One way Tarot readers can add intention and ritual to their sessions is to lay the cards down in a specific pattern.
This is mostly for longer Tarot spreads like the Celtic Cross or the 9x9 spread (pictured above).
My favorite patterns to incorporate are the clockwise (deosil) and spiral patterns.
DEOSIL Whether you’re forming a circle, stirring a potion, or drawing a pentagram, the direction is important. Deosil is associated with drawing things in or opening a session.
Moving counterclockwise (widdershins) is associated with banishment, undoing, and closing a ritual.
THE SPIRAL The spiral pattern is connected to sacred geometry. We find the spiral vortex pattern in the microcosm and macrocosm (think the double helix structure of the DNA molecule and the shape of a galaxy). Because of this, the golden mean spiral represents bringing information from the divine down to earth (As Above, So Below). Our job as Tarot readers is to interpret messages from our higher selves, ancestors, source, or other entities that are in what we visualize to be “above.” We draw down their information to decipher through our earthly vocabulary and lenses.
GET IN THE ZONE Readers have many automatic cues to get “in the zone” for readings — using a specific Tarot deck with clients, a certain incense, or a mantra. Personally, the ritual of using deosil and spiral patterns has the added benefit of being a cue to open my mind to a receptive position. Once my hands start to move in a certain direction to lay down the cards, my mind knows to prepare to receive information.
Now a disclaimer — am I saying that laying down Tarot cards clockwise and in spiral patterns is the only way to conduct a meaningful reading? Of course not. We all have unique methods to connect to the divine, this is just one way that feels special to me. If you do something different, please share to inspire other Tarot readers!
Ready for a Tarot reading? Book online today. There are 30-minute and 60-minute options. While you wait for your appointment date to arrive, you can read about my favorite Tarot spread to use with clients.
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