We've all become used to lying to ourselves. We dont do this consciously but most of us do it and its common psychological process. In order to avoid seeing reality as it truly is, people imagine an alternative one that is better. It is a tactic used to avoid feeling guilt and accepting responsibility or even just to hide an irrational reaction to an event. The What Are You Avoiding? Spread is designed to help the Querent to recognise the motivations behind their 'lie' so that they are better equipped to face reality.
It is rare for a Querent to specifically ask to discuss this topic. In most cases, it will be the Reader who suggests this Spread when they realise that a Querent is lying to themselves. This is most likely to happen with a regular client or someone the Reader knows well. It may also, more rarely, come up as a factor in discussion with a new Querent before a reading. This Spread can also simply be a fresh way of doing a reading. In this last case, it is recommended that both the Reader adn Querent take the reading lightly, without expecting it to reveal highly complex unconscious dynamics.
The Stories We Tell Ourselves
People are pretty good at telling themselves stories. They can even convince themselves that they are so real that they focus all their energy and attention on them. HOwever, in time, reality and the real issue that needs to be faced will break through and torment their conscience. As they're convinced that the story they invented is true, it can be very hard to accept reality.
This Spread helps the Wuerent to become aware of the real story and understand why it is preferable to the one they have invented. It also reveals the true issues that they are experiencing, as well as showing how they imagine the story might end and the likely outcome.
All this information can help the Querent to face their underlying issues and continue on their journey in a more advantageous fashion. While helping the Querent to change the way they see things, the Reader can also explore their unconscious motivations and offer solutions.
Preparation
The Reader and Querent take turns to shuffle the deck. The former draws the cards from the top of the deck and lays them out in the correct positions for the Spread. The first, second, fourth and fifth cards are laid out facing upwards, while the third, sixth and seventh are placed facing down.
Reading and Interpreting
The Reader interprets the cards in each position, bearing in mind the respective significance of these positions.
First of all, they should interpret the first and second cards. Before turning over and interpreting the third card, the Reader should ask the Querent, 'What do you think the outcome of the story might be?' Then the fourth and fifth cards are interpreted. Before revealing and interpreting the sixth card, the Reader should again ask the Querent, 'What do you think the outcome of the story might be?' After interpreting the first six cards, it is time for the seventh, but again, the Reader should first ask the question, 'What do you think the outcome of the story might be?' After interpreting all of the cards, the Reader summarises the whole reading in one go in a synthesis that will help the Querent.
The Story - This card represents the fantasy that the Querent has invented in their life. It could be a symptom of the problem they do have but not the problem itself. The Reader should encourage the Querent to find a parallel between their own beliefs about an issue, situation or event and the interpretation of this card.
Why They Prefer It - This card represents the reason why they invented the story in the first place. Its interpretation helps them to understand if the story is a symptom of a deeper problem, an unimportant escape from reality or an exaggeration motivated by the impulse to dramatise events (an attitude that can lead people to see problems where there are none).
The Imagined Outcome - This card represents what the Querent imagines will happen. In other words, it is the outcome to the situation that would happen if it were really as they imagined. In some ways, this card tends to represent what the Querent would like to happen in reality. It is important to compare this card with the next outcome card, that is the card placed in position number 6.
The Reality - This card represents what the Querent is avoiding. In essence, it is the crux of the problem. By comparing this card ith card number 1 and highlighting the differences, you can obtain a very precise idea of what the Querent is trying to avoid. It is important to be especially careful to interpret the card with tact.
Why Are They Avoiding It - This card represents the reason why the Querent is avoiding reality. This enables the Reader to identify the source of their fears and the aspects that worry them the most. The card also needs to be interpreted considering the Querent's feelings.
The Imagined Outcome - This card represents what the Querent imagines will happen. In other words, it is how the situation could end in the Querent's opinion, once they have accepted the truth. As the Querent doesn't want to see this solution, it is very likely that it is unpleasant or negative from them in some way.
The Likely Outcome - This care represents the likely result of the situation. Generally, it is not the worst-case scenario. It could be an unpleasant event, or on the contrary, something unexpectedly good, but it is not usually as bad as the Querent imagines. This card is used to help the QUerent see the truth, showing them a solution that does not force them to lie to themselves or be influenced by fear and insecurities.
Synthesis
People tell themselves stories or convince themselves of something that is not real in order to avoid difficult and delicate situations. Their psyche is avoiding the truth for a specific reason and they might even resort to this strategy for prolonged periods of time.
However, the time will come when they need to face the truth and this is when the Reder should intervene skillfully and tactfully. When comparing the 'story' with the 'reality', it is important to work out what type of link connects them. These two cards in fact refer to the same thing, but examined from two different angles: the perspective of the 'story' feels forced and unnatural, while the 'reality' is more balanced.
Another two cards to compare are 'Why they prefer it' and ' Why they are avoiding it'. Could these two sides of the same coin? Are they basically the same thing and the only difference is the degree of intensity? Do they seem to be unrelated to each other? Usually, the first card indicates a nice situation that the Querent wants to experience, while the second indicates a danger they want to escape.
However, the opposite can occur. For example, an insecure Querent might choose a negative view of events, even if this makes them feel worse. The Reader must then turn their attention to the two cards that represent the imagined outcome of the story. In this case, they should consider how the cards differ from each other and what they have in common. These two cards can help the Querent to reflect on whether it is really necessary to lie to themselves or if it would be better to accept a truer version of the facts. To help the Querent see the problem, the Reader can play with the position of the cards. For example, they could try to see what happens when they swap these two cards, asking the Querent what they think of this new sequence.
Finally, it is important to compare the last card with cards 3 and 6. It is likely that the outcome of the 'story' and the outcome of the 'reality' are extreme opposites of this final card. As often happens, the truth can be found in the middle. Before turning each outcome card over, the reader asked the Querent: 'What do you think the outcome of the story might be?' This question helps the Querent to see the story as the result of their unconscious mind and not the true reality. It helps them to open their mind and be receptive to the interpretation of each of the outcome cards.
Dealing With Avoidance
Take Advantage of the Unspoken
A Querent may not ask the question that lies deep in their heart either because of unconscious reasons or out of shyness or embarrassment
A Querent who asks, 'Is my boyfriend cheating on me?' has probably discovered or strongly suspects betrayal.
A Querent who asks, 'Is this a good time to look for a new job?' is likely to be having a hard time at their current place of employment. A reading aimed at overcoming this frustration is likely to be what they really need.
A Querent who asks, 'How can I help things go more smoothly in my life?' may in fact need to address a past issue that is preventing them from moving forwards.
A conflict that emerges between the question asked and the answer offered by the Tarot is best handled by a deep analysis of the situation. In addition to going to the heart of the problem, an in-depth analysis may include aspects of the situation not considered because of the limitations of one's point of view.
The What Are You Avoiding? Spread is an ideal way to explore such issues.
The Elephant and the Cat in the Room
A Tarot Reader who is working with a client with an obvious unspoken issue may find themselves confronted with a huge 'elephant' in the room. The elephant in this instance is a major issue that the Querent is avoiding or a problem they are completely unaware of in their conscious mind.
For example, it may be obvious the Querent is in love with someone they refer to as 'just a friend'. Perhaps, they blame a partner for a mistake that they themselves have made.
At times, however, it is better for the Reader to side-step and overlook the obvious elephant and focus instead on the 'cat. The cat represents a smaller, more manageable topic relating to the main elephant issue.
Working in this way, the Reader may take a gentler and less forceful approach that does not trigger guilt, confusion or any other common defence mechanisms.
Our Lives as Stories
Stories can entertain, teach and inspire us. They are at the connective thread of the human experience. At its heart, Tarot reading i a form of oral storytelling. You will discover that is almost impossible to read the cards without constructing a narrative around what you see in them.
The human brain is hardwired to respond to the narrative structure, so it is not surprising that Tarot and storytelling are so strongly linked. Humans are inclined to filter and understand the events of their lives using a storytelling format. Every individual is a storyteller, whether they choose to view themselves as one or not.
Tarot can be helpful to the Reader because it helps them understand past events in their own lives, as well as those of their Querents, in a new light. Fiction, films, theatre and TV dramas show us possibilities we might never have imagined on our own. Often, stories help to shed light on our past and led us to view personal
Before trying the Storytelling Spread for the first time, think back to when you were a child. Try to tap into that childish world of wonder and imagination. Remember that telling stories and listening to them is a universal experience. It goes beyond learning - it is sharing, weaving something wonderful and powerful,, but at the same time humble and real.
Aspiring writers looking for new ideas can gain a lot of inspiration and ideas from doing readings for themselves using the Storytelling Spread.
Who know what direction your story will take you?
Key Information
Number of Cards: Seven
Cards Used: Major and Minor Arcana
Objective: To help the Querent identify the real problem and understand how they have avoided facing it.
Layout: Six cards are laid out in two vertical columns of three cards and a final card is placed horizontally at the top.
Example Reading
The Hero
Nine of Wands
The Nine of Wands is the Hero
The story this card tells starts, 'Once upon a time, there was a young Queen who had just received an important message...'
The Reader can expand on this story, giving the Queen and her kingdom names and explaining why the Queen was outside her palace and how the message got to her. The Reader can add elements to help the audience to identify with the hero, such as inventing their past or describing them physically.
The Wish
Ten of Wands
The Ten of Swords is the Wish
'The message the Queen received informed her that a Prince had found a precious sword she had lost years earlier...'
Perhaps the Reader could invent a story that the sword was cracked and only now has a faraway prince managed to reforge it. It is up to the Reader to choose their own ideas, imagining, for example, that the Prince had forged the sword with his own tears, making it a pure weapon devoted to justice.
The Obstacle
XII The Hanged Man
The Hanged Man is the Obstacle
'Unfortunately, the messenger tasked with returning the sword to the Queen fell off a tower and the sword was lost once again...'
Expanding the story, the Reader might explore why the messenger had climbed the tower in the first place. They could explain that this messenger planned to pretend to be the prince and ask for the Queen's hand in marriage. However, the sword jumped out of his hands making him fall.
The Challenge
Ten of Pentacles
The Ten of Pentacles is the Challenge
'The Queen hired a soldier to go and look for the sword...'
If they wish, the Reader could expand on this story by imagining that it was the Prince himself who came to the Queen in disguise as a soldier, to offer to retrieve the sword. In the course of his quest to find the weapon, he proves his loyalty and bravery to the Queen.
The Solution
Three of Cups
The Three of Cups is the Solution
'Eventually, the Prince found the sword and returned it to the Queen, who rewarded him generously for his efforts.'
The Reader could embellish the story by describing how the Prince revealed his true identity to the Queen, who thought he was dead, and they lived happily ever after. At least until the next story...