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 Mountain |
The Owls |
The Rods |
The Ship |
The Star |
The Book |
The Woman |
The Sun |
The Cloud |
Card 1: 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 2: The Owls
Meditation, fantasy, further education, also two older people, perhaps a couple. Butterflies and nervous excitement. The Owls may indicate social fear and subsequent flight.
Card 3: 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 4: 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 5: The Star
The universe and the laws that govern it, the state of life and existence, spiritual aspirations, the melancholy of dreams, eternity, universal consciousness, a spirit guide. The Star signifies success and the attainment of your goals. It reaffirms that you are on the right path and can move forward with confidence.
Card 6: The Book
Realm of Water
The book keeps all the knowledge and consciousness inside. All this is present but not obvious or open. It means unconsciousness (dark colours and violet). It´s the opposite of the snake.
Wisdom, the Book of Life, facts, things are in good standing, learning, and the symbol of the teacher. The Book may represent a secret of great importance. This secret should be diligently sought after with an open mind, or you will gloss right over it.
Card 7: The Woman
The Woman represents you if you are a woman. All cards in your spread are interpreted by their distance to this card.
If you are a man this card represents a strong woman with good intent who will have a positive influence on you: a friend, wife, significant other, girlfriend, love. Could also indicate intuition, passiveness, instinct, or patience.
Card 8: The Sun
Realm of Fire
This is the highest energy. Everything is free, on a new way, will get a new form soon. This is inspirational energy, what we for example feel when highly motivated start a new project. At this point we can ask ourself what energy actually is.
Creation, brilliance, success, heat, positivity, happiness, will-power, aura, the absolute, the centre of attention. The Sun suggests great honours.
Card 9: The Cloud
Everywhere in the air there are tiniest particles of water. We can't see them. But if it cools down these particles assemble and the haze condenses. So, we never have 100% clear air. The cloud shows how our plans and thoughts begin to materialise or the other way how material things hinder the clearness.
Doubts, secret fears, worries, and weakness. A negative period of time on the horizon. It is suggested that you use this period of down time to your advantage by contemplating your situation and meditating on possible ways to fix the issues that may have caused the problem.
