New: Yes ~ No ~ Why

This is a fairly simple Yes/No spread but in addition to answering yes or no, the spread also explains why. I have had quite a few really good answers using this spread.

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ETA (2/10/10):
I think this spread has worked out well. But I think there is one thing missing, The World should be one of the possible cards to provide an answer. And that would make 7 answer cards in total, which is a good number. So I updated the spread to add the World as one of the answer cards.

I really like this spread, it has become one of my core spreads rather quickly. But in order to use it properly it should be read like a spread, or like friendly advice (from the Tarot), not just simply a yes or no answer. The answer is the starting point to understand what the Tarot is saying, it is not the end or the destination.
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Positions:
*3*
1*2

1. No
2. Yes
3. more information.

Instructions:
Start dealing cards face up to positions 1 and 2. Start at position 1 and then continue to deal cards, alternating between the two positions until The Fool, The Magician, The World, or any one of the four Aces turn up. As soon as one of those cards turn up, deal one more card to the opposing position (position 1 or 2), and then a card to position 3.

If both positions 1 and 2 contain The Fool, The Magician, The World, or any of the four Aces, then the answer is either maybe or the Tarot cannot or will not provide an answer. If only one of the positions contains The Fool, The Magician, The World, or one of the four Aces, then that is the answer. For example, if the card is in position 1 then the answer is no, or if the card is in position 2 then the answer is yes.

If the answer is either yes or no, then the card in the opposing position (position 1 or 2) explains why that answer (the answer it represents) is the wrong answer or simply why that answer was not chosen. The card in position 3 indicates what could be done or what could happen to change the answer. This could be what the seeker could do to change the answer from No to Yes (or vice versa), or it could be a stipulation on the answer given.

If the answer is neither yes nor no, then the card in position 3 explains why the answer is maybe, or why the question cannot or will not be answered. It is also possible the question simply cannot be answered at this time, and then the card in position 3 could indicate what needs to happen before an answer can be given.

The Answers:
The Fool, The Magician, The World, and the Aces are read to determine the type or character of the answer given. I created a list of answers that should be suitable for use with any deck (especially RWS clones). You can certainly create your own list of answers for your deck! And if you do, please post them! Here is my list:

The Fool: a flippant or glib answer.
The Magican: an emphatic or resounding answer.
The World: a philisophical or sagacious answer.
Ace of Wands: a definite but cursory answer.
Ace of Cups: a whimsical and mallable answer.
Ace of Swords: a conflicted or weak answer.
Ace of Coins: a definite and conclusive answer.

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Note: the cards that were dealt in positions 1 and 2 before the answer was given (if there are any), do not have any relevance.

Also note: if The Fool, The Magician, The World, or any one of the four Aces are dealt to position 3, they have no special meaning and should be read as normal for the position.

An example spread

I was considering if I should post an example. So I thought I would ask the Tarot with the Yes ~ No ~ Why spread! (Obviously the answer was yes or else you wouldn't be seeing the spread. Note: I used The Legacy of the Divine Tarot.)

I started dealing the cards to positions 1 and 2 face up, starting with position 1. After having dealt about 3 - 4 cards to each position, the Ace of Coins was dealt to position 2. So I then dealt a card to position 1 (the opposing position), the 8 of Swords. I then dealt a card to position 3, The Emperor.

So the answer is a definite yes, I should post an example. Because if I didn't people may not understand the spread and thus may not be able to use it. But I should only post an example if it is not too legalistic or verbose, the example shouldn't be overwhelmed with steps and rules, as I have a tendency to do sometimes.

So there it is, short and concise (at least as short and concise as I get). Hopefully it helps!

ETA:
I created a thread in the Reading Exchange forum that uses this spread, which can be viewed for further examples. (Click here to view the thread in the Reading Exchange forum.)

cool idea and thanks for sharing. I tried this out and got a "yes."
I will share the results by the end of today. hopefully it works for me

update: unfortunately, what was predicted to happen yesterday did not happen.however, sometimes things get delayed... so it might happen today? I tried this spread again and asked if it would happen today and after a few cards got the Magician in the "Yes" pile. The next card dealt (placed in the "no" pile) was the 8 of coins. The card dealt after that (placed in the "more info" pile) was Temperance. No Aces or Fool showed up in the "no" pile. So the answer is an *empathetic yes.

* please correct me if am wrong and the answer isn't really an empathetic yes...

Great spread but not sure i fully understand it. I asked a question and dealt the cards into pile 1 and 2. I got the fool first off in pile one, then 9 of swords for the second pile and emperor for the 3rd. Anyone help me out here?

littlestar said:

Great spread but not sure i fully understand it. I asked a question and dealt the cards into pile 1 and 2. I got the fool first off in pile one, then 9 of swords for the second pile and emperor for the 3rd. Anyone help me out here?

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i think your answer is "no" but since the fool is :

The Fool: a flippant or glib answer.

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would this mean that LS's no is a sarcastic one?

olivia1 said:

I tried this spread again and asked if it would happen today and after a few cards got the Magician in the "Yes" pile. The next card dealt (placed in the "no" pile) was the 8 of coins. The card dealt after that (placed in the "more info" pile) was Temperance. No Aces or Fool showed up in the "no" pile. So the answer is an *empathetic yes.

* please correct me if am wrong and the answer isn't really an empathetic yes...

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Yes, you are absolutely (and emphatically) correct olivia1!

olivia1 said:

Great spread but not sure i fully understand it. I asked a question and dealt the cards into pile 1 and 2. I got the fool first off in pile one, then 9 of swords for the second pile and emperor for the 3rd. Anyone help me out here?

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Since this spread doesn’t just answer yes or no, to completely understand or interpret your spread it would be helpful to know the crux of the question and the deck used. However, I will try to interpret the spread generally: The Fool indicates that answer is no, but it is a flippant no, it is like you asked the Tarot your question and the Tarot flippantly answered no without any thought or consideration. The 9 of Swords indicates that yes wasn't chosen because that path would probably just bring you unnecessary stress or trouble. The Emperor indicates that the Tarot could answer yes when you better understand the situation, what is required, or the rules of the situation.

olivia1 said:

would this mean that LS's no is a sarcastic one?

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The character of the 6 card's answers could very well be different from deck to deck but every deck can use the same guidelines as well. However, the guidelines for the charater must be determined before the spread is laid out. That is why I gave generic guidelines (what I am using), so unless new guidelines are created those can serve as the 'default'. Whenever anyone becomes comfortable with the spread they can certainly create their own list! (And if so, please do share! )

I created the spread because I have seen many attempts to create yes/no spreads but they just answer yes or no and don't really provide any information. I thought this spread could be useful to allow the Tarot to provide an clear answer but also to provide information about the question. And just like when a person provides an answer, this spread also give the Tarot to ability to give an answer that is opposite of the right answer only to prove a point. (So, I really like your idea of a sarcastic answer olivia1! That kind of answer could be very expressive!) So the goal of the spread is not only to attain an answer per se, but to get information on the question. For example, through this spread the Tarot could say, "yeah, sure, you could do that... if you wanted to really screw things up!"

Additionally, I think it is helpful to remember that the Tarot cannot answer any question that the reader cannot possibly know themselves.

It sounds like you understand this spread quite well olivia1. However, I also get the impression you are asking a question that you (and thus the Tarot) cannot possibly know for certain the outcome of. So in the case of your spread, I get the feeling that the Tarot is answering an emphatic yes, but it is answering yes because that is what you expect or are invested in the answer being, and that you should temper your expectations. The spread could be giving you a yes, but possibly saying some of the qualifications (possibly that your timeframe is constraining the Tarot to a single day), are not reasonable for the question.

Please note: this is just my impression from your spread without even knowing your question. And I am not sure that this thread is the appropriate place to discuss an individual spread. The moderators obviously don't want the spreads forum to become a reading exchange. So I started a thread in the reading exchange forum to do readings with this spread. And I think it could be fun and educational. (Click here to view the thread in the Reading Exchange forum.) So if this issue still isn't resolved, you could ask your question there.

Hi JSNYC,
Thank you for responding to my question and for giving such an in depth and clear answer. I am happy to know that I am on the right track. I hope you don't mind I PMed but I wasn't sure where to ask my question (because it is about the reading I did, using your Yes/No~why spread) but its also about the concept and possible influencing factors.

JSNYC said:

So in the case of your spread, I get the feeling that the Tarot is answering an emphatic yes, but it is answering yes because that is what you expect or are invested in the answer being, and that you should temper your expectations.

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I definietly want the answer to be "yes" but I really expect it to be "no." However, since I realize that (technically) the odds are 50/50 the results/answer could go either way. Would that affect the answer's validity? Anyway, I didn't want to take this thread too far off topic so I included the details in my PM

"Is this spread (yes~no~why) one for me to use?"
yes position: ace of swords
no position: four of swords
why position: eight of swords

I'm not 100% sure if this is a good answer. Weak yes, need rest, feeling confined. I used the Dark Grimoire deck, late last night, if that might have any bearing on the reading.