The Twelve Houses Spread

Tarot Spreads
Written By Quinn

At the ripe old age of twenty, a friend gave me my first deck (love to you, Georgina); the Astro-Tarot by Russell Grant (1992). She’d bought them for herself but didn’t get along with them, and knowing I had a love of astrology as well as tarot, she figured I’d make better use of them. And I most certainly did.

The Astro-tarot is loosely based on a traditional deck. It has the major arcana and the four aces, but then added the twelve astrological signs, the twelve Chinese astrological animals, the planets, the new moon and full moon, the ascendant, the midheaven and the node. It’s a sixty-four-card deck in all, but the cards aren’t too bulky, which makes them easy to handle. I didn’t manage to hold onto the original set after one of the kids either lost or destroyed a couple of the cards. I tried to replace the deck a few times, but it was only ever available for a ridiculous amount of money. I finally got lucky a few years back and found some for under a tenner and have so far managed to keep the set intact.

When I first got them, I probably spent the best part of a year using these cards for readings and enjoyed working with them. The book was instrumental in teaching me the benefits of being specific about card placement meanings and how those meanings could be modified depending on their position. So, one of the things I did take away from my time with this deck was the twelve houses spread. I still use this layout today; it has proved invaluable because it helps put the cards into better focus. You can see which area of life the card influences, which obviously helps when translating for the client. The spread follows the basics of houses in a birth chart. I’m not doing a sample reading with this one because it’ll take forever, but the card position meanings are as follows:

  1. This is you, your image or appearance and personality. It can also represent your projects and plans, health and well-being. It’s the position for the core question, basically. If you’re doing a general reading it’ll represent yourself. If you’re asking about a project, it’s the project itself.

  2. Money, possessions, spiritual and material values, big purchases and investments - whatever matters most to you in an earthly sense.

  3. Communications, short trips, mental interests, neighbours, siblings. Often the stuff which is dominating your daily thoughts.

  4. The home, the past, family stuff, security, sometimes the mother. House moves will often show up here. If you want to move house, this is where you need to be seeing the appropriate cards such as The Chariot, Ace or four of Discs or sometimes the Prince of Discs, or even the four of wands.

  5. Love and romance, casual sex, leisure, creativity, anything you do for fun. Also children, self-expression and entertainment. New romance usually shows here.

  6. Work in the everyday sense, being of service, health and medical matters. This is the job you’re doing rather than long-term work objectives.

  7. Partnerships, marriage, relationships and also open adversaries.

  8. Shared money matters, tax, debt, regeneration and transformation, cycles of life/death.

  9. Travel, religious beliefs, philosophical outlook, higher education, the law, and also widening the mental vision. This is where your focus would ideally be if you’re not overwhelmed with stuff shown in the 3rd position. A negative card here usually indicates a need to alter your perspective/philosophical outlook for better results in life.

  10. Status and the career. Responsibility and duty. Sometimes the father. This is how the public sees you and it’s also where your long-term career matters will show up.

  11. Long-term plans and ambitions. Hopes and ideals. Friendships and the groups we belong to. I’ve noticed that friends who want more will often show up here rather than the 5th or 7th position. Especially if you aren’t all that interested in them.

  12. Seclusion. Stuff that is hidden. The subconscious. Dreams. Spirituality. Hidden fears. I’ve often found that card 12 also describes something that has yet to come into being or that something is waiting to be born.

This particular spread is an excellent one to use if you’re feeling clueless, excessively confused, or just needing a detailed general reading. If you want to get a better sense of your relationship area, look to cards 5, 7, and 8 together for a clearer picture. If the main area is work, you’ll find it helpful to look at cards 6 and 10 together. It’s worth getting a hold of the book even if you can’t get your hands on the deck because it does help to see how he’s laid out the interpretations. It’s all useful stuff which can be transferred to other deck interpretations. It’s mostly a lighthearted read which makes a refreshing change from the often stuffy and overly serious ones you tend to come across. Clients sometimes need a little help to see the funny or brighter side, and Russell Grant definitely achieves that with this deck.

 

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