AUTHOR’S NOTE: This is the fourth in my series of “Revealing” spreads: I’ve done a “Mandala,” a “Pentacle” and an “Onion” of Revealing in the past. I’m using the pendulum motif for this one to answer the perennial yes-or-no question, with a nod toward “maybe” and any contrary trends that might occur as shown by reversed orientation. The idea behind it is that the point of equilibrium at the bottom of the pendulum’s swing (aka “bottom dead center”) represents the maximum effect of gravity on the “bob” and thus the ultimate expression of symmetrical “yes-ness” while the two lopsided extremes of its travel culminate in a “no way” judgment. In between there are transitional stages that signify a kind of “free-fall” and yield only an inconclusive “maybe” decision.

Begin by choosing a Significator card to represent the topic of interest or area of life in question. This can be a court card if the actions of another person are central to resolution of the matter or if the querent has a personal state of mind (belief, premonition, attitude, mood, feeling, etc.) that will be affected by the answer. Otherwise it can be any card that most closely describes the issue. Leave this card in the deck.

Shuffle the deck in a way that allows for reversals, then deal five cards face-up in the order and pattern shown in the photo. (All images are from Ciro Marchetti’s Tarot Grand Luxe, copyright of US Games Systems Inc, Stamford, CT.)

If the Significator is not present, keep dealing in the same sequence until it appears in one of the positions either upright or reversed. The position meanings and the impact of orientation should be self-evident, but a brief explanation is in order. The “trending” indicators show that the matter is in flux and moving toward the next less-affirmative status. Only the “Maybe” positions exhibit no incipient trend since they are inherently uncertain regarding the direction the situation may go. I’ve used the “Definite Maybe” oxymoron to describe a “no-decision” verdict when the Significator is upright and “Mixed Message” to show the even more unstable scenario caused by reversal that could slip back into “yes” territory (although I wouldn’t count on it) or degrade into “no.” These are the most cautionary positions in the spread since they can produce undue optimism or pessimism due to their ambivalence. As always, depending on the question, a “no” answer may not be bad nor a “yes” answer entirely good.

Once the Significator shows up, deal one more card on top of it and take the card immediately beneath it to form a three-card set that will provide a “thumbnail” back-story for the reading. If you desire a more thorough analysis of contributing and collateral factors before and after the likelihood of occurrence has been decided, include additional cards from the stack below the Significator and pull more cards to place on top of it. (Note that the five-card linear series shown above is not read as such.)

The underlying cards are intended to reveal the “beginning of the matter” and the “covering” cards to cap the situation with an “outcome” determination. The Significator between them suggests a “fulcrum” or point of leverage at which one turns (or can be turned) into the other. If the Significator is the first card dealt in its stack with no cards beneath it, developments will arise spontaneously with no precursors. In this case, unless more outcome cards are pulled, there will be only a two-card narrative implying present and future conditions that can be combined with the position meaning and orientation of the cards to convey the opportunities and consequences associated with the “yes-or-no” conclusion.

Here is a brief example reading to illustrate the process. The question was whether emotional closure and mutual satisfaction would be achieved in an interpersonal scenario. The 4 of Cups was selected from the Tarot Grand Luxe as the Significator.

The Significator appeared upright in the “Trending No” position. The Queen of Wands underlying the 4 of Cups has her own ideas about the outcome and wants something different from it that is much less sentimental (just look at that face!) The Ace of Coins suggests that the initiative will stall due to limited practicality and thus remain only a wistful fantasy. The pensive expression of the man on the Four speaks volumes since he really has no leverage over the Queen. The advice for him would be to find a new field to cultivate since the Queen is elementally indifferent to the sensitivity of Water and has a self-serving agenda in mind.