Comic Strip Spread

Difficulty: Easy
Note: This spread works best with decks like the Diary of a Broken Soul or Surrealist Tarot because they display scenes rather than pips and do not use reversals.
The Comic Strip Spread is a simple nine-card chronological spread that looks like a page of a comic book. This method should be used to get a glimpse of the future as it would pan out naturally. It may be insightful to use this spread in coordination with biorhythms. The spread is easy to read as a storyboard, just like a comic strip.
The main subject is apparent in the first card, while the story plays out through the following tarot cards.
It is important to pay particular attention to the cards and the relationships with their neighbours. Notice which directions the cards are facing, and how they interact.
Your Comic Strip Reading
The Key![]() |
The Crucifix![]() |
The Anchor![]() |
The Bear![]() |
The Fox![]() |
The Mountain![]() |
The Ship![]() |
The Rods![]() |
The Death![]() |
Card 1: The Key
Understanding, truth, knowledge, advice, probabilities, and possibilities. The Key means that you have what it takes to move on to another level.
Card 2: The Crucifix
Symbol of fate, karma, guilt, knowledge, belief, tests, sacrifice, grand endings, tough love, and hard lessons. The Crucifix indicates that you may have to make a considerable sacrifice.
Card 3: The Anchor
Lifestyle, foundation, roots, gravity, and security in work or relationships. The Anchor indicates a firm base of success and profit from your endeavours. Now is a good time to aggressively work towards your goals.
Card 4: The Bear
Power, great strength, protection, spiritual energy, fame, a foundation of truth – but possibly jealousy, envy, and through these, tremendous wrath. The Bear is a very powerful sign, but be wary of the potential for excessive force.
Card 5: The Fox
Deviousness, plotting, hypocrisy, lies, a warning that something is not what it seems, worldly logic, temptations, trickery. When facing away from the affected card, it means absolute honesty and survival instincts.
Card 6: The Mountain
Obstacles, danger, frustration, roadblocks, coldness, and hard work. The Mountain indicates a difficult challenge that will most likely isolate you from friends and enemies alike.
Card 7: The Ship
The Ship is a 'child of the earth'. It's made from wood, but it dares to cross the water. This is a very risky journey. But the enormous size of the hull provides as much safety as possible.
On a spiritual level, the Ship symbolises desire, hope, dreams, spiritual growth, exploration, and expansion. On a material level the Ship indicates incoming wealth and material gain. However, it may indicate loss, depending on neighbouring cards. You may be making a trip soon.
Card 8: The Rods
The Rods represent family quarrels, arguments, heated debate, domestic trouble, strife, cleansing by fire, consequences, and the number two and duality. This card indicates the need to make some significant changes in your domestic situation.
Card 9: The Death
You see a wreath, as we use at a burial. In the area of air thinking comes to an end, and the Ring(25) is gonna be split of in the four elements again.
Transformation, adaptation, major changes, secrets uncovered, beginnings, and endings. The Death foretells that something will be coming to an end, which means you will need to adapt.