The "Rest of the Story" Tetractys Spread

[Barleywine]

Here is one of my more recent creations based on the ten-card tetractys spread that can be used in two ways: to get a straightforward "do it/don't do it/think about it" answer, read only the top six cards concluding in a three-card line; for the more philosophical "rest of the story," add the bottom four lines.
 

I tend to be thorough in my approach to divination, so when reading the cards “on the clock” in a professional setting I often have insufficient time to address more than the high points of the scenario and answer a few parting questions. This is the “tip of the iceberg” effect that disappears when operating remotely (for which I prefer email) because in that case I have all the time I need to explore the deeper significance of the cards pulled.

 

In most “real-time” situations, when a session is over I will never see the client again and I don’t give the reading a second thought unless it was particularly memorable. But because every card contains multiple layers of meaning that can be brought to bear on the question or topic, there is almost always more that could have been said and I may receive further insights after-the-fact. If I have an ongoing relationship with the querent, I can follow up with additional information but that seldom occurs. Consequently, these supplemental observations go into my mental knowledge-and-experience database for future reference.

 

Some time ago I created a 10-card “tectractys” spread for Lenormand reading, and I decided to adapt it for the present tarot-based essay. This is a dual-purpose layout: the first six cards are all that are needed to cover what most clients want to know, which is “What should I do in this situation?” while the last four positions give a broader philosophical perspective (aka “the rest of the story”) on consequential “mind/body/spirit” well-being subjects that may arise from direct resolution of the matter. For brief public readings I would use only the abbreviated format, but if time is not a consideration I would cover all ten positions. (Reversals may be used with this spread.)