6-Card Donte's Internal Spread

or just Donte's Internal Spread (DIS)
(A Spread for Self-Discovery)

Card Layout

Card Position Meanings When Reading the Individual Cards.

Options

Option #1:

Read the last 3 cards elementally (cards 4, 5, and 6) assuming a background meaning of 'Integration - Where Am I Going?'.

Adjust the individual card readings that you did above according to whatever rules of Elemental Dignities you happen to use.

Option #2:

1.) Do one reading with just the Major Arcana to get major indications.
2.) Do one reading with just the Minor Arcana to get minor indications.
3.) Do one reading using all the cards to get a 'wholeness' reading.

Example Readings (Quickies)

Card #1: What I See in Me
7 of Cups - And inability to make choices - your thoughts are scattered and disjointed.

Card #2: What I Fear to See in Me
The Devil - Your FEAR is that you will discover that you are bound to the material and are unable to free yourself so that you can attain higher spiritual awareness.

Card #3: What is Hidden from Me
4 of Swords - You keep hidden, or don't realize your need for rest and contemplation in order to overcome The Devil and his influences.

Card #4: Aspects of My Shadow Self
King of Wands - Your Shadow Self is both active and headstrong, motivated and charming, ambitious and decisive.  You are none of these things and must try to tap into your Shadow Self.

Card #5: My Greatest Weakness
King of Swords - To cold and rational, to in control and unfeeling, to judgmental yet trying desperately to be fair ... with yourself in all likelihood.

Card #6: My Greatest Strength
9 of Pentacles - Your greatest strength is being able to rely on yourself and to be self-sufficient but .... with the attitude that I don't need anyone - or anyone's help for that matter.

Example #2 (Use of Option #1 - cards read elementally - then individually):

Note how ED's change the reading.  Same cards ... just looked at differently using the elements as your guide.

The Devil is associated with Earth and since Earth and Air (4 of Swords) are unfriendly these two cards are ill-dignified.  The same with the King of Swords (Air) and 9 of Pentacles (Earth).

7 of Cups ... The Devil [ID] ... 4 of Swords [ID]
.. Water ............. Earth ................... Air

Lack of Fire = no action, drive, energy

Water takes precedence so emotions and feelings are running high but there is a minor (weak) stabilizing effect from Earth.  Intellect is extremely weak so emotions are taking control of the situation over any type of thought or logic.

'Fragmentation - Who Am I?'

At present you are having a tough time discerning who you are because you are letting your emotions and feelings run rampant over the stabilizing factors in your life and your own innate intelligence.  Not only do you NOT know who you are ... you are also to self-involved and probably to lackadaisical (nice way of saying lazy) and emotionally strained to find out.

Get a grip!

Now to Read the (first 3) Inpidual Cards taking into account the ED's

Now you could read the cards taking into account the ED's (Elemental Dignities).  Keep checking the section First 3 cards: above as you read these.

Card #1: What I See in Me
7 of Cups - And inability to make choices.  You need to realize that your thoughts are scattered and disjointed. You are experiencing a lack of focus and a sense of confusion.  Decisions are difficult and you are becoming over-emotional due to self-induced illusions and you are losing your sense of reality.  (Strong Water, Lack of Fire - Weak Earth - Very Weak Air).

In this case I actually see the b Water influence as a debilitating influence on the 7 of Cups when you consider the other cards and that they are both ill-dignified.  This can happen when the cards meanings are not positivily inclined and when it's the dominate  card among the three.  Using 'not positivily inclined' allows me say negative without actually saying negative, {grin}.  I guess I could use 'wishful thinking' for the meaning of the 7 of Cups but it's just to wishy-washy (FBST) for me.  FBS = Fluffy Bunny Slipper Tarot (or warm and fuzzy and for the most part meaningless if you prefer).

Card #2: What I Fear to See in Me
The Devil [ID] - You are just beginning to break free of the materialistic bonds but the going is slow because of your own self-defeating attitude.  There are delays and frustrations as it seems as if you don't have the strength or reasoning power to break free.  It makes you so angry you want to break down and cry.  The bonds are still b! (Strong Water, Lack of Fire - Weak Earth - Very Weak Air).

Card #3: What is Hidden from Me
4 of Swords [ID] - You feel the need to get up off your ass and do something but you just can't find the energy to do so.  Even your frustration and anger can NOT sustain you enough to get up and get moving.  What is hidden from you is the motivation to get up off your butt and do something about your situation.  Stop crying and whining and get up and boogy!  (Strong Water, Lack of Fire - Weak Earth - Very Weak Air)

Second 3 Cards

King of Wands ... King of Swords [ID] ... 9 of Pentacles [ID]
....... Fire ...................... Air ...................... Earth ............

Lack of Water = no emotions and feelings - leaving you devoid of healthy relationships.

Fire is predominate here so we have action, drive, and energy bulling ahead over intellect (Air) and practicality (Earth).  There is probably some conflict and strain to the situation.  The problem is that the Fire element is part of your 'Shadow Self/Aspects', which is no help unless you can learn to use them.  Which in turn make the other two cards even weaker.

'Integration - Where Am I Going?'
You need to find a way to integrate the Fire aspects of your Shadow Self into your life so you can get  headed in the right direction. You need to think and reason things out better so you can keep both feet planted firmly on the ground and stop deceiving yourself into thinking you're being exploited and pissed on.  You also need to integrate more emotion and feeling into things so you don't heedlessly run over others without regard to their feelings ... and your own.

For 2nd 3 cards see section Second 3 cards above.

Card #4: Aspects of My Shadow Self
King of Wands - Your Shadow Self is both active and headstrong, motivated and charming, ambitious and decisive.  It has the drive to achieve!  Unfortunately you do not - at present.  You must try to tap into your Shadow Self and make use of it's attributes.

Card #5: My Greatest Weakness
King of Swords [ID] - Your big weaknesses are that you are being selfish, severe, critical, and probably mean-spirited not only to yourself but of others as well.  You feel as if you are being exploited and used unfairly.  You think to yourself, 'Why bother?'  So your greatest weakness is your lack of self-motivation.

Card #6: My Greatest Strength
9 of Pentacles [ID] - Here kids I would like to tell the seeker that they have no, 'Greatest Strength'.  But I would not end a reading on a negative note.  So ....

Your greatest strength is in the hidden shadow aspects that you need to desperately tap into.  Try Meditation, Focusing, and Imagestreaming.  I will teach you all three techniques for another $50.00 and I can guarantee that you will leave here a new person, (LOL).  Well ... it wasn't negative, {grin}.

Maybe I'll do the other Options another time.  Give the 6-Card Donte's Internal Spread a try (on yourself) and let me know how things come out.

As usual I probably made things to hard on folks.

Don S.