simple tarot spreads for gaining clarity

these are my favorite "what the fuck is going on??" spreads to gain some insight into my own interiority and some direction as to how to proceed. both are four card spreads laid out in a square, a 2x2 grid. i feel the shape is a good map of the relationships of the spread positions.

general check-in

for when things feel kind of off and confusing.

• top left: thoughts. what's happening on the mental plane? what's the story you're telling yourself about what's happening, what you're feeling?
• bottom left: feelings. often the mental stories are interpretations of emotions, so this reveals something closer to the root of the matter
• top right: wants. what you think will fix it, based on the mental stories (which might not be accurate)
• bottom right: needs. what would actually address the underlying emotions.

any tarot reading can be a jumping off point for more readings, so you can use the cards to keep brainstorming actionable steps based on the last position, if gaining clarity wasn't enough.

examining a problem

for when it feels more intense. confusion or hurt that you know you need to do something about sooner or later (or maybe sooner rather than later).

• top left: current problem. what's the immediate thing you're struggling with?
• bottom left: deeper cause. the immediate crisis is but a symptom, you don't want to be tackling each new crop-up without knowing the source
• bottom right: needed healing. this is what will ultimately be needed to help out with the source problem
• top right: immediate steps. this should be an actionable step based on the previous card, but also tying in to card 1. address the current symptom with an action that is congruent with a long-term strategy aimed at the cause.

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