Sometimes you can pull some cards, and you understand each one, more or less, but they don’t quite land as a whole. They sit there in front of you as separate ideas, and this is often the point where we fall back on keywords, guidebook meanings, and interpret each card individually. Which is fine, but it doesn’t feel very fluent.
I’ve been working on a 3-card spread that has really helped me to bring the cards together with a bit more fluency. It was based initially on the idea of “if this, then that” as a way of following a thought through the cards, rather than stopping and starting with each card. It avoids sentences that start: “This card means…”
3 cards – One train of thought
The reading starts with a ‘yes’ card that points to the subject matter of the spread or what you need to know about the question or situation at hand.
The second card is the ‘and’ card, which expands on the ‘yes’ although in my experience, this is sometimes the ‘but’ card. Because often that’s what we do in a conversation when we hear something that we need to know. We say “yes, but…”. This card can show up as resistance, contraction or a simple block to the ‘yes’ card.
And finally comes the ‘so’ card. This is the ‘what next?’ card or sometimes the ‘so what?’ card.
I’ve been using it in my daily readings for a while now, and I’ve noticed that it has shifted the way that I read. It encourages a much more conversational style and produces a much more coherent ‘answer’.
Here’s the framework
Card 1: YES
What is already true? What do I know or need to know? What is present or unavoidable? What is asking to be acknowledged?
Card 2: AND / BUT
What complicates or adds depth? Does this feel like expansion (AND) or contraction (BUT)? Is it supportive or does it bring friction? What shifts the meaning of the YES?
Card 3: SO…/SO WHAT?
What follows from this? What matters now? What is the invitation, action, or perspective shift? So What?
Here’s how the conversation goes
First pass: A quick-fire read of the cards in one sentence … Yes, and so… straight off the top of your head helps to identify the core thread running through the cards, finishing with some direction in the ‘so’.
Second pass: Turn the cards into a deeper conversation, at which point you can draw on card systems and meanings to illustrate and get into the detail of the thought thread.
Prompt: A takeaway thought or actionable challenge that brings the reading to life and focuses on personal choice and possibility.
Here are some real examples
Yes, Wheel of Fortune, and 8 of Pentacles… so Temperance
First pass: Yes, so much may feel chaotic and out of your control right now, and yet you are still expected and required to show up and keep going, so finding some calm, steady practice or focus of activity can help you stay centred while everything around you spins.
The Wheel of Fortune X
8 of Pentacles
Temperance XIV
Second pass: Yes, it can feel as though the world around you is spinning out of control. Things are happening that sit far outside your influence, and sometimes it feels as though the world is on fire while you are still expected to show up every day for work, for family, for friends, for all the ordinary roles and responsibilities of life.
Sometimes that can feel futile or exhausting, just carrying on with the job at hand while the world keeps turning. But the 8 of Pentacles suggests there is actually something grounding in continuing to focus on the work in front of you, whatever that work or that role may be. You can find calm and comfort in small acts of attention, routine, and presence. And you can make a difference.
Temperance reminds us to seek the calm at the centre of it all, like the still point at the centre of the wheel. Practising some balance, some steadiness, some conscious stillness can help us stay grounded and connected to ourselves and others, while so much around us feels uncertain or beyond our sphere of control.
Prompt: What can you focus your energy on today that will help ground you and keep you steady, so that the chaos around you and in the wider world does not pull you completely off centre?
Yes, 2 of Swords, and 6 of Wands… so 6 of Pentacles
First pass: Yes, it’s to come off the fence about something and move forward with confidence and conviction, and belief in the direction you are taking… so you need to make that choice from a place of abundance rather than fear, trusting that there is enough support, enough value, and enough good stuff available to you.
2 of Swords
6 of Wands
6 of Pentacles
Second pass: Yes, this feels like a moment that calls for decisiveness and commitment, and you may have been agonising over something for a while now. The Six of Wands is not hesitant energy. It asks you to choose a direction and stand behind it fully. Part of what gives people confidence in us is not perfection, but confidence and leadership. If you are constantly second-guessing yourself or holding back, other people feel that uncertainty too.
The Six of Pentacles suggests that if anything is holding you back, it may be a scarcity mindset. A fear that there is not enough money, enough security, enough permission, or enough worthiness for you to move forward properly. But this card reminds you that abundance flows through giving and receiving. You do not have to do everything alone. You are allowed to accept support, opportunities, kindness, and generosity, just as much as you are willing to offer them to others.
So perhaps the real shift here is not simply making the decision, but making it from a different mindset, not from fear, scarcity, or self-protection, but from openness, trust, and the belief that there is enough room for you to succeed too.
Prompt: Where in your life are you hesitating because of fear or scarcity thinking, and what might change if you trusted yourself enough to move forward wholeheartedly?
Don’t have a Tarot deck?
You don’t necessarily need a tarot deck for this one. You could use it as a journaling exercise by simply sitting with the structure itself:
Yes… And / but… So…
What’s true? What else is true? And what follows from that?
… and see where the train of thought takes you.
Or, if you’d prefer to work with cards, you can use my pick 3 cards below. Once the cards are face up, click on them again to explore each one in more depth. Have fun!
He would be well into his second century by now if he were still with us in this life.
A Sagittarian through and through, he was sharp-witted, fiercely curious, and had a wicked sense of humour. He loved languages, art and music. He liked to write poetry (often humorous), published two war novels, and left behind a memoir that would answer at least some of the questions we had left unasked during his life. He was a devoted husband and a father of three children, the eldest of whom is my father.
After serving in the Army during WWII, he returned to England to run a cattle farm and was incredibly fit and strong. Tall and well-built, he had an immense presence which was reassuring, commanding and authoritative.
To his grandchildren, he could be intimidating, scary sometimes, but mostly he was great fun. And he was kind and generous.
I loved him and still miss him. And tend to think of him when I am out walking in nature because it reminds me of long walks on the farm, always with some purpose like checking on a gate, pulling up the ragwort, or assessing the rabbit situation. Looking back, I’m sure the main aim of these long expeditions across the fields was to get us out from under my Granny’s feet.
He was the Achetypal Emperor
It’s no surprise I now associate his stable, guiding energy so strongly with The Emperor – the card from the Major Arcana most commonly associated with father figures in particular and authority figures in general. I see in this card his strength, authority and benevolence.
The description above makes that part of my childhood sound idyllic, but it wasn’t always. My grandparents were strict, highly disciplined, resilient and self-reliant people. They had no time for tears or tantrums and didn’t believe in giving much praise or any form of molly-coddling. And in post-war Britain, they couldn’t abide any form of waste, especially with food – to this day, in my family, each generation has gruesome tales to tell of historic battles played out over the dinner table.
They were from another time.
Like all archetypes, the Emperor has many faces and his Shadow can be expressed through rigidity, judgment, control and coercion. The Emperor card, and what it represents, often holds some discomfort for many, especially women.
As a depiction of authority, it’s a reminder that although much has moved on in the last couple of generations, we still live in a patriarchal system. Women are still striving to achieve equality in a world built by men for men. Still required to compete with men at their own game, display our ‘strength’ to get ahead, and then criticised for being ‘too much’, ‘difficult’, ‘nasty’, and, of course, ‘unfeminine’.
The Emperor cautions us that ‘might’ is not always right, and true leadership looks less like dominance and control and more like service, protection and commitment. Inspiration, not intimidation.
Sagittarius I – Magic & Alchemy
The first Decan of Sagittarius comes under the influence of Mercury and is associated in tarot with the 8 of Wands.
This card suggests fast-moving, purposeful, ‘no time like the present’ energy. My grandfather embodied that energy too: when he saw a thing that needed doing or fixing, he would just get on and do it, and then see how it turned out. This was true whether he was fixing a fence or carving the Sunday roast.
Mercury connects this Decan to the Magician, a card that channels thought into action. This character is the super-manifestor of the Tarot. I think my grandfather had that too – he was someone who didn’t just think about things or make plans in the abstract. He took action, trusting his instincts and moving forward with conviction.
Sagittarius is represented in the Tarot Major Arcana by Temperance, a card that highlights patience, moderation, forgiveness, and tolerance. I now recognise that in his later years, there was a ‘tempering’ of his more prominent Emperor traits. He grew gentler. Slower to judge. Still intimidating, but more patient and open.
I think this ‘tempering’ also relates to the ‘luxury’ afforded to grandparents with their own children’s offspring. They can afford to be softer, kinder and more tolerant. There’s not so much skin in the game when you are separated by a generation.
Reflections on The Emperor
Blending The Emperor with The Magician and Temperance feels like a powerful trinity. As you reflect on these archetypes, and especially The Emperor, I invite you to consider:
Who are the Emperor figures in your life? Who has shaped your understanding of structure, protection, authority, or responsibility – for better or for worse?
How does your relationship with those figures deepen or complicate your understanding of the Emperor as a Tarot archetype?
And conversely, how might working with the Emperor in Tarot offer you new insights into those people, their choices, their limitations, and into your own relationship with leadership, success and power?
The Still Small Voice Tarot Deck
In the Still Small Voice Tarot, the Emperor is not depicted as a stoic father or grandfather figure. He’s not based on my grandfather – or my father, for that matter.
I wanted The Emperor in my deck to be confronting, not comforting. To force us to recognise over-reaching, corrupting power when we see it in others, and ourselves – and to question what drives it. Does it exist to serve, or to dominate? To build and support, or to control and coerce?
Because power for power’s sake is not leadership.
As a single woman in her fifties now (with kid and a cat and my own business), I’m beyond asking for permission or hearing ‘explanations’ from the old guard or anyone who wants to uphold it. We are all, men and women, products of the patriarchy, and it’s time for us all to wake up to how much needs to change in our society, in leadership and personal relations, inside and outside the home.
I am my own Emperor now – and I love that energy.
In the spirit of ending on a lighter note on this bright Sagittarian day, and what would be my grandfather’s 109th Birthday, I remember, with love and gratitude, a man who was both fearsome and kind-hearted. A flawed human, like the rest of us, but whose strength and power were most often expressed through care and good humour.
And just like that, we’ve reached the end of our decanic journey through the Wands.
Sometimes it feels like the whole World is watching
Doesn’t it though? The World is watching and waiting for you to ‘drop your basket’. Or in this case your bundle of sticks.
Except that is not really what the World is about. Not really. The World, powered by task-mastering Saturn, doesn’t want you to fail… she (if you are ok with that) wants you to succeed – in all the ways, on all the levels.
But you’re gonna havta do the work to get there. And that may take time, and that’s what Saturn has in spades: time.
The number 10 suggests that you are close to getting there, but you are going to have to try and fail. Mix and match. Wait and watch. Muster some f**king Temperance in the Tarot sense of the word.
Motherhood – an act of temperance (judged by the world)
The 10 of Wands is often associated with strength but also oppression and tyranny.
Hmm.
So anyone who has ever ‘mothered’ can attest to the strength it takes. Not just the physical act, though that, of course, is IMMENSE and MIRACULOUS, but also the emotional act of mothering.
And, alongside the joy, there are also elements of oppression and tyranny in motherhood. Freedom lost. Responsibilities. Sacrifices. Loss of self. The weight of expectations. The tyranny of new routines and the constant demands on your body, that has already given so much. The oppression of judgement… imposed by others and, worse, yourself. Sometimes the judgement and expectation come from those closest to you (including your children) which hurts. All this may be real or imagined.
(And let’s leave aside the appalling judgement reserved for women who exercise their right to choose not to mother in one way or another).
So, at some point, you have to put all that down and be ok with being less than perfect. Let people think what they are going to think – if they are thinking anything at all. Do what you can. And let that be good enough. Let the rest go. Put down your bundle. Free yourself from the weight of it all.
Motherhood is an act of Temperance – a long game of love and patience. Finding the balance between setting boundaries and allowing your kids the freedom to stretch the cord. Hoping they will always find their way home.
As with previous Decans, I have found it useful to look at some keywords to see what ideas they may spark about the current Decan of Sagittarius III.
Saturn ~ attributes
Taskmaster
Teacher
Authority
Disciplinarian
God of Time (Cronus)
Periodic dissolution & regeneration
Challenges/life lessons
Growth & self-mastery
Dedication
Destiny
Limitations/boundaries
Responsibility
Structure & order
Patience, planning & pacing
Constriction
Ruler of ambitious Capricorn
Element of Earth
Sagittarius ~ attributes
Free thinking
Free-spirited
Adventurous trailblazer
Independent
Open to change and discovery
Curious
Optimistic
Energetic
Passionate
Honest (at times, brutally so)
Bold
Brave
Courageous
Restless
Impatient
Planet of excess
Resistant to rules and structure
Fire sign
Ruler of the 9th House – travel, learning, philosophy
Mutable Fire sign
Ruled by the Jupiter
Can’t see the wood for the trees? Delegate.
It’s almost impossible to look at this card without wondering at how uncomfortable this person in the RWS 10 of Wands looks carrying their burden. It looks back-breaking and the way ahead is obscured. Maybe they should lose some of those sticks or work out a less awkward way of transporting them… ask for help even.
Ach. Delegation.
Sometimes you have to pass shit off to someone else. But often, when you feel under the cosh, you can’t see the wood for the trees. Delegation takes time and effort, more time and effort than you might feel you have in you (can you see Saturn hoving into view as we speak?) and so you continue to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders. Getting in your own way.
Prompts for 10 of Wands ~ Saturn in Sagittarius
When you are feeling burdened, or judged, like you have the weight of the World on your shoulders…
Ask yourself:
What is weighing you down?
Why? Is it really your responsibility?
Is it someone else’s judgement?
Or your own?
Can you put down some of what you are carrying? Let someone else…
And how would that feel?
Or, if this really is the thing that only you can carry, how can you bear it?
Who can you ask for help?
Observations and synchronicities ~ Sagittarius III
I’m making space here to return to over the coming days of Sagittarius III to add any thoughts, ideas and synchronicities as they arise…
Looking back over the entries for this Decan Walk in 2024 to find the other cards under the rulership of Saturn, they all seem to hold a challenge or a lesson: 3 of Swords, 5 of Wands, 7 of Pentacles. There is a requirement for understanding, patience, and perseverance in all of these. Saturn appears like the parent who will always be there for you when you fall and get back up again, but not bail you out. Not to bubble-wrap you. Saturn will let you make your own mistakes, and find your own way so the lessons are truly learned.
The next and final time we meet Saturn on this trip through the Zodiac will be the 8 of Cups where we see someone step on a new path and away from those things, people, or patterns that no longer serve them. Lessons learned, finally?
And, if you care to join me for this continuing solar return, you’ll find me on Facebook and Instagram hanging out on the corner of #decanwalk2024 and #decanastrology And I will be following @astroco_op and @tsusanchang
The High Priestess (Luna) & Temperance (Sagittarius)
God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change…
… the courage to change the things I can,and the wisdom to know the difference.
The moment I typed the words ‘Lord of Strength’ the serenity prayer came to my mind and I decided to go with it because… ‘trust the words that come’ and all that. So, let’s explore the blend of courage, wisdom and serenity that we see in the 3 cards we see above.
In 9 of Wands, we see a watchful character – wounded, defensive, on guard, leaning on or clinging to his staff for support. He represents the ‘wounded warrior’ archetype. All the dynamic energy of the 8 of Wands seems to be tethered now. How do we get past this? The strength we see in the 9 of Wands needs to be tempered somehow in order to move forward – to not get stuck in the past.
This card reminds us that the wounds of the past and our human ability to overcome them make us who we are. These events build resilience in us over time. However, too much strength, resilience and resistance can lead to disconnection, both spiritual and emotional, and sometimes an overreliance on substances or unhealthy behaviours to fill the void.
I could hardly quote the Serenity Prayer and skip over the subject of addiction.
Sagittarius is ruled by Jupiter, the planet of excess, so this Decan, with its Luna influence, may address the need to escape emotional pain and spiritual disconnection through overindulgence, whether that’s substance use or other addictions. These risky behaviours become replacements for connection or fulfilment.
Could it be that in the 9 of Wands, we see an individual facing the consequences of self-destructive behaviour and questioning their strength to move forward? Healing can be a slow process requiring enduring strength and a willingness to confront discomfort.
Resilience and recovery
In that way then, the resilient 9 of Wands is also a card of recovery, setting healthy boundaries (not barriers) and learning from past mistakes.
If the 9 of Wands represents strength and courage to change the things we can change, I see Temperance as the Serenity card. Ruled by Sagittarius, this Major Arcanum represents the freedom of mind that comes with acceptance of ‘what is’ and an understanding of the ‘bigger picture’. And the High Priestess, under the rulership of the Moon, is the card of Wisdom and introspection, your inner ‘knowing’ in this scenario.
As with previous Decans, I have found it useful to look at some keywords to see what ideas they may spark about the current Decan of Sagittarius II.
Monthly cycles of initiation, growth, culmination, release and rest
Ruler of Cancer
Sagittarius ~ attributes
Free thinking
Free-spirited
Adventurous trailblazer
Independent
Open to change and discovery
Curious
Optimistic
Energetic
Passionate
Honest (at times, brutally so)
Bold
Brave
Courageous
Restless
Impatient
Planet of excess
Resistant to rules and structure
Fire sign
Ruler of the 9th House – travel, learning, philosophy
Mutable Fire sign
Ruled by the Jupiter
A 3-pile Serenity Spread for the 9 of Wands
A quick search on the web will bring up many 3-card Serenity spreads. Here’s my take on it. You could use this spread when you pull the 9 of Wands in another reading or a daily pull. Alternatively, you might want to use it when you are in a situation where you feel you are on the defensive, struggling to heal or move on from wounds of the past, or generally feeling the energy of the 9 of Wands around you.
2. Serenity Pile
What is it that I need to accept in my life + what resources can I draw on from within or from my family/friends/network so that I may do so with temperance and serenity?
1. Courage Pile
What is it that I am able to work on to change in my life or particular situation + where can I find the strength and courage to do this so that I can move on and free myself of any past pain/resentment/anger that I may be holding on to?
3. Wisdom Pile
What do I know/have I learned to be true about myself in these situations + how can I tap into that Wisdom going forward to enable me to remain strong, see the bigger picture and let go of negative emotions that no longer serve me?
How to use the Spread
Shuffle your cards while focusing on a situation or area of your life or a situation where you feel the negative energy of the 9 of Wands.
Method One
Cut the cards into 3 piles laid out as shown above. Look at the top card and then the bottom card from each deck and consider how they connect with the prompts (see above). Then you might consider how they sit with Temperance, 9 of Wands and The High Priestess.
Method Two
Alternatively, you could shuffle the deck and then look through it until you find Temperance, the 9 of Wands and The High Priestess and then look at the preceding and following cards in the deck to create three mini readings around these cards and the prompts shown above.
If you don’t own a Tarot deck, you could simply use the prompts for journalling or pick your cards here.
Prompts for 9 of Wands ~ The Moon in Sagittarius
When you are feeling wounded and struggling to move on ask yourself…
Ask yourself:
What are the old wounds that you need to heal?
How can you let down some of your defences to allow for greater intimacy in your relationship/s, while protecting your precious heart?
Are you indulging in risky, unhealthy behaviours to replace true connection and fulfilment?
Do you need to examine your boundaries?
Are you aware of your deep inner strength and wisdom?
How can you draw on that to face your current challenges?
Observations and synchronicities ~ Sagittarius II
I’m making space here to return to over the coming days of Sagittarius II to add any thoughts, ideas and synchronicities as they arise…
And, if you care to join me for this continuing solar return, you’ll find me on Facebook and Instagram hanging out on the corner of #decanwalk2024 and #decanastrology And I will be following @astroco_op and @tsusanchang
