Cartomancy 101.16 – Making Decisions

The five card Cross spread is well-suited to questions involving decision making. The key to getting a clear answer is to ask a clear question. Take the example of Andrea (not her real name). She had long hankered after a certain type of job. It involved work in her area of expertize but of a more specialist kind than she was accustomed to handling. Andrea doubted whether she would even be considered for an interview and was agonizing over what she should do. The question, then, was: should she apply for this job or not? The cards that formed the spread were: –

Position 1: 9 Diamonds.  Position 2: 9 Spades.

Position 3: 4 Clubs reversed. Position 4: 8 Diamonds

Position 5: 10 Clubs

Note the presence of two cards from the suit of Diamonds and two from the suit of Clubs. They form a join majority of Diamonds and Clubs and describe the field of interest covered by the question, for the former touches on realized ambitions outside the sphere of home and family and the latter is associated with all types of advancement in a business setting.

The 9 of Diamonds in position one confirms that the question in revolves around the practical, mundane side of the inquirer’s life. Indeed, the card is wholly apposite as it denotes a new business opportunity. Its additional meanings – the possibility of travel or a change of residence and, from a psychological angle, an underlying restlessness disturbing the inquirer’s mind – we can put on the back burner while we examine the remaining cards in the reading.

Position two is held by the 9 of Spades. Although it is an unfortunate card, we must take into account the fact that if falls early on the reading and judge it in the light of what the cards in positions three, four and five have to say. As these are all positively oriented cards, the probability is that 9 of Spades refers to Andrea’s anxiety that she may not get as far as being offered an interview. In the context of the other omens in the spread, however, it is highly improbable that in this instance the 9 of Spades stands for ‘Bad luck in all things; destruction and the ruination of hopes.’

The 4 of Clubs occupies position three and when reversed it signifies success after setbacks. It is therefore a benign symbol and I advised Andrea (position three frequently refers to advice) to lay her fears aside and send off her application for this job.

A new job or at the very least a change to her job situation is promised by the 8 of Diamonds in position four, while the final card, the 10 of Clubs, forecasts success or good luck in business matters. One could predict that Andrea would either get the job she craved or that, in applying for that job, she would be giving Fate a nudge and by attracting the fickle goddess’s attention cause that august lady to smile upon her, realizing it was high time she splashed a drop or two of good luck in Andrea’s direction. My intuition told me she would secure her dream job, and so that is what I told her.

The first and last cards in the spread both reference travel. There can be times when a coincidence such as this means nothing. At other times it is most significant. Once again, my intuition said that the new job would involve a fair amount of travelling, and I shared that thought with Andrea too. She confirmed that, if she got the job, she would be visiting branches all over the country as a matter of course. If I had been in any doubt about Andrea securing the post, this information would have tipped the balance for me. As it was, my intuition had already spoken.

Two months later Andrea returned to tell me that she had got the job and had been working in her new position for a week, loving every minute. She thanked me for helping her to overcome her fears and make the decision to apply for the job. I, in turn, praised the cards and the versatile, no-nonsense five card Cross spread as an invaluable tool whenever choice lies at the heart of an inquirer’s question.