The Gill Layout (10 cards)
This spread is from booklet that comes with the Gill Tarot deck.
----1---
3 ----- 2
5 ------4
--- 6----
8 ------7
---9----
---10----
In this spread, you begin with card 10, and read backwards to card one. "By working back from 10 to 1, you are travelling from the external, physical self to the depths of the psyche."
Card 10: "You at present, within your physical body and external circumstances. The traditional virtue of the tenth position is discrimination; the vice is greed or avarice."
Card 9: "represents the subconscious and shows what lies behind the situation--what is not immediately obvious. Expect hidden motivations, deeply buried worries. The virtue is independence; the vice is idleness."
Card 8: "is the position of the mental functions, communication, learning, mental agility. The card in this position will indicate what is affecting your mind most strongly at the time, or the way in which you use your mind. Truth is the virtue; dishonesty is the vice."
Card 7: "is the seat of the emotional or desire nature. Paired as it is with number 8, the mind sphere on the Tree of Life, it shows that much rationalization and false reasoning can be the mind's attempt to adjust to the driving force of the emotional nature. The virtue is unselfishness; the vice is lust."
Card 6: "is the heart center....Its virtue is devotion; its vice is pride."
Card 5: "will show from which direction or in which way the revolutionary part of the self operates. It does not have to be a violent or destructive element, as habitually busy people may need to calm down in order to face themselves and change direction, but it is traditionally associated with fear, as we all feel most comfortable behaving in a familiar way. It can also indicate a previously unrealized behavior pattern which is operating in a destructive way in the enquirer's life. Its virtue is energy or courage; its vice is cruelty or destruction."
Card 4: "can be seen as your center of stability, how you 'rule your own kingdom," the four-square base from which you operate. It can also indicate where you 'stick,' too comfortable or complacent to move forward. Its virtue is obedience to higher guidance; its vices are bigotry, hypocrisy and gluttony."
Card 3: "is the sphere of the feminine principle. The card here can relate closely to the actual relationship that the querent has with his or her mother, and the way in which this is now affecting him/her. The feminine pattern infuses everything we believe we are and how we experience the world. As this is a situation into which we are born, one could say it is one of the
basic formations of our life journey. The virtue is silence; the vice is avarice."
Card 2: "relates to the masculine, outward moving side of the self. This can relate to the actual father of the querent...However, as the mother sphere is the first sphere of limitation or formation, the father sphere represents a
condition before the limitations of form, and is therefore associated with...the querent's spiritual aspirations. It can also indicate what you worship or aim for on other levels. There is no vice for this sphere; the virtue is devotion."
Card 1: "is the alpha and omega, the beginning and the ending. In the layout it indicates the root cause and gives the pattern to the reading. Its virtue is completion; there is no vice."
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You may also like this spread that I found at
http://www.spiritualguidancetarot.com/treeoflife.html
Christin's Tree of Life Tarot Spread (9 Cards)
This spread is based on the Kaballah and Tree of Life.
"It shows life cycle patterns, highlights the wisdom we accrue and take with us on our path, and inspires us to use our unique talents to better ourselves and the world around us. It also highlights the often much-needed discipline category, showing us areas where we may need to better assert ourselves to overcome life challenges."
While the site did not provide a layout for the cards, but I think that the layout given for the Gill Spread would work out fine.
Position 1: Crown : this represents the crown chakra, and your soul connection to creator/Divine. It can indicate the archetype you are most closely aligned with at present, and depicts you and your life path in it's Divine sense... your higher self connection...
Position 2: Contemplation. This position indicates what you need to look at objectively, coming to the place where we free ourselves from emotion, mind chatter etc. and get in touch with the heart of the matter, the deeper meaning...
Position 3: Activation This is the position that speaks of the action behind the vision, the process of getting things going. It helps answer the question "What do I want out of the current situation?, what is possible to accomplish?"...
Position 4: Wisdom. The deeper lessons behind your current experiences are indicated here. The qualities represented here become the mark of your character, what you develop that strengthens you and can inspire others.
Position 5: Discipline This position represents areas where we may need to "knuckle down" the place where we have to assert ourselves to master the qualities/situations the card refers to.
Position 6: Heart, This represents the realms of feeling, compassion, empathy and the like that connect your heart to the Universe and those around you. It represents your sense of what you feel your "mission" is here, your conscience and your highest desires...
Position 7: Cycles: This card speaks of repetitive behaviors, patterns, events that manifest in your life. These tend to be the lessons that we repeat until we "graduate" from them. This card is a great personal empowerment card because it can reflect challenges, but can also reflect the positives , the achievements that will repeat in our lives as well.
Position 8: Waking Up... This position speaks of what forces us to confront false beliefs and denial. We are made to see and take accountability for areas where we may have uninformed opinions, double standards, and all those other pesky life lessons we don't like to see
... it's an empowering objective position.
Position 9: Safety Net. This card represents self-protection methods, things that you do to shield yourself from pain. This can represent qualities also that would be good for you to develop/master in an effort to make yourself stronger.
