blue_fusion

I had nothing better else to do last week, and a lotta time to kill as well, when this idea came up. Why not apply SWOT Analysis to a tarot reading?! For those unfamiliar, SWOT (which I learned from my organization management classes) means Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities and Threats. Its basically used to analyze, identify, and assess an organization internally (Strengths and Weaknesses) and externally (Opportunities and Threats).

What I did was I applied this with the standard Past-Present-Future spread so it actually becomes an extended version of that, with 12 cards. I laid them out as such (the numbers indicating the sequence of the cards as I laid them down):

---------------------------------|past|-----|present|-----|future|
----------|Strengths|--------------1-------------5-------------9
----------|Weakness|--------------2-------------6-------------10
----------|Opportunities|-----------3-------------7-------------11
----------|Threats|----------------4-------------8-------------12

The good thing about this is you can also do some cross-sectional analysis (like comparing your weaknesses in the past and present, and perhaps see if there's a trend with how the future ones will come up). On the downside, it becomes a thinker when ya have a very positive card for a threat (but then too much of a good thing is bad, no?). So one has to be creative with interpreting as well.

I'm still trying to master reading with it, though.

If any of ya guys ever try it, I'd be happy to hear how ya used it in yer readings.

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Alissa

So glad to see you posted this, after our conversation in chat blue_fusion...

Now that's putting that "corporate mentality" to psychic work, eh?

blue_fusion

lol. thanks. but you were right, one has to look more into things to see if they are threats (or opportunities) no matter how positive or negative they seem at first glance.

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water my days with patient tears

Imagemaker

I love this! Great addition to the world of tarot.

It also strikes me that SWOT could also be the 4-card staff used with the first 5 cards of a Celtic Cross.

A SWOT Cross!

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Alissa

One challenge to this spread is the one that blue_fusion and I spoke of last night. He mentioned that 3 of cups showed up in a position of what should be left behind, or perhaps, the "threat"... I don't rightly remember.

In any case, at first it seems incongruous that "working together and fellowship" could be a negative aspect to the situation. However, while talking, I mentioned maybe the card was suggesting "over-fraternization in the workplace, to the extent that nothing gets done. Like when the boss tries to be everyone's 'friend.' "

This seemed to make more sense in the overall context of what the cards might be trying to suggest, but wasn't apparent at first sight, so to speak.

A great way to expand upon *any* spread, you're right Imagemaker!

Anna

Oh I love this!!! Well done Blue-Fusion, this is a cracking spread!

And it strikes me as very versitile....the past present and future colomes could be changed to "me, you, us" if you needed a SWOT relationship analysis, or "mind,body,spirit" too, or acctually lots and lots of variations on the 3 card spread!

__________________
"I want to be bruised by God.
I want to be strung up in a strong light and singled out.
I want to be stretched, like music wrung from a dropped seed.
I want to be entered and picked clean."
Charles Wright

blue_fusion

yup, its a cool way to "expand" spreads. i like the me - you - us spread idea!!! i shall try using that when my friends ask for relationship readings. hehe and the celtic cross thing'll work too!

its also a great way at expanding one's creativity with interpreting the cards and expanding your relationship with each card.

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water my days with patient tears

Trogon

Very nice spread Blue_fusion! I can see how it would be very useful both for groups as well as for an individual. Thanks for posting this.

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Trogon

"You can fool all of the people some of the time, and some of the people all of the time ... but, if you don't teach them to read, you can fool them whenever you like!"
[Max Headroom] (And if you know who that is, you're as old as me!)

Stregaverde

Was searching through AT's fantastic spread index and found this--just what I was looking for! I can't wait to use it, it looks like an extremely productive spread. Wonderful, thank you!

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--Carl Jung