AUTHOR’S NOTE: While preparing to do New Year’s readings for some friends tomorrow, I decided to create a special spread for the occasion. The scope encompasses a recap of the year that is ending, a look at the present-in-transition, and a projection for the coming year in three developmental areas: Stimulation; Stability and Stagnation. It uses the “numerological essence” approach to show the “State of Learning” in terms of what has been learned, what is being learned and what will be learned as the year evolves, and applies the same technique to assess the predicted “State of Progress” as “High, Medium or Low” in each developmental area. Due to the possibility of receiving duplicate “essence” cards during the calculation (I had three in the example reading below), you should have at least two decks on-hand.

Begin by shuffling the deck while concentrating on what you want to know. Then deal nine cards face-up in the pattern shown. (I went from top-to-bottom and left-to-right but you can lay them in any sequence you choose.) Reversals may be used.

Read the left-hand column as a summary of the past year in terms of stimulation, stability and stagnation in your affairs.

Read the middle column as a snapshot of circumstances as they presently stand in all three areas.

Read the right-hand column as a projection of how all three are likely to develop over the next year,

Next, sum the face value of the three cards in each column and reduce as necessary to come up with three “quaternary essence” trump cards to show the “State of Learning” at each stage of advancement over the period. In my own practice, I treat the unnumbered court cards as 11 through 14 and I subtract the value of any reversed cards, which allows reaching zero as the Fool and also arriving at a reversed “essence” card. Read these cards according to the template.

Similarly, sum and reduce the face value of the three cards in each row to yield three “quaternary essence” trump cards indicating the potential for progress in each developmental area. Read these cards as a measure of the likely rate of advancement over the period. (Note that the “High, Medium and Low” ratings are only nominal gradients and, although these are tied directly to the relative vigor of each category, the inherent nature of the “essence” cards may tell a different story.)

Finally, sum the face values of the six “essence” cards to produce a “keynote” trump card for overall advancement in all areas by the end of the upcoming year.

Here is an example reading I pulled for myself.

I received the Sun, the Hierophant and the Fool twice in this spread, once in the random draw and again during the “quaternary essence” calculations. I’m no fan of the Hierophant under any circumstances since I’m too much of an iconoclast to submit to its orthodoxy, and when reversed it implies being “stuck in the mud.” But the Sun and the Fool as “essence” cards encourage entering a new chapter over the next year.

As far as learning, it looks like I’ve discovered that things will change at their own pace (Judgement reversed); I’m coming into my power (Sun); and I will acquire restraint (Strength reversed).

Regarding progress, the Chariot shows “staying the course” with optimism, while the other two “essence” cards are dragging their feet; neither “stimulation” nor “stagnation” make a strong showing in this analysis. The Hierophant reversed is telling me that there is a high likelihood of little or no net growth arising from “stimulation,” while the High Priestess reversed lives up (or down) to the forecast of stalled potential.

There are no real “nasties” in this reading (the reversals are as bad as it gets), but the “stimulation” is cautiously tempered, the “stability” is a toss-up and the “stagnation” has the enthusiastic Knight of Wands hemmed in. I will have to look to the “keynote” Fool to engineer a leap into the Unknown while “riding shotgun” for the Chariot.

As an aside, it’s intriguing to apply the Lenormand technique of “knighting” between the seven essence cards and the cards in the body of the spread. It brings the 8 of Pentacles into “high focus” at the center of the layout by tying in some of the less prominent essence cards. It also “doubles-down” on the emphasis of the Fool and the Hierophant, two cards with conflicting agendas. One challenges stability while the other exacerbates stagnation.