Ankh Spread

Difficulty: Kind of tough
The Ankh Spread is for questions about the causes behind trends. It is similar to the Celtic Cross and Secret of the High Priestess spreads, but it covers the reasons behind the circumstances in question differently, perhaps giving a better explanation of why things are the way they are.
The loop of the upper section of the ankh reveals the spiritual background and causes of the situation, while the stem of the base focuses on prospects for the outcome.
The first two tarot cards represent the two parent causes of the situation. They will either complement each other or show two opposing sides of a conflict, depending on how they relate. These are the significator cards of the Ankh spread.
3. This tarot card shines light upon the early causes of the trend in question.
4. Pinpoints the causes that triggered the current situation.
5. Reveals the spiritual perspective of the subject at hand.
6. This card examines the reasons why this course of action had to unfold, as a means to this end.
At this point, it is good to pause to soak in the meaning of the first six cards before moving forward to the last three cards. The last three reveal prospects for the future.
7. The Next Step gives clues about the immediate future.
8. Surprising Experiences encountered en route to the result.
9. This represents the result.
Your Ankh Reading
| Early Causes | Higher Perceptions ![]() 4 of Wands – Completion |
Triggering Causes |
![]() 3 of Swords – Sorrow |
Necessary Conclusions | ![]() 8 of Disks – Prudence |
| Significator #1 | ![]() Art |
Significator #2 |
![]() Ace of Cups |
Next Step | ![]() 5 of Cups – Disappointment |
![]() 7 of Swords – Futility |
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Surprising Experiences ![]() 9 of Disks – Gain |
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Outcome ![]() Prince of Disks |
Significator #1
Ace of Cups
The Root of Water
The cup of Kether is the holy grail. Ten rays beam from the single source of light emanating from the cup. The cup is a vessel for the light. The beginning of a new way of feeling.
Meaning:
Joy, contentment, love, fruitfulness, beauty.
Significator #2
5 of Cups – Disappointment
Mars in Scorpio
In this card the water has turned to muck and the sky has gone pink. A scorpion is in the centre of the pentagram formed by the five cups, which are represented here as tridents. Hostility or aggression turned inwards.
Meaning:
Disturbance ending pleasure. Grief, misfortune, sadness, loss, treachery, bitterness, frustration, bad marriage, expectations unfulfilled.
Early Causes
3 of Swords – Sorrow
Saturn in Libra
Two swords are crossed with a short sword connecting them into the form of a triangle. The upside-down pyramid symbolises a creation gone wrong. A deep storm is brewing in the background.
Meaning:
Melancholy, disruption, discord, delay, separation, trouble, remorse, rupture, dispersion, removal, division.
When well-dignified: faithfulness and honesty in love and commerce.
Triggering Causes
8 of Disks – Prudence
Sun in Virgo
This card is about the virtue of patience, or taking things in their proper times. Eight clocks are hung from Jacob's Ladder. With effort dreams will be attainable. Remember: one step at a time.
Meaning:
Industriousness, agriculture, building, construction, intelligence in material affairs.
When ill-dignified: too much care spent on details at the expense of the big picture.
Higher Perceptions
4 of Wands – Completion
Venus in Aries
The process has now taken shape. Four opposite deities have come together to establish order in the form of a new understanding of the universe.
Meaning:
Solidification of a work. Conclusions drawn from previous knowledge. Harmony. Rest after completion of a work. A goal fulfilled.
When ill-dignified: haste makes waste
Necessary Conclusions
Art
Sagittarius
Temperance or Alchemy. Creation by way of the marriage of opposites. You are what you create. An androgenous figure stirs the pot. The unity of opposite alchemical symbols (lion + eagle) has produced alchemical GOLD.
Meaning:
Realisation of objectives and goals. Successful combination of energies. A string of successful magickal manoeuvres culminating in solidification. Calculated action. Management.
The Next Step
7 of Swords – Futility
Moon in Aquarius
Six swords descend upon one large sword. The six moons have mutinously ganged up on their master. The battle seems hopeless. Even with the strongest blade, the numbers may be overwhelming.
Meaning:
Fighting a hopeless battle in vain, with no prospect of victory. Partial success by stalling through lack of energy when victory is achieved.
Surprises
9 of Disks – Gain
Venus in Virgo
Six of the nine disks have now turned to coins, representing material gain. The three spiritual disks converge in the centre, forming a colour wheel and a rainbow. There are two triangles formed by the coins, one male and one female. A card of material gain.
Meaning:
Inheritance, increase in wealth, material fortune, accomplishment.
When ill-dignified: envy, theft.
The Outcome
Prince of Disks
8:00 – 10:00 Male
Taurus
The Prince of Disks rides his chariot pulled by the bull. His disk is a sphere. The air of earth is represented by the vegetation he ploughs through. He is a worker at heart, grounded on the earth plane, and concerned with materialism above all else. He may resent the spirituality that eludes his grasp.
Meaning:
A young man with skill in practical matters, reliable, and perhaps dull.
