Two paths

For a decision between two courses. The card at the foot of the spread is the choice itself; each road climbs from it, with a card for its near consequence and one for where it leads. The centre column holds what you are not seeing and the spread's counsel.

Reading the spread as a whole

Read each path upward as a short story: this is what happens first, and this is where it ends up. Compare the two far cards rather than the two near ones — the near consequences are usually already known to you. Then read the centre column: the blind spot before the counsel, since the counsel often only makes sense once the blind spot is admitted.

Other spreads

• A single card — One card for the day, or for one clear question.
• Past, present, future — Three cards: where it came from, where it stands, where it tends.
• Mind, body, spirit — Three cards to take your own measure — not a question, a check-in.
• The horseshoe — Seven cards in an arc, from the past through counsel to outcome.
• The relationship — Seven cards for two people: what each brings, what joins and divides you, where it goes.
• The Celtic Cross — Ten cards: six make the cross, four the staff beside it.
• The year ahead — Thirteen cards: one for each month around a card for the year's theme.