A Tarot Spread for When You Feel Lost: The Compass Spread

This spread comes from Tarot For Troubled Times, my upcoming book with co-author Shaheen Miro.

The Compass Spread was something I created when I was having trouble finding direction. It’s helped me to make decisions and move through painful situations. Because even though I read tarot for other people, sometimes I need to sit down and read it for myself. This simple spread gives me a safe space to reflect on where I’ve been, what’s up ahead, and what path might lead me out of my situation in the healthiest way. Ultimately, that’s always my goal when I read tarot for others…or myself.

The Compass Spread

Shuffle the deck thoroughly. Once you feel ready, put it down, and cut it into four piles with your left hand.

You will be laying the cards out for the directions on a compass: north, south, east, and west. Take the first card off the top of the first pile. This will be south. Take the top card from the second pile. This will be west. The card from the third pile will be east, and the top card from the last pile is north.

The positions line up as follows:

South: where you’re coming from

West: what is directly behind you

East: what lies in front of you

North: the next move to make

The situation that is causing me to feel somewhat lost: I’m dealing with a dental issue and feeling stressed about it. I don’t know what to expect and I’m terrified of what might happen. Which means my mind is all over the map. Here are the cards I pulled:

South: where you’re coming from – Knight of Pentacles. I’m coming from a strong, grounded place. Not just health-wise but also financially. My main concern with the issue was the potential cost. I know, I know, that’s pretty stupid when it comes to any health issue. But regardless, I was not happy with the idea of an upcoming expense that I wasn’t anticipating. This card is a reminder that I am practical and I have the resources – and the strong health to get back on track.

West: what is directly behind you – Queen of Cups. Truthfully, I am emotional about this sort of thing. I was sad and a bit sensitive when I got the prognosis. It’s not life or death but my vanity wasn’t happy. But that being said, this is another card that says I’m attentive to my needs and know that I’m in good hands.

East: what lies in front of you – Three of Swords. YIKES. NOT the card I want to see when facing a dental issue! LOL, But it is letting me know that there is possible pain ahead. I must be ready to face my fears and make a difficult decision.

North: the next move to make – Queen of Pentacles. Be practical. This may not be what I want but it’s not the end of the world. I’ll be okay. I just need to treat this as a pragmatic matter and an investment in my health. I have a fabulous dentist and I should be grateful that they caught the issue.

I’ll be going in today to deal with this in mind. Seeing these cards shows me another thing: the presence of so many Courts are a reminder that I’m in good, caring, practical, skilled hands. No matter what I’m going through, I needn’t fear – I will be well cared for – and able to make solid decisions.

In other words: I may be feeling some type of way and a bit fuzzy because I’m anticipating the worst but if I take a practical approach and trust my team, I’ll see that it’s all going to work out. The way forward for me is to rely on my dentist and his assistants.

I invite you to test out the Compass Spread. I’d love to hear how it works out for you. Oh, this spread and others are in Tarot For Troubled Times. You can get it at any fine retailer on July 1st, 2019.

**Edited to add this follow up: there was some pain (to be expected) but my dental team made me so comfortable. The assistant even held my hand during the hard part. Good news: they were able to save the problem tooth and everything is right again. The cards were so, so right: I just needed to put my faith in my dental team to find my way through this. YAY!**

Blessings,

Theresa

You can pre-order Tarot for Troubled Times before July 1st, 2019 and receive some sweet goodies right here.