AUTHOR’S NOTE: In previous posts I’ve explored different ways to tell “the rest of the story” when the cards pulled for the original spread don’t produce a meaningful outcome. Here is another one. (I almost never rely on clarifiers, preferring a supplemental reading that picks up where the first one left off.)

The spread uses my recently-created Celtic triskelion layout that features “Mind,” “Body”and “Spirit” positions. The as-dealt location of a pre-selected Significator card will identify which functional area will be the focus of the initial reading.

Choose a card to represent either the querent or the situation itself. Leave it in the deck.

Shuffle the cards while concentrating on the question, then deal the cards sequentially, face-up, into the triangular pattern shown in the image below. Stop when the Significator card appears. If it is among the first twelve cards pulled such that there aren’t three cards under it, either shuffle again or pick a different spread for the reading.

When the Significator is found, spread out the three cards directly beneath it into a row or column and set the rest aside.

Examine the spread to see if it tells a coherent story. If it doesn’t address the matter convincingly, identify the card that comes the closest to answering the question on its own while still being inconclusive. (I’m calling it the “near-miss” card.)

Reassemble the rest of the cards, shuffle and cut them as usual, then lay one card face-up on top of the “near-miss” card. This is the “New Direction” card that begins the “rest of the story” while the card it covers is the “Unresolved Outcome” of the initial reading.

Deal two more cards and lay them in a row or column next to the “New Beginning” card. If these three cards don’t provide the necessary clarification, deal two more cards to make a five-card series.

Read these cards as a departure from the original layout that takes the narrative in a different and hopefully more revelatory direction.

Below is an example reading. The hypothetical question came from an individual who asked about the prospects for romantic involvement over the next six months. We designated the 2 of Cups as the “situation” card.

The 2 of Cups appeared in the “Spirit” sub-pack, suggesting that the querent has an idealistic attitude toward relationship matters. However, there is no trace of romantic sensitivity whatsoever in the three cards that follow it. They are all critical and unemotional Air and Fire, with the closest the spread comes to endearment is in the 8 of Wands, which is lively and clever. But this glibness won’t take the seeker far in the emotional arena.

Consequently, I dealt a “New Direction” card on top of the 8 of Wands and then two more above it to make a three-card column. However, this pull was hardly better than the original one, with a woebegone dullness to it that will sabotage the querent’s hopes before they ever get off the ground, so I drew two more cards to bring it to five. But this made the complexion of the narrative even more sinister.

The 2 of Swords (“Peace”) as the “New Direction” card is really no direction at all. It is, as the saying goes, “dead in the water.” The seeker doesn’t want placid indifference but rather romantic stimulation.

The 5 of Cups (“Disappointment”) speaks for itself. This “love” initiative is going nowhere.

With the 4 of Disks (“Power”) the individual comes across figuratively as a dry-as-dust “accountant.” As Monty Python said of accountancy “Dull, dull, dull!” (There may even be thoughts of luring prospective partners with expensive gifts.)

The 10 of Swords (“Ruin”) reversed is one of the most demoralizing cards in the deck. Here it reflects self-pity.

The 9 of Swords (“Cruelty”) is the quintessential card of the “bad attitude.”

I’m afraid I have no encouragement for the querent in the quest for romance since there is nothing here to inspire it and entrenched habits are hard to break. Staying at the shallow but lighthearted level of the 8 of Wands may be best for the time being, although it is more than a little “manic” in its enthusiasm. I think this person needs to go to “charm school” but I don’t know how to say that kindly.