POSTED UNDER Tarot

The Hourglass Spread

January 14, 2010 by Barbara Moore 5 Comments

One of my all time very favorite spreads was published on the now defunct Tarot Passages website (the site www.tarotpassages.com is still up and filled with great information but has not been updated for quite a while). This spread, called The Hourglass Spread, was created by Teresa Michelsen, author of The Complete Tarot Reader and Designing Your Own Tarot Spreads, and is particularly illuminating when you are both looking back and looking ahead:

hourglassspread

The spread is read from
the bottom to top as follows:

Base Level (cards 1, 2, and 3):  This level represents the sands that have already fallen, and the cards in this level represent things to reflect on about the past year: accomplishments, major changes, any significant problems, and overall focus.

2nd Level (cards 4 and 5):  This level represents sands that have recently fallen, and energies that are passing out of your life or need to be released.

Middle (card 6): This is a snapshot in time, as the sand passes through the narrowest part of the hourglass, representing where you are at this exact moment in your life.

4th Level (cards 7 and 8): This level represents sands about to fall, and energies or influences that will soon enter your life in the near future.

Top Level (cards 9, 10, and 11): This level represents the vast potential of the coming year and all the things that may come to pass. Here you will find potentials and possibilities: things that you can accomplish, major transitions that are coming, and issues that are ready to be dealt with in the coming year.

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Written by Barbara Moore
The tarot has been a part of Barbara Moore’s personal and professional lives for over a decade. In college, the tarot intrigued her with its marvelous blending of mythology, psychology, art, and history. Later, she served as the tarot specialist for Llewellyn Publications. Over the years, she has ...