USING THE CARDS
THREE FUNDAMENTAL FORMATS
There are two main uses for the cards, the first one being as a Three-card Self-Awareness Experiment that you frame in whatever structure works for you. It can be used daily, weekly, or even longer if it suits you. Debriefing at the end of a period using a particular spread—at the end of the day, for example—helps to deepen the insight and identify change, or areas where change would be helpful.
The second is a Situation-Specific Spread to address a particular situation or issue that you’d like insight and expansion on. It may remain as a 3-card spread but can expand into 6, 9, or 12-card spreads (rarely have I used more than 12, but there is no restriction on how far you can take it).
Thirdly, you have the North Star Option which is simply pulling one to three cards from any pack and using that as your guidance for the day.
How Do I Begin?
When it comes to using cards, it's always a good idea to start by becoming familiar with the cards and following the recommended steps from the exercise called Quick and Clean Energy Tune Up. These steps are designed to help you become familiar with the cards and understand how to make the most out of their potential. There’s a quick reference below. For more complete guidance, see Examples and Printable Guide Sheets, and Understanding the Cards, where you can find specific guidance for each pack by viewing Further Instructions. However, once you’re comfortable with the basics, I encourage you to branch out and create your own method.
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When you're using them as a self-awareness tool they're pretty clear in terms of how you're going to apply them. Much of the subtlety happens within the Contemplation pack, with the following two cards prompting you to take a minute to imagine what that emotion feels like in your body (Intention pack), and to play with a suggested way of thinking, behaving, perceiving (Action pack).
Ask yourself questions. This is the best way to debrief at the end of the day and get the most insight into your own self-awareness. For ideas, go to the Debriefing Example on the Examples and Printable Guides page.
You can follow the guide and grid worksheets in PDF form, which are available to view or download here, create your own, or simply journal.
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This typically starts with a question to focus the spread around a specific time, place, or event. While it can be predictive, I suggest it more for insight and resolution around something that’s not working how you’d like it to.
For example: What’s going to help me overcome my procrastination in getting my website up and running? What’s good for me to hear today? How can I best approach my meeting with the mortgage broker? Is there an underlying issue I’ve not identified regarding my dating life that keeps recreating my old patterns?
If you want to do a ‘deep dive’ you can begin with a 3-card spread, following the suggested questions in the cards you’ve pulled. You can ask for clarification or deepening as you weave your way along your gut responses and intuition, choosing more cards from any or all of the packs. The formula is fairly simple:
Select the cards blindly. After following the guide cards included in the deck or the additional worksheets and how-to guides available to view or download. State what you think the message is. If you want more clarification of the spread OR if you want more assistance in achieving what you think you’re being guided to do, use your intuition to pull from any pack in the deck and take note of what you pull and how it fits into the other cards.
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