The White Council (7) Lord of the Rings Saga

Dryaddin

The White Council gathered after the defeat of Sauron to discuss the fate of the Middle Earth. They were concerned about the location of the One Ring and the way to destroy it, to prevent Sauron from raising again. You have been designed to carry out this arduous quest with the help of the members of the Council:

--2---5--
4---1---7
--3---6--

1) The One Ring: the Ring acts different depending on the Bearer, and this will show you which power or burden will grant you while you carry it to Mount Doom.
2) Galadriel: with her power to read minds, she will show you your deepest desires.
3) Elrond: he founded a peaceful refuge for planning how to deal with Sauron and the Ring. This is the refuge where you can heal and rest during the Long Journey.
4) Círdan: he saw Gandalf's arriving to the Middle Earth, and he'll tell you how the help will come to you.
5) Saruman: traitor of the Council, tried to find the Ring for himself. It represents the Weakness, where our plan will fail.
6) Radagast: messenger of the Nature, saved Gandalf from Saruman's prison. It shows us a way to solve the problem.
7) Gandalf: who never trust in Saruman, proved to be the Help you needed. He represents the way we will destroy the Ring, the final result of our adventure.

This is a spread based in the events that happen before all the story from the Lord of the Rings starts. I recommend using a fantasy-themed deck to give an epic feeling to the reading.

I hope you enjoy it, and I'll be glad to read about your opinions and suggestions. ;)
 

Barleywine

The Modern Spellcaster's Tarot might be a good one for this. I'll give it a try as soon as I decide how best to approach a question or topic.
 

Dryaddin

The Modern Spellcaster's Tarot might be a good one for this. I'll give it a try as soon as I decide how best to approach a question or topic.

I think so too, that deck suits the atmosphere. I know it's a spread that is a bit hard to apply to real life... maybe it could fit if you were having a difficult challenge in your life at the present. I just enjoy designing spreads about my favourite books. :)
 

Sentient

Dryaddin, I like this spread ‒ I think it's a great addition to your LotR spread list. Here's a Jungian take:

Perhaps as 1) you might consider it as the sitter's true quest in life, their journey toward enlightenment or burden to bear, depending one's viewpoint. This would correspond to the idea of needing to accept and integrate one's shadow, which fits with Mordor being the place "where the Shadows lie."

2) Perhaps Galadriel reacquaints one with one's true self, which is often difficult to perceive directly, but which is frequently obvious to others (Galadriel's mirror). In other words, the Intuitive function, which can seem magical when it works effectively.

3) sounds good

4) Cirdan is always refered to as "the shipwright," so perhaps he acts as a guide from one psychological realm to the next, like Hermes. A mediator between the realms of consciousness (Middle Earth) and unconsciousness (the Undying Lands).

5) The ego, which, when it pays no heed to the unconscious, will always fail, no matter its power.

6) The wisdom of the body, which can save one when the desires of the ego threaten the health of the psyche.

7) Gandalf the Grey as the talented person capable of individuation, and Gandalf the White as one who has made the sacrifices necessary to bring the conscious and unconscious mind into harmony.
 

Dryaddin

Dryaddin, I like this spread ‒ I think it's a great addition to your LotR spread list. Here's a Jungian take:

Perhaps as 1) you might consider it as the sitter's true quest in life, their journey toward enlightenment or burden to bear, depending one's viewpoint. This would correspond to the idea of needing to accept and integrate one's shadow, which fits with Mordor being the place "where the Shadows lie."

2) Perhaps Galadriel reacquaints one with one's true self, which is often difficult to perceive directly, but which is frequently obvious to others (Galadriel's mirror). In other words, the Intuitive function, which can seem magical when it works effectively.

3) sounds good

4) Cirdan is always refered to as "the shipwright," so perhaps he acts as a guide from one psychological realm to the next, like Hermes. A mediator between the realms of consciousness (Middle Earth) and unconsciousness (the Undying Lands).

5) The ego, which, when it pays no heed to the unconscious, will always fail, no matter its power.

6) The wisdom of the body, which can save one when the desires of the ego threaten the health of the psyche.

7) Gandalf the Grey as the talented person capable of individuation, and Gandalf the White as one who has made the sacrifices necessary to bring the conscious and unconscious mind into harmony.

Wow! You really deepened the meanings of each position! I really like the additions and nuances you suggested, they definately give a more defined way to read the cards. It invites to meditate and ponder, haha!

Thanks for sharing your thoughts, I'll revise my own readings with a new perspective now :D
 

Barleywine

I ran this spread for my next major psychic fair reading event, a five-hour series of 20-minute sessions on New Years Day. I read more situationally than psychologically, so I didn't incorporate Sentient's suggestions. Here are the cards (Modern Spellcaster's Tarot):

1 - 2 of Cups rx
2 - Hierophant
3 - 6 of Cups
4- 7 of Cups rx
5 - Queen of Cups rx
6 - Hermit
7 - Judgement rx

The 2 of Cups rx suggests that it will be an emotionally low-key affair (maybe sitters who are reluctant to open up?), or that I may not get many sitters. There will be three of us reading at the same time, so some of us will only get to handle the "overflow."

The Hierophant is a "wisdom" card in the "wisdom" position, so it looks like I hope to impart useful wisdom to my clients. Since that's what I always try to do, I see this as a "signature" card (the right card in the right place) that helps to validate the reading.

6 of Cups shows that I will have sufficient time to rest between readings (already implied by the 2 of Cups rx).

7 of Cups rx could mean that there will be some confusion over what the clients want and what I plan to deliver. It could also be showing that I need to rein in my imagination to meet those expectations. The in-depth approach I use here on the forum with tarot-savvy querents won't fly with most off-the-street sitters.

Queen of Cups rx makes me think I may have trouble sticking to the tight time-frame for each reading. I like to stretch out a bit narratively with my clients, so I will have to discipline myself more rigorously than usual. The Queen of Cups has no "Saturn" association by decan, so she's more "go with the flow" and not a natural timekeeper.

The Hermit is another "wisdom" card and another "signature" card (my "Inner Radagast"), showing that I will have to trust to my extensive storehouse of "inner knowledge" in quickly tailoring or condensing my more high-flown intuitive (Queen of Cups) insights to fit the schedule.

Judgement rx - I suspect I'm going to learn some lessons about operating under the pressure of a large number of abbreviated readings shoehorned into a short span of time. This will be a real-time challenge - "where the rubber meets the road" - not a presumptive one. I will have to go for simplicity and forego some of the deliberation if I expect to be judged a success.

Sounds like fun :bugeyed:
 

Dryaddin

Wow Barleywine! Thanks for sharing your reading!
I'm glad it worked for you, I wasn't really sure of the application of this spread to real life, as the topic is so fantastical...

Lots of cups there, that tarot reading session will be a rollercoaster of emotions! I hope it all goes well, though :D
 

rylla

Thanks for sharing, I tried it out and worked very well! I find it to be a very good spread.

ETA I believe some questions are more suited with the tarot than the others. These ones work!
 

Dryaddin

Thanks for sharing, I tried it out and worked very well! I find it to be a very good spread.

ETA I believe some questions are more suited with the tarot than the others. These ones work!

Hi Rylla!

I tried to fit the theme as much as possible and it's not a specific spread for any determined topic. I posted without specifying a purpose so everyone can use it in a question they think it could work for them.

I'm glad that it gave you the information you were seeking. Thanks for sharing your experience :D