Intro
The Setting a Goal spread is a simple four-card spread that will help you reach your goal. This spread will show you your goal, what is helping you and what is hurting you on your journey toward this goal, and how to reach it.
Tarot vs Oracle
Tarot decks and oracle decks are very similar and are used for the same purpose. The main difference between the two is structure. Tarot decks must always follow the same structure in order to be called tarot decks.
There are 78 cards in a standard tarot deck (though this number can vary by a few). Generally there are 22 major arcana cards, numbered 0 to 21, and 56 minor arcana cards. These minor arcana cards are divided into four suits, numbered Ace to 10 and including a page, knight, queen, and king.
An oracle deck can have any number of cards and use any structure, but can be utilized the same as any tarot deck. Oracle decks usually come with a booklet explaining their meanings, much like a tarot deck. These booklets may not include the reversed meanings of the cards. If this is the case, take the opposite of the upright meaning.
For this blog post, I will be using an oracle deck.
The Method
Same as with any tarot spread, start by having the querent state their question out loud or in their head. You can also do this as a general reading – no question required. Next you or the querent will shuffle the deck, cutting the deck when you are finished (optional). Once the deck is shuffled, lay out the top four cards in the order shown below in the diagram.
Interpreting the Cards
Below, I have included the method for reading the cards in the layout.
Use whichever method of interpretation you are comfortable with. For oracle decks, it can be hard to find standard meanings, so it’s best to use either your intuition or the booklet that came with the deck.
Card 1 shows the querent’s goal; what they hope to achieve (whether known to them or not). This tells details about the goal the querent is striving to reach and the general atmosphere surrounding that goal and the journey.
Card 2 shows what is helping the querent; the qualities they have that will help them reach their goal. This tells what the querent is doing right; what things are helping them along the path toward their goal.
Card 3 shows what is hurting the querent; the shortcomings they have that will keep them from reaching their goal. This tells what the querent is doing wrong; what things are holding them back from reaching their goal.
Card 4 shows achieving the goal; how the querent can reach the goal from card 1. This tells what the querent can do to overcome their shortcomings and strengthen their good qualities in order to reach their goal.
If you can’t seem to get a clear answer from your reading, try again once more. If neither reading is making any sense, put the deck away for the day and try again at a later date.
Example Reading
Here is a reading I did as an example:
I did this reading as a general reading. I started by saging my deck, shuffling it, and cutting the deck three times. I then laid all the cards out face up before beginning. For the meanings, I used the booklet that came with the oracle deck.
My Reading
Card 1: goal
This position shows the querent’s goal; what they hope to achieve. I drew Infinite Paths, upright. This card is about joy, success, and good changes.
Interpretation: The querent strives to be happy and successful; to change for the better. They want to be in a place where they can start seeing the beauty in life. Their journey has been a struggle and they want to come out the other end a new being. Once they start to embrace this positivity, things will get better and numerous paths will be laid out for them to take.
Card 2: helping
This position shows what is helping the querent; the qualities they have that will help them reach their goal. I drew the Seven of Embers, upright. This card is about self preservation and defense.
Interpretation: The querent has persevered this long because of their ability to defend themselves through challenging times. They are good at using their wits to protect and defend themselves and they have all the resources they need at their disposal to battle all the external forces trying to bring them down.
Card 3: hurting
This position shows what is hurting the querent; the shortcomings they have that will keep them from reaching their goal. I drew the Ace of Trees, upright. This card is about opportunity and prosperity.
Interpretation: The querent needs to give themself the space to grow, but their mind is cloudy and their heart is dishonest. In order to make a change and achieve their goal, the querent needs to clear their mind and start being honest with themself. Something new will come, so long as it has the space to grow. They need to use their intuition or these things will continue holding them back.
Card 4: achievement
This position shows achieving the goal; how the querent can reach the goal from card 1. I drew the Ten of Birds, upright. This card is about difficult endings and betrayal.
Interpretation: The querent is coming to the end of this stage of their life, but things are not how they had hoped they would be. They are now facing a difficult ending, but this is out of their control. Though this will affect the querent greatly, it is important that they move on from the pain and learn from it. If they worry over it too much, it will consume them. They may face betrayal or deception, but it is important to continue on to the next stage of their life and not let it hold them back.
Final Takeaway:
The querent’s goal in life is to be happy and successful. They want to change for the better and start seizing the day and enjoying their life. Self preservation is one of their strengths; that’s how they got this far in the first place. Any battle can be fought with their wit and strong defence.
Though they have these strengths, they are not without weaknesses. The querent is not good at utilizing their intuition. Their heart and head need to be clear and open in order to facilitate the growth they want to see in themself.
In order to achieve this goal, the querent will have to persevere through a difficult ending. There is nothing they can do to stop it, but the key is having the strength to push through it. We may not be able to control what happens to us, but we can control how we react to it and process it.
My advice to the querent would be to work through the issues that are weighing you down. You are good at self preservation, but maybe too defensive. It’s ok to let people in; you have to be honest about your feelings, especially to yourself.
Once you start processing your feelings, your heart and head will be clear and you can start working toward being the positive person you want to be. The road ahead isn’t going to be easy, but you can get through it by utilizing your strengths and overcoming your weaknesses. Infinite paths toward a better life will lay themselves in front of you if you can just make it through the difficult ending to this chapter of your life.
Next time we’ll talk about some more tarot spreads, so check back soon!
Sources
Eads, J. R. (2020). The Cosma Visions Guide (First ed.). James R. Eads.
Fiebig, Johannes, and Evelin Burger. Complete Book of Tarot Spreads. Sterling Publishing Co., Inc., 2014.
Northern Lights Wicca 