Elemental Spread

I was just looking at my Tarot Calendar and it occurred to me that it would be fun to share the monthly spread with you guys! So here goes:

THE ELEMENTAL SPREAD: 5 card reading (all quotes from the Llewellyn 2002 Tarot Calendar)

1(Fire) 2(Earth) 3(Air) 4(water)

5(spirit)

NOTE: cards 1-4 are in a line, card 5 goes between cards 2 & 3. I could not figure out how to make this post space properly.

1. "Fire indicates what business areas are likely to concern us. This position acan also depict psychic, romantic or creative endeavors."

2. "Earth indicates our financial or material situation. This position denotes values or self-esteem."

3. "Air indicates how we relate to partners, friends, and acquaintances. This position may depict what we can expect from correspondence or legal proceedings."

4. "Water indicates our emotional state of being and shows what may evoke and emotional response."

5. "Spirit represents issues that tend to be karmic in nature. It shows us the issues that help us progress along our spiritual path."

I have been getting this calendar for 3 years now, and I have kept old calendars for the collection of spreads and other info they contain. If you guys would like me to keep sharing a spread a month just let me know

Yes, please! Do share some more.

And thank you...

Yes, indeed - would definitely like that.

I love new spreads!

Thanks.

Love

doesn't it get confusing ...



if you get a swords-card in the earth position, or a cups-card in the air-position ?
I'm serious here - I could get into this sort of spread, but that possibility makes me wonder. Or should you just lay out the cards, and the first sword you draw goes onto the air-position, the first wands onto the fire position ... and the first major arcana onto the 5 ??

Wild idea, but I've heard worst. Besides, I've also like those major arcana spreads where the final card is the synthesis of the others' "numerical value".

Re: doesn't it get confusing ...

Sullanciri2002 said:

if you get a swords-card in the earth position, or a cups-card in the air-position ?
I'm serious here - I could get into this sort of spread, but that possibility makes me wonder. Or should you just lay out the cards, and the first sword you draw goes onto the air-position, the first wands onto the fire position ... and the first major arcana onto the 5 ??

Wild idea, but I've heard worst. Besides, I've also like those major arcana spreads where the final card is the synthesis of the others' "numerical value".

Click to expand...

First, ponder this: Pages are earth, Knights are Fire, Queens are Water and Kings are air* - you are already working with this paradox without even thinking about it! (* according to the 78 degrees of wisdom)

To me it is always the combinations that are interesting, not least the elemental combinations... What do you get when you combine fire and air, what's the result of water and earth put together? The elements all have their characteristics, put them together and woosshh!! you are off, off and away! on a journey with no limit. That is what makes the magic of the Tarot, and of the world, because the magic of the Tarot is really just that it reflects the world, just as it is...!

You can learn more about this way of relating the cards to each other from the 78 degrees of wisdom, and I am sure there are other books as well. Most information you will probably (as usual) get from yourself, by working with the cards. Give it time and effort and it will grow upon you!

Light and love,
Jenny *personally not there yet, but I really like the elements way of relating to the Tarot*

PS: Jewel - oh yes, please keep'em coming! I'd love that! Thanks for sharing this one!

please do not make assumptions ...

about what I am aware of or not. As a Thoth-deck user, I am all too aware of the way court cards relate to the different elements - and I have read 78DW. Neither gives that clear an answer in regard to this type of spread, so I just hoped that someone who used a specific elements-spread had a more clear explanation ... than the "it's really all in your own way of working with the cards", which seems to be the standard reply to every question these days.
Rant over - it's not "aimed" at anyone in particular.
(One of those hormonal days probably - yes, we men have those too - and don't let anyone tell you different, unless it's an endocrynologist).

Re: please do not make assumptions ...

Sullanciri2002 said:

about what I am aware of or not. As a Thoth-deck user, I am all too aware of the way court cards relate to the different elements - and I have read 78DW.

Click to expand...

Well, to me it is virtually the same thing, if a Knight of Cups can be a "Fire of Water" then what is the problem with reading an air card in an earth position? I meant it as nothing but a parallell that has helped me understand not only the courts but a lot about the Tarot as a whole, not, absolutely not, as an assumption in any direction. I apologize if that is what it seemed like, it was absolutely not my intention.

Your post makes me wonder: How would the Tarot work if there were such a thing as clear answers...? To me it actually seems like a standardized answer is what you are asking for. In my world it doesn't work that way.

Perhaps it's me being immature (heck - I'm not even 30 ) but I think Tarot is the kind of thing that works the way you MAKE IT work. It's not about "pick up a deck and do what you feel", not the way I see it. It's about developing a relation with the cards that builds on what YOU believe in. And to me that's the charm of working with the Tarot. If there WAS a manual saying do-like-this I wouldn't be interested the way I am now...

I don't take your post personally (nor did I mean to "make assumptions" with mine), but no matter how I twist and turn what you say, I can see nothing wrong in a variety of decks, approaches and symbolism... I think that's part of what makes this an enrichening and enlightning experience.

I am sorry if you misunderstood my post, I had no intention to be patronizing or anything, I was simply drawing a parallell that I found interesting and valuable. If it isn't to you, then simply disregard it.

Jenny
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Re: Re: doesn't it get confusing ...

Jenny-Li said:

First, ponder this: Pages are earth, Knights are Fire, Queens are Water and Kings are air* - you are already working with this paradox without even thinking about it! (* according to the 78 degrees of wisdom)

Click to expand...

Hmmm ... I have always related to kings as fire and knights as air ...

Sullanciri I think that is a very valid and interesting question that you brought up. I have not worked with an elemental spread (just posted the one my wall this month *LOL*). I also see a lot of validity in what Jenny-Li sees in how to work this sort of spread.

My thoughts on this is that in life we see the blending of the elements in everything. No emotion is purely "water" for example. So the way I would see getting another element within a particular elemental postition (i.e. fire in a water position), is that I am handling or dealing with an emotional issue in a fiery way (passion, creativity perhaps), or if I draw a sword maybe I am over analyzing a relationship.

The card drawn would represent my approach to a particular event that is rooted or defined by one element, but my approach, reactions, feelings and thoughts towards it are coming from the perspective of a different element. Does this make sense?

Jewel said:

Hmmm ... I have always related to kings as fire and knights as air ...

Click to expand...

Hm... I could be wrong about what Rachel Pollack says, I realize that now, but that's how I see it... But you know what? You work with Thoth-inspired Cosmic Tribe, don't you? Isn't the king more of the active one in that "system"? Perhaps that's why it's more natural for you to see them that way? The Waite-kings are very Airy to me...

Jewel said:

My thoughts on this is that in life we see the blending of the elements in everything. No emotion is purely "water" for example. So the way I would see getting another element within a particular elemental postition (i.e. fire in a water posistion), is that I am handling or dealing with an emotional issue in a fiery way (passion, creativity perhaps), or if I draw a sword maybe I am over analyzing a relationship.

The card drawn would represent my approach to a particular event that is rooted or defined by one element, but my approach, reactions, feelings and thoughts are towards it are coming from the perspective of a different element. Does this make sense?

Click to expand...

This is what I meant but I couldn't put it as nicely as you did - thanks Jewel!

Jenny

Jenny-Li said:

You work with Thoth-inspired Cosmic Tribe, don't you? Isn't the king more of the active one in that "system"? Perhaps that's why it's more natural for you to see them that way? The Waite-kings are very Airy to me...

This is what I meant but I couldn't put it as nicely as you did - thanks Jewel!

Click to expand...

Hi Jenny-Li, glad I was able to help verbalize your thoughts. That is what I thought you meant and I agree with you completly.

The CT is definetly Thoth based, and to be honest every card in that deck is active *LOL*. In the CT we have Princes and Knights like in Thoth, no Kings. The order of the courts are Prince, Princess, Knight and Queen. But I maintain my elemental correspondences alike for all decks I use, RWS or Thoth based.

I believe I learned my association of Kings with Fire, Knights with Air from Tarot for Yourself by Mary Greer, and although I read 78 DW a while back I do not remember how she related them. This will be good topic to address in our 78 DW study group when we work with court cards .

The important thing is that your system works well for you and makes sense to you as mine does to me. That could have to do with the elemental perspective by which we approach tarot