Getting Started with the 9 Card Spread
Alright, so today I wanted to walk through how I actually do my 9 Arcana Tarot spread. It’s something I’ve been doing for a while now, found it pretty useful for getting a broader picture without getting totally overwhelmed like with some bigger spreads.
First things first, I gotta set the mood, right? Nothing fancy, honestly. I just find a quiet spot, usually my desk after tidying up a bit. Maybe light some incense if I feel like it, depends on the day. Grabbed my go-to deck – the one that feels right at the moment. Sometimes it’s an old beat-up one, sometimes a newer one. Today it was my trusty Rider-Waite.
Then, I take a few deep breaths. Seriously, don’t skip this. Just gotta clear the head noise. I think about what I want clarity on. It’s not always a super specific question. Sometimes it’s just like, “Okay, what’s the energy around this project I’m working on?” or “What do I need to be aware of this week?”. Just holding that intention in my mind.
Shuffling and Laying Out
Next up is the shuffling. I shuffle probably way longer than most people. Just keep going until it feels right, you know? No strict rules, just mixing them up good. Sometimes I cut the deck into three piles and restack them, sometimes not. Today I just did a simple cut.
Okay, so for the 9 Arcana layout, I pull nine cards off the top. I lay them out in a simple grid, three rows of three cards each. Like this:
- Card 1, Card 2, Card 3
- Card 4, Card 5, Card 6
- Card 7, Card 8, Card 9
I just place them face down first, one by one, left to right, top to bottom. Take another breath before flipping them over. Then I turn them all face up in the order I laid them down.
Making Sense of It All
Now the main part – looking at the cards. I don’t immediately try to force meanings. I just look at them all together first. Get a feel for the overall vibe. Lots of Cups? Maybe emotions are high. Lots of Swords? Could be conflict or mental stuff. Today was a real mix, actually.
Then I start going through them, usually row by row. What’s the first card saying? How does it connect to the second and third? I think about the pictures, the gut feeling I get. That Five of Swords popped up in the middle row – ugh, never my favorite, always signals a bit of tension or loss somewhere. But it was next to the Temperance card, which kinda softened it, felt like a call for balance amidst the struggle.
I look for connections. Does a theme repeat? Are the court cards looking at each other? Stuff like that. The bottom row often feels like the outcome or the underlying foundation for me. Today it had The Star, which felt hopeful after seeing that Five of Swords earlier. It’s like putting pieces of a puzzle together.
Wrapping Up and Recording
After I’ve gone through all the cards and how they might relate, I try to find the main message. What’s the core story here? Not predicting the future like a crystal ball, more like understanding the dynamics at play. What advice is hiding in there?
Super important: I always jot things down. I have a dedicated notebook. I write the date, my question or intention (if I had one), the cards I pulled, and my initial thoughts. Just bullet points usually, nothing too formal. It’s amazing how helpful it is to look back on these later. Sometimes the meaning becomes clearer days or weeks after the reading.
So yeah, that’s pretty much my process for the 9 Arcana spread. It’s a practice, always evolving. Sometimes it’s super clear, other times it leaves me scratching my head for a bit. But it’s always a good way to check in with myself.
