My 9 Tarot Card Spread Experiment
Okay, so yesterday I decided to try out a nine-card tarot spread. I’d seen it mentioned a few times online, and it sounded like a pretty comprehensive way to get a look at a situation. Figured, why not give it a shot?
First thing I did was shuffle my deck. I always shuffle for a good, solid minute, trying to really focus on my question. For this reading, I was kinda vague. I just wanted some general guidance on the direction my life was heading.
Then came the spread itself. The nine-card spread is laid out in a 3×3 grid, like this:
Card 1 Card 2 Card 3
Card 4 Card 5 Card 6
Card 7 Card 8 Card 9
Each position is supposed to represent something different. I found a bunch of interpretations online, but I decided to use a spread that focused on these areas:
Card 1: You – your current state of being.
Card 2: Your Desires – what you want or hope for.
Card 3: Obstacles – what’s blocking you.
Card 4: External Influences – people or events affecting you.
Card 5: The Core – the heart of the matter.
Card 6: The Near Future – what’s coming soon.
Card 7: Hopes & Fears – your subconscious worries.
Card 8: What to do – action you can take.
Card 9: The Outcome – the likely result.
So, after shuffling and centering myself, I started drawing cards. I laid them out in the grid, one by one, trying not to peek too much before I had all nine down. The suspense was kinda killing me, haha.
Here’s what I got:
Card 1: The Hermit (reversed)
Card 2: Three of Cups
Card 3: Five of Pentacles
Card 4: Queen of Swords
Card 5: The Tower
Card 6: Six of Wands
Card 7: Ten of Swords
Card 8: Eight of Pentacles
Card 9: The Sun
Alright, time to interpret! This is where it gets interesting, and a little confusing.
The Hermit reversed in the ‘You’ position tells me that I am feeling isolated, and like I have no purpose. Which is probably true, because my life kinda sucks right now. The Three of Cups in my Desires slot indicates that I long to be with my friends again. I have been out of contact with my friends for a long time, and it shows.
The Five of Pentacles as an Obstacle is harsh. I am worried about finances and physical needs. I need to work on that, I guess.
The Queen of Swords is someone in my life, perhaps an overbearing supervisor, that I need to be aware of. The Tower in the Core position is the really scary one. Big changes, upheaval, and potentially destruction. Yikes! But, I know The Tower can also represent necessary change, so I tried to keep an open mind.
The Six of Wands in the Near Future is pretty good, I guess. Success and recognition are on the way, but I still have to get through the Tower first.
Ten of Swords in my Hopes & Fears is a lot. I fear failure. That’s not surprising, but I need to be more careful of that. I need to stop being so worried about failure and start doing things.
Eight of Pentacles for What to do is about dedicating time to a craft or practice. Alright, I can do that. This one is encouraging!
Finally, The Sun in the Outcome position is amazing! This is the card that can counterbalance all the crap in the other positions. Happiness, success, vitality, positivity. It’s saying that even though there might be tough times ahead (thanks, Tower), ultimately things will be bright.
Overall, it was a heavy reading. The Tower definitely threw me for a loop, and the Ten of Swords wasn’t exactly a picnic either. But the Sun at the end gives me hope. And the Eight of Pentacles gives me a good action item to focus on.
I will keep this one in mind and make sure I do more readings, maybe once a month, and that will hopefully give me a good way to work through some of this. We’ll see how it all plays out. I’ll definitely be keeping an eye on things.
