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

9 of Swords	4 of Coins	7 of Coins
The World	8 of Swords	Ace of Swords
10 of Wands	Temperance	Prince of Wands

 

 

 

 

Card 1: 9 of Swords

The swords look like teeth, which at any moment could bite. The hands are held up for protection. The eye wants to open, but its vision is obstructed.

The waning moon emphasises the existing fear. The sunrise is at hand. Roses promise development, joy of life and the coming forth of emotions in the near future.

 

 

 

 

Card 2: 4 of Coins

The safe symbolises the need for protection. Certain themes are referred to: money, possessions, love and relationships. The star stands for the vision, which is worth holding on to.

The blue-and-white checked-pattern portrays narrow-mindedness through misunderstood reliability. At the bottom of the picture the devil's horns and some hell-fire have found their place, illustrating dependence.

 

 

 

 

Card 3: 7 of Coins

Seven pentacles are lying on a heap of leaves which is being swept up. They look like unusable fruit. Two tears show that the sweeper is grieving over his lost harvest. The star in the background suggests that the loss is small in comparison with the high goal which is being aimed at.

 

 

 

 

Card 4: The World

The eye is the same as that on the Magician's card, but the wish to develop is not portrayed any more. The oval wreath suggests the unification of polarities, as with the Lovers, but here the unification actually takes place.

The symbols for the four elements are collected around the oval and are reconcilably united together. The blue colour of the background symbolises consciousness and clarity.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Card 5: 8 of Swords

The swords look like a cage. The eye is closed; it is looking into the inner vision; it is trying not to be aware of its own feelings. Some of the fingers are being dipped in the water; there is already contact here. The colours blue and pink show the strong contrast between understanding and emotions, which are trying clear the way for themselves.

 

 

 

 

Card 6: Ace of Swords

The sword is rising out of the water. The blue colour in the picture symbolises clarity. The three different coloured butterflies indicate different thoughts and the perception of difference. One butterfly is sitting on the tip of the sword, a symbol of decision. The halo supports the impression of clarification and purification.

 

 

 

 

Card 7: 10 of Wands

The intensity of the Nine of Wands diminishes in the Ten of Wands. The colours are paler; it seems more difficult to hold the wands together; at the same time the small flames are burning both hands, the leaves are beginning to wither.

 

 

 

 

Card 8: Temperance

The path through the underworld can be seen which eventually leads into light. The path is edged with lilies, the underworld flowers. The abstract archangel Michael is helping to find the right composition for the flow of energy, in other words is on the way through the subconscious (forgotten) to keep a minimal contact going with the conscious e.g., by transmission (documents...)

 

 

 

 

Card 9: Prince of Wands

The prince appears unexpectedly in the picture. We are slightly alarmed. He looks as though he were made of fire and he seems to be setting his surroundings on fire.

He is lifting his wand as though to fight and moves everything out of his way. But the purple vase, which he has broken in his haste, might have perhaps been useful to him. He hardly notices it; the contents are now lost. In the background a volcano is erupting and pouring its lava over the picture.