity in the message given to the Querent.
