In this episode of ⁠The Tarot Diagnosis⁠, I walk you through one of my favorite creative tarot practices: building a tarot spread in real time and then using it for our collective month-ahead reading for May!

Instead of starting with a pre-made spread, I decided to let the cards guide the questions. As a therapist, I’m used to being a professional question asker, so this felt like a natural way to show you how tarot spreads can emerge directly from tarot and the human experience. I pull cards one at a time, listen to what questions they seem to ask, and slowly build a cohesive spread that reflects themes many of us are navigating right now.

The spread that emerged centers around the Ten of Wands, exploring the tension between what we carry that is necessary and what we carry that is unnecessary. From there, the reading moves into questions about avoidance, hyper-independence, emotional curiosity, and the challenge of allowing others to support us. What unfolded was a powerful reminder that many of us have learned to carry everything alone and that learning to receive help can feel just as uncomfortable as letting go of control.

As the reading develops, themes of urgency, over-functioning, emotional avoidance, and survival-based independence show up, but so do strengths like resilience, adaptability, and the ability to move forward even amidst ambiguity. The reading closes with imagery that reflects gradual change and the slow movement toward balance, reminding us that growth is gradual.

This episode is part workshop, part collective tarot reading, and part reflection on what it means to shift from doing everything alone to learning how to give and receive support in healthier ways.

Spread created:

Card 1: What am I carrying that is unnecessary?

Card 2: What am I carrying that is necessary right now?

Card 3: What questions do I need to ask myself about these burdens?

Card 4: Where did I learn to carry everything alone?

Card 5: What strengths or skills have I developed through carrying all of this?

Card 6: What would balance look like if I allowed myself to both give and receive?

Deck used: Mystic Storyteller Tarot

Want more of this type of tarot experience?

Join us at the Summer Solstice Summit - a three day, virtual tarot conference June 26-28. Grab your ticket here and use code TTD15 to get 15% off!

📚 Order my book Dark Shadow, Golden Shadow for more therapeutic tarot practices!

🌙 Stay Connected With Me

💌 Follow me on Instagram:⁠ @thetarotdiagnosis⁠

🧠 Sign up for my newsletter at⁠ thetarotdiagnosis.com⁠

👥 Join ⁠The Symposium⁠ — my tarot & psychology membership community

If you love The Tarot Diagnosis Podcast, please consider leaving a review! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This is a super easy and FREE way to support my work. Plus, it helps more people discover the podcast. I appreciate you all so much!

Audio Edited by Anthony DiGiacomo of⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Deep Resonance Sound⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Music by Timmoor from Pixabay