What spread does Chihaya Mifune use?

[AlbaTross]

Hi, so I've been a Persona fan for a long time, and although I credit coming across a certain novelty deck at a convention for getting me to try Tarot for myself, I credit this series for instilling that interest in me to begin with, even if I didn't act on it until just over a year ago.  I have recently been playing Persona 5 Royal, as I got the Digital Deluxe version of its sequel when it came out and figured now would be the time to finally get into the Royal version.  

 

As someone who now practices Tarot, the scenes with Chihaya are now especially interesting to me, and I think her fortune telling prowess is quite embellished.  Anyways, I've been quite intrigued by the spread she does.  This is an hour-long video, but you only really need to watch the first 1:10 or so to know what I'm referring to.  All I know is it's a seven card spread in a honeycomb pattern, and she turns over the middle card last.  I've done some research into possible spreads, and came across at least a couple possibilities: 

 

It could be the Star Tarot Spread: https://ultimatetarot.blogspot.com/2012/04/tarot-cards-star-tarot-spread.html

Chihaya does read into potential outcomes of situations, so this could be it.  

 

It could also be The Magic Seven Spread: https://www.angelfire.com/in3/thehome/div_tarot_spreads.html

I believe it's the 11th one down on this webpage.  

 

I've come across other possibilities that can't possibly be it, because the middle card isn't turned over last.  There are probably other similar spreads out there I haven't found yet though, as that pattern seems to be fairly common.  Unfortunately, without knowing the order of the rest of the cards, it's kind of difficult to definitively determine the exact spread.  I figured I'd bring it this forum though, as maybe someone here can provide some insight.  If you have any ideas, feel free to share them.  I have a feeling it may not be possible to completely determine it even with some expert insight, but it's worth trying.  At the very least, it can make for a fun discussion.  

[LogicalHue]

I just started re-watching the first season of The Affair today (I've seen the 1st season but back when it came out) and in episode 1 a sister-in-law or some such character is learning tarot and guess how her cards are laid out? 7 card hex with one in the middle, middle card flipped last. She flipped the bottom card second to last, but that's all that's shown. I can tell you that she's using the Legacy of the Divine Tarot, which I know because she references the substantial accompanying book Gateway to the Divine Tarot and I could make out enough of the words on the cover to look it up!

 

All that to say, perhaps the spread she's using is the same, my only basis for which is that they're both on tv, and maybe its in that book? Googling "gateway to the divine tarot 7 card spread" got me nothing.

 

On 3/30/2021 at 3:22 PM, AlbaTross said:

I have a feeling it may not be possible to completely determine it even with some expert insight

I think this is probably correct, but when I saw it today after seeing your thread yesterday I was so struck!

[AlbaTross]

3 hours ago, LogicalHue said:

I just started re-watching the first season of The Affair today (I've seen the 1st season but back when it came out) and in episode 1 a sister-in-law or some such character is learning tarot and guess how her cards are laid out? 7 card hex with one in the middle, middle card flipped last. She flipped the bottom card second to last, but that's all that's shown. I can tell you that she's using the Legacy of the Divine Tarot, which I know because she references the substantial accompanying book Gateway to the Divine Tarot and I could make out enough of the words on the cover to look it up!

 

All that to say, perhaps the spread she's using is the same, my only basis for which is that they're both on tv, and maybe its in that book? Googling "gateway to the divine tarot 7 card spread" got me nothing.

 

I think this is probably correct, but when I saw it today after seeing your thread yesterday I was so struck!

Interesting.  I think I need to watch more TV.  It sounds like you've tried to figure out something similar.  There's no guarantee the spreads are the same, but I'll follow up on any lead, so thanks for that.   I'm assuming the spread isn't deck-specific then, but that makes it more difficult to find.  Maybe looking into this can help you figure out what spread that is too though.  If we treat them as being the same, then the second to last card has to be on the bottom.  Of course, I'll still be looking into other seven card spreads as well, so long as the middle card is number seven.  

 

After giving it some deeper thought, I think I can eliminate The Magic Seven.  There's a card in there about how the querent can obtain more control over their situation.  When the player first meets Chihaya, she's convinced that fate is absolute.  It's unlikely she accounts much for individual agency at that point in time.  As she spends more time with the player, she learns that fate may not actually be set in stone.  However, she seemingly uses the same spread throughout that she would have started using well before she is first encountered in the game.  As such, I don't think it's The Magic Seven. 

 

Of course, to complicate matters, she offers different types of readings, including luck, money, fate, affinity, special fate, contradiction and true fate readings, which all have in-game effects that would involve a more in-depth explanation of the game.  But, the spread appears to always be the same.  So, they're either different spreads that look the same, or it's one spread that has some versatility in how it can be used.  The former would definitely make it impossible, so I'll try and pursue the latter.

 

Edit: I think I may have found something promising: https://horoscopes.lovetoknow.com/Tarot_Spread_Illustrations The Hexagram Spread.  It's about forces in motion that work both for and against a situation, and the middle card is a special one called the significator, which I assume might be clarity for the whole situation.  It doesn't seem to line up with the spread you're looking for LogicalHue, but this one might: https://www.hermitsmirror.com/musings/tarot-spread-making-magic  

Edited April 2, 2021 by AlbaTross