Who Am I - I Am Spread

Queen of  Cups from  the Morgan
Greer Tarot deck.

Today, I thought of devising a new Tarot spread. That is actually unusual for me, as I devise spreads very very rarely.  I just saw a movie yesterday called 'I Am'. It was about four short stories, and at the end of each story, the central character found a sense of identity. I thought we could do this with Tarot, use it as a tool to find your identity. Picking the daily Card draws from the Revelations Tarot made me want to explore them even further, specially the Court Cards. Generally, we have 16 Court cards in all - 4 Pages, 4 Knights, 4 Queens and 4 Kings. In this Tarot deck, we have 32 Court card depictions which include the reversed interpretations. So, in order to have a balanced life, I thought that I need to have a bit of the qualities of all of these cards.

This is a very simple exercise. Remove only the Court cards and only use them for the purpose of this spread.You can use the Court cards of any deck, and if you do not read reversals, you could also avoid that. Here, I will be using the Revelations Tarot.

So, here goes, the Who Am I - I Am spread.

Whatever are the roles you play in your life, list them down. I listed - sister, daughter, wife, friend, mother  (though i am not a mother, my motherly qualities), human being, academic, tarot reader. So, let's see what cards I get for all these roles I play in my life. I have a feeling, this spread is one of those which is an eye opener. No one likes to see the bad aspects of themselves, and sometimes they feel guilty that they are not good mothers, but the cards could think otherwise. So, it's a good spread to answer the question about who you really are. Try and join one quality from each of the cards which attracts you and feel fits you, to form an image of yourself, which you feel reflects who you are. The most important thing in this spread is to be honest. You cannot play games with yourself. After picking a card, keep it back in the deck, so that it could be repeated, so you could get the Queen of Wands in even 3 aspects of your life.

Sister - Knight of Wands (Rx) - scattered energies

I may not be the best sister, I don't know how to focus my energies in the right direction. I need to work on that.

Daughter - Knight of Cups - giving

My relationship with my mother is great, and I give her lots of love and emotional support.

Wife - Page of Pentacles - dutiful 

As I wife, I am a page, I become a child who is pampered. I am dutiful and do what is expected of me.

Friend - Queen of Wands - social 

As a friend, I am social and friendly. With my friends, I am outgoing and expressive.

Mother - Knight of Pentacles (Rx) - stressed 

As a mother, I will be stressed out LOL, this knight looks pretty upset. Maybe I will have to learn to destress myself, and save myself from getting hysterical!

Human being - Page of Swords - intelligent 

I am analytical and intelligent, and a good judge of people.


Academic - Page of Cups - Study with my heart

I put in my heart and emotions when I study. If I'm emotionally attached to the subject, I study well.

Tarot reader - Queen of Cups (Rx) - mysterious 

As a tarot reader, I am mysterious and secretive. The Queen of Cups(Rx) is overemotional. I should be less attached to my clients and less 'involved'.

Overall, I have a balance of Wands, Pentacles, Cups and Swords in my personality so it is well-balanced. On the other hand, I got the Knight three times suggesting a quality that I love to 'charge' at things and keep things moving. I have no King card showing that I am not the 'boss' or the 'ruler' in any of the roles in my life.
I found this a very interesting exercise of self analysis. Why don't you try it? 

The Leap Year Spread

This year 2012 is a Leap Year!! This means that this year will have a Feb 29th, which comes one in every four years. This has to mean something, right? An extra day? But what does this day signify? What is its importance? Did you know that in the British Isles there is a tradition that women can only propose to men in a leap year? LOL..I'm sure that there are many such traditions and many more crazy things that people do on a Leap year. Feb 29 is also supposed to be Superman's birthday!

 I think that the Tarot can be used to form a personal benchmark for you to measure your progress in your life, specially your goals. For this, I have devised a Leap Year spread. I would like to do this spread once in every 4 years to check where I am and where I will be in the next four years from the year 2012 to 2015.
For this spread I will be using two decks, a tarot deck and an angel oracle deck: The Legacy of the Divine Tarot and the Archangels Oracle cards deck.

Where I am in 2012

For this year i got the Ace of Wands card. This card stands for new beginnings which is true as I start my PhD this year and it is supposed to be completed in 4-5 years. What a great leap year for me! A wonderful new beginning is in store characterized by the fiery dragon-y passion. The wand in the card is studded with different coloured crystals which I think means that I will be looking at things from a different point of view. The Angel card I got is Spiritual understanding. This is also a year where I deepen my Spiritual beliefs and learn more about esoteric wisdom and gain more knowledge about my spiritual practices. I could also learn a new practice or go deeper into what I am currently doing. The path of spirituality is intriguing. There is so much to explore. I can't wait!

Where I am in 2013

Money, honey! This year I got the 6 of Pentacles. This year I will be raking in the moolah as the card says. I will be receicing money for my hard work. This looks like the monthly amount I will be receiving due to my PhD scholarship. Its great to know that its going to be coming the next year too. Also, this could mean there is an increase in my Tarot clientele or a new business. There is a 'Hello from Heaven' card I see as well next year. I will be remembered by some of my lost family and friends in heaven. I love getting messages in my dreams from the beyond. Lately, I have been getting some pretty profound dreams, and hope they continue helping me and giving me good advice.

Where I am in 2014

The card for this year is the Page of Wands. He is generally a young person who is into communication. That will be me in the year 2014.I will be head on into my thesis writing every single day with a wand, umm pen in my hand, a tool of communication. The Page looks focused, serious, and he knows what he wants and what to write. I feel so inspired that I will be able to really write well that year. Yay.. The other card that has come up is Leadership. I will learn to be in control and will assume my role of a leader. I will be in the position to lead a group of people. Circumstances could lead me to do that. Lets see what the future holds....

Where I am in 2015

This is a great card.. the Magician! Along with the wand of the Page last year, this year I also have the Cup, Sword and Pentacle to help me. Along with my mighty tools I will be able to weave my magic. This year I will be sure of my talents and my abilities. The Magician is usually capable of accomplishing anything he puts his mind to. This year I will be highly focused and accomplish my goals. I think this could indicate that my Phd is getting completed and that I am nearing my deadline. The other card compliments this card, it says 'Outdoors'. These days, I will probably be cooped up in my house and in the library. I will need to go outside for some fresh air in order to get more creative ideas.

Where I am in Leap Year 2016

Well, we are finally here, the Leap year 2016! The card I received is the Emperor. What an apt card, it is the Number 4 card of the Major Arcana trumps! All is now four-square. Emperor is the card of stability and authority. This could suggest that I will be in a position of authority and will probably be in a position of leadership. The Angel card says 'Divine Order'. Everything is going on smoothly in divine timing. Amidst the chaos there is underlying order.

The Leap Year Card: What lessons have I learnt in these 4 years?

The card I received for the lesson that I have learnt during leap year 2012 to leap year 2016 is the 9 of Pentacles. What a beautiful card! I love her. She looks so happy and contented doing what she loves. She is financially secure as well as happily strolling in her garden with the birds and the bees. She has no worries as she is content with her life. The lesson I feel that I have learnt in these 4 years will be to be independent, just like the woman in the card. She is matured, as I will hopefully be in the next four years LOL and self-secured. She looks like a woman of substance who is well settled and happy to be where she is.

I completely enjoyed doing this spread. It has given me a lot to think about and a lot to look forward to! I will save this page and look back at it after 4 years to check on it, and if I have truly understood the meanings of the various lessons learnt on the way. I suggest you try this Leap Year Spread. It gives a different perspective on your future and what to expect!