Card Spreads

Note:  Before doing a card placement, fully shuffle the deck  to dissipate any biases that remain in the deck after the previous placement.

Essentia Sequence1)  Atom Sequence Spread (Beginning) - Shuffle the cards while thinking of something you wish to know more about. With that idea in mind, cut the cards and place a card on each element following the Atom Sequence.  Once all the cards are placed, contemplate and interpret the meaning of each card in the context of the element it is on.  Then contemplate the meaning of the entire placement and what it is telling you about your original idea.  You can do this alone, or with a partner who will either hear your interpretation or tell you their interpretation of the spread.

2)  Mandala Spread - Go thru the deck and pull out cards that seem the most significant to you.  From these, select between 7 and 23 cards for building your mandala.  Place a card on each element, and between the elements if desired, changing any of the placements and cards until you have a final mandala you're satisfied with.  Contemplate the overall spread and recognize the thoughts and feeling you are having.  You can do this alone, or with a partner. Both of you will benefit when you share and discuss the mandala, and what it means to each of you.

3)  Centering Spread - Search thru the deck and pick one card to focus all your attention on.  Place it on the Essentia element at the center of the spread.  Choose cards from the deck that promote and expand the concept of the central card, and together reinforce its meaning.  Place six selected cards on the remaining elements so that you have a good representation of what the central card means to you.  Using the deck, make any changes to the spread so that you feel it is balanced and well integrated throughout its entirety.  Contemplate how the concepts and relationships of the spread work together to strengthen and actualize the central concept, and be aware of what you can do to promote your own well-being and stability.

4)  Focused Meditation Spread - Pick a card from the deck to meditate on and place it on an element to define the context of the meditation.  Contemplate what the card and its placement is telling you.

5)  Divination Spread - While shuffling the cards, focus your thoughts on something you would like to understand or experience.  When you feel the cards are well shuffled, and you have formed a question to ask in your mind, cut them once while thinking of the question and place the cards on the table.  Place one card face down on each element in any order you feel is right.  Following the Atom sequence, turn the cards over one at a time and interpret how it relates to your question.  Once all cards are face up, describe what the cards have revealed about the question.  You can do this alone or with another person.  With two people, one  person will ask a question and place the cards, and the other person will turn over the cards and give the reading.

6)  Discovery Spread - This spread is designed to help two people better understand each other and the world they share.  The first person (the Composer) builds a symbolic representation of an idea by placing cards on the spread cloth and the second person (the Interpreter) describes the idea that the spread represents.  Each card is chosen and placed on an element (or link) using any method that seems best for constructing a representation of the idea.  After the cards are placed, The Interpreter then examines the spread and describes what they believe this idea is.  After hearing the interpretation, the Composer tells the Interpreter what the idea is.  Either person can make comments at any time, and are both welcome to follow up with a discussion if they would like to.

7)  Partner Collaboration Spread - Two people together share in placing cards on the elements in whatever way they decide.  They collaborate to build a spread which satisfies both of them and contains a meaning that resonates with each individual.  Once the spread is finished, both people discuss what the spread means and anything else that they feel is important.  The objective is for each person to better understand their partner, the meanings of the cards, and to explore new ideas.

Past-Present-Future8)  Three Card Spread - This spread explores what can happen over time.  This can be a fate that lies ahead as determined by fortune, or a chosen destiny and what will help you to reach it.  For the divinatory reading, shuffle the cards, cut them once and place one card on Cosmos, Essentia and Potential.  Interpret the meaning of the spread and the fate it leads to.  For the planning reading, select a card to define the past situation, and a card to define the desired future outcome.  Choose a Present card that will make the outcome possible.

Essentia Sequence9)  Expanding Consciousness Spread - Relax, clear your mind, and meditate on the primal energy of life that arises in the material world.  Think of how this energy empowers all living beings and allows them to thrive.  Contemplate the numerous opportunities that allow all living beings to expand their consciousness and reach their highest potential.  Following the Atom sequence, select a card for each element that best embodies this energy at that stage of the sequence.  Create a progression that shows an expansion of this energy from one element to the next that leads to a greater level of awareness and understanding, a sense of connection to a higher power, and an appreciation of the unity of all things.

10)  Ideal Self Spread - In this spread you will construct a representation of the ideal self that you would like to become and maintain.  This is who you wish to be, what you want in life, what is most important to you, your ideal relationship with others, how you would like others to think of you.  You can use any method to select cards in the deck and construct the spread, and you can use any of elements and links on the Atom spread cloth.  Create a representation of the person that would like to be, and a clear reflection of your ideals, beliefs and aspirations, so that you have it to contemplate and use as a guide.

11)  Self-Other-World Spread - A spread using the Self, Other and Potential elements to explore interpersonal relationships and how this relationship dynamic relates to, and is influenced by,  the overall world.  Place cards on Self and Other to represent each individual.  Place a card on Potential to represent the larger independent world that is directly influencing the two individuals, and what is possible.

12)  Emotion-Intellect-Body Spread - A spread that uses the Emotion, Intellect, and Cosmos elements to explore how consciousness is created by, and influenced through, our physical existence.  Our bodies are the direct connection to life, society, and all that exists, and it's through our bodies that we experience everything that is real.  Place cards on these three elements to explore how thoughts and feeling emerge from our body, how our body determine our reality.

13)  Earth-Sky Spread - For this spread, the Emotion, Intellect and Potential elements represent the spiritual realm.  The Self, Other and Cosmos elements represent the material realm.  Place cards on these elements to explore the relationships between the two realms.

Feel free to devise your own method for using the cards.  They are a tool with many uses, and this booklet only describes a few of them.