Instructions for Interpretation of The Heart Spread Tarot Read

by David Sky

I created this for not only love relationships but literally any relationship with the basis being a comparison in the first six cards of one to the other, the #1 position to the #2 position, #3 to #4 and #5 to #6 so something very simple and very uniform so that with the #1 always the querent, the #2 position can vary creatively with my most used secondary to a romantic love relationship in this #2 position of an existing partner (Couples) or potential partner (Singles) my most often used, is here the Higher Self creating a spiritual reading examining the ongoing relationship with the querent´s Higher self or with their alignment with a spiritual path and this allows a great deal of creativity in interpretation. Another one I like is with the querent´s pet. This can also be in relationship to the querent´s job or career, their school or education, a friendship or even friendships in general or to children. I have not done it in a while but I have used it to find the querent´s ancestral angel in the #2 position and even once in a forensic reading to help solve a suicide that was years old and always unresolved in the mind of the querent with the victim´s lover being the primary potential suspect in an unresolved case.

The #1 and #2 cards are a baseline meant mostly to express the present state of the querent such that just with these two cards alone, a real dynamic can be ascertained, I feel, just to enter the reading. The querent and The Other gives an emphasis upon each one as a whole and separate from the relationship at hand or potential relationship at hand. I feel that discussing the #1 energy first particularly in Youtube readings that this gives the listener an up front way to gauge whether or not the reading is resonating with them right out of the shoot so that they do not have to waste time with the rest of the reading if this does not immediately relate to them, which I assume they would know. I do this out of respect for everyone´s time having watched a lot of tarot in my life and knowing for myself that I do not have time to listen to tarot all day long. Also, and importantly for interpretation, this I have found really takes on meaning when then #1, the querent´s energy, is compared to the #3 card showing the querent´s energy as it solely relates then to the person or thing represented by the #2 card. Similarly then, #2 compared to #4, that energy of The Other in how they or it specifically relates to the querent then again gives levels of insight into how these two are relating one to the other now with merely four cards.

Much can be said of just #1 to #2 perhaps we see the querent coming from a place of carrying in emotional baggage to the relationship or of The Other doing so with say an eight of cups or three or swords, for instance compares to the other coming in with something like a King or Emperor or even nine of pentacles, say, this can show a relationship that from the outset is unbalanced with one strong one and one weak one, just to say for simplification. You may see someone come in, for example, with a five of pentacles energy then when in relationship to the other they show up as an eight of wands or six of wands say and you can see that this person is buoyed by the other and then consider this as you proceed. It is best if at each point in these first six that these tic for tats, back and forth, somehow match energetically but in how so exactly they do not match, say, comes the nuances of interpretation that the readings can engender.

Then the energy of how they or the other then relates specifically now in relationship with the #3 and #4 cards expands upon that by comparison not only of the #3 and #4 cards one to the other but how these then relate to the initial energy of the #1 and #2 cards such that with only these four cards much can be ascertained, I feel regarding the nature of this relationship. Clarification at any point can further illuminate and is encouraged when necessary and some naturally find clarification cards more helpful than others but I would say that in general beginners should feel free to use clarifiers whenever they are not clear as they go along and just consider that this is literally the value of clarifying cards.

The #5 and #6 cards then slip into along with the #7 card the three cards in this reading that are, “Advice from Spirit” positions with #5 relating very much to # 2 above but also to #1 and the #6 relating very much to #3 above but also to #2. #5 is advice for the querent in the relationship with The Other and #6 advice for The Other in the relationship with the querent. #5 is then compared to #6 in the last of the three comparisons of the querent ot the other and that relationship of these two is considered then by #5´s relationship especially to the card above and then likewise with #6 so this third layer now with six cards in play all in my mind also relating to the energy seen in astrology with a synastry chart showing this dynamic play of the energy one to another.

The #7 card to me is often the most important or key card in the reading and one may want to sort of conceive of or interpret the reading almost around this card even more so than the outcome card, #8. It is important in interpretation, I feel, to mince that often subtle difference between the #5 and #6 advice for the one with the other and look at this #7 as advice then for the both of them so this can be quite different and give layers of insight with often the #5 and #6 dealing with personal growth of the one or the other and then #7 coming in showing just how so the personal energy must or might best be combined and or compromised and or integrated in some manner/s. The #7 and #8 cards I see more in terms of astrology as the composite chart which is the chart that shows the two combined using midpoints from each such that it resembles a personal chart and is said to represent the relationship after it matures and comes together. An analogy that I like best is of synastry and think of the #1 through #6 cards is a cake being made with all the ingredients being combined and then the composite and think of the #7 and #8 cards as being the cake after it is baked and comes out of the oven.

The #8 and Outcome sort of speaks for itself but from a lot of experience with this spread I can say that the interpretation of the outcome card should be heavily dependent upon particular the #7 advice for the relationship as a whole but also along with the entire reading so, in other words, if the outcome is the three of sword or the four of wands, that does not necessarily immediately equate to a failed relationship or a marriage and if you watch some of my readings, not the first ones LOL but any of the more recent ones, I think you can quickly get a sense of how subtle this spread can be.

I hope this is clear and helpful to anyone who might want to use the spread and welcome feedback from those who do.