Alright folks, gather ’round. Decided to dive deep into this 7-card spread thing today. Always saw others doing fancy layouts, figured I should finally wrestle this beast myself. Total rookie move, expecting magic? Yeah, no. More like stumbling in the dark.
The Gear & The Blind Leap
Dragged out my trusty old Rider-Waite deck – the one with corners worn down to the cardboard. Cleared off the kitchen table. Tried to get that peaceful vibe going… lasted about thirty seconds before the neighbor started mowing. Whatever. Took a deep breath, shoved the questions swirling in my head down (“Is this stupid?”, “Am I doing this right?” at the forefront), and just started shuffling. Thick old cards slapping against each other, felt kinda good. Focused? Hardly. Mostly just hoped I wouldn’t drop the whole pile.
Throwing Down the Seven
Here’s where it got real. No diagram, just a dim memory from some blog post ages ago. Slapped the first card down center-right: “The Fool“. Okay, beginnings, innocence. Cool. Card two went left: “The Tower“. My eyebrow definitely went up. Foundations crumbling? Yikes. Forced myself to keep placing them clockwise:
- Position 3 (Upper Left): The Hierophant Tradition? Rules? Felt contradictory to the Tower mess.
- Position 4 (Top Center): Seven of Swords Sneaky stuff? Deception? Started sweating a little.
- Position 5 (Upper Right): Knight of Wands Action! Fire! Finally something not terrifying.
- Position 6 (Right): Four of Cups Boredom? Disinterest? Slumped a bit.
- Position 7 (Front Center/Aim): The Sun Phew! Success! Joy! Needed that light at the end.
Stared at the messy pattern on my cheap tablecloth. “Well,” I muttered to the empty kitchen, “This looks… complicated.”
Playing Detective with Pictures
Grabbed my dog-eared notebook – the one stained with coffee rings. Started scribbling furiously:
- Card 1 (What covers you?): The Fool Okay, starting fresh? Maybe feeling naive about whatever I asked? Probably spot on.
- Card 2 (What crosses you?): The Tower Big ol’ obstacle. Something breaking down? Resistance? Felt huge. Maybe my own doubt?
- Card 3 (Foundation/Past): The Hierophant Old rules? Established beliefs holding me back? Trying to fit into a box? Hmm.
- Card 4 (Distant Past/Passing Influence): Seven of Swords Sneaky business? Avoiding something? Or maybe cutting losses? Brain started hurting.
- Card 5 (What crowns you?): Knight of Wands Ambition! Drive! Energy wanting to burst out! Hell yeah!
- Card 6 (Near Future): Four of Cups Feeling blah? Missing opportunities? Yeah, that tracks when I’m overthinking.
- Card 7 (Where it’s heading/Aim): The Sun Clear success! Positivity! Warmth! Felt like the deck was yelling “Chill out, it’ll be fine!” Needed that hug.
Honestly? Trying to jam The Tower + The Hierophant + Seven of Swords together made my brain feel like scrambled eggs. How do sneaky swords fit with crumbling towers and old rules? Played the world’s worst puzzle solver for a solid hour.
The “Ah-Huh?” Moment (Sort Of)
Leaned back, chair groaning. That Knight of Wands blasting towards The Sun… that felt powerful. Like raw energy pushing through the messy rubble of the Tower and the weirdness of the Hierophant/Seven combo. The boredom of the Cups? Maybe a warning not to stall when the energy hits. All that crap might be in the way, confusing things (Seven of Swords vibes), or old structures breaking down (Tower), but pure drive (Knight) leads to pure light (Sun). Didn’t nail every nuance – not by a long shot – but that surge towards the positive felt like the core pulse.
Wrap Up: Still Standing
So yeah. Did I become a 7-card master? Absolutely not. Lost the plot a dozen times. But pushing through the confusion, laying them out like that, forcing myself to stare at the clashing pictures… it pulled something loose. It’s messy. It’s a conversation starter with yourself, not an instruction manual. Requires sitting in the uncomfortable spots – like trying to understand why sneaky swords and crumbling towers show up together. Gotta respect the layout. Wore me out, but the promise in The Sun at the end? Worth the headache. Next time maybe my own Hierophant tendencies won’t be so strong.
