Category: Spreads

Categories
Spreads

Spread: Tom Benjamin’s General Reading Spread (Adapted)

Tom Benjamin’s YouTube Video: An Experimental General Spread

I am a Tom Benjamin stan, and I followed along as he looked for a general spread.

The video above contains his thoughts on how a general spread could work.

In Tom’s experimental method, he explores the four areas of the querent’s life that correspond to the elements and dives in from there.

That felt a bit too much for me, so I’ve devised a simplified method that concentrates on just one row/column combination.

Tom Benjamin’s General Reading Spread (Adapted)

My Method

  1. Lay out 16 cards in rows. Start with FIRE/FIRE and end with Earth/Earth
  2. Find the double element that feels most out of balance
  3. Read that card’s row as the ‘Problem.’
  4. Read that card’s column as the ‘Solution.’

I read it more like a Lenormand box spread, so I read the cards in combination rather than individually.

The card that lands on the double element is the focus or heart of the matter. You may want to discuss the other dual element cards to acknowledge those areas in the querent’s life.

But like everything cartomancy, it’s best to try various methods and see what works for you.

I hope you try it out and see how you find it.

Categories
Spreads

Spreads: The French Cross (Tirage En Croix)

Serge Pirotte demonstrates the French Cross

Watching the recent video (above) on the French Cross, by the excellent cartomancer Serge Pirotte, has rekindled my interest in this type of spread.

In large part, that’s due to the way that Serge has presented his interpretation, especially how he uses the synthesis position.

The French Cross as presented by Serge Pirotte

In the video, Serge describes that synthesis as the ‘state of mind’ of the querent towards the question and the example he uses illustrates that perfectly. It’s also the first card he turns over even though it’s the last card placed. This, for me, adds context and allows for a more nuanced interpretation

I very much appreciated this approach as I don’t usually see spreads where the state of mind of the person getting the reading (self-readings included) is being considered.

Recapping the positions as I’ve recorded them:

  1. Pro – What’s in your favour
  2. Con – What’s working against you
  3. Judge – Advice on how to resolve positions 1 + 2
  4. Result – Answer to the question
  5. Synthesis – the perspective the querent has of the question

As this is already an adaption, I don’t think I will calculate the synthesis card, or use just the majors, but use it in the way Serge has suggested.

As a decision making spread this is one I am certainly to be adding into my active repertoire.

I have looked into the history of the spread a little as I always thought it originated with Oswald Wirth but it seems he got it from Josephin Péladan, though I don’t have the original sources of either to compare.

But in the links below from Tony Louis and Mary Greer’s respective blogs you’ll be able to compare Péladan’s reported crucifixion of Christ model with Wirth’s more legal model of interpretation.

Is this a spread you use? Please let me know in the comments.

Oh, and if anyone has any more sources please drop them in the comments too.

Further Information