Decision Spread

What is the decision spread and when should you use it?

The Decision Spread is a seven-card tarot spread for seeing the energy and likely direction of each path when you are caught between two options. The first card shows the core theme of the decision. The remaining six cards form two rows, one per option, each with a start card, a development card and a result card.

Two job offers, two cities, staying in a relationship or taking a break, starting a course now or waiting a year: it suits any situation with two clear options. If the options are still vague, clarify the situation first with the Three Card Spread; if there are three options, the Katina deck’s Three Paths spread gives each of the three options its own column.

What distinguishes this spread is its attention to development as well as results. A desired goal and the work required to pursue it deserve separate consideration. For each option, set the development card’s theme beside the duties, preparation and commitments you know about; then consider how the result theme relates to your goal.

How to ask a question for the decision spread

A good decision question names both options. Before you phrase it, write each option down in a sentence.

• Define the options. For example, “The permanent post at company A or the new team at B?” Decide which is option one and which is option two before you draw.
• Ask “What does each path bring me?” rather than “Which one is right?” The cards do not hand down a verdict; they describe two paths.
• Make it a real choice. If you have already decided and are only looking for approval, the reading has nothing new to tell you.
• Stay inside the question. Ask how you would live on each path, not what other people will say about it.

Example questions: “What would staying in my city and joining the programme abroad each bring me?”, “How do taking a break from this relationship and trying again differ?”, “Should my free time go to the language course I left half-finished or to the painting I’ve just started?”

While you shuffle, give both options the same attention. Then draw the cards in order: the first is the theme, the next three are option one and the last three are option two.

Decision spread positions: the 7 cards explained

Card 1 sits at the top, in the centre. Beneath it, cards 2, 3 and 4 run from left to right as option one, and beneath them cards 5, 6 and 7 form option two.

Order	Position	What it shows
1	Decision theme	The real issue underneath the decision, the need pushing you to choose
2	Option one start	The first energy that comes forward when you step onto path one
3	Option one development	The process you would live through on path one
4	Option one result	The direction this path leads to if you keep to it
5	Option two start	The first energy that comes forward when you step onto path two
6	Option two development	The process you would live through on path two
7	Option two result	The direction this path leads to if you keep to it

The theme (1). The decision theme sits above both paths and sheds light on each. It often tells you what the decision is really about: security, freedom, belonging?

The two rows (2–4 and 5–7). Each row is a story of its own: a beginning, a process and a destination. The result cards are not prophecies but the direction that can unfold if that path is walked under today’s conditions.

How to read the decision spread as a whole

In a decision spread, the real information lies in how the two rows stand against each other.

Start with the theme. The first card tells you what scale to weigh the two paths on. Keep it in mind while you read the options.

Read each row on its own. Which themes strengthen from start to result, and which tensions remain? Compare a strong beginning and a hard result through enthusiasm and cost; compare a hard beginning and a supportive result through effort and goals. Keep the option’s real conditions alongside all three cards.

Compare the columns. Put the two starts, the two developments and the two results side by side. When the result cards share a theme, compare the development cards’ different demands. When development themes match, consider how the result cards describe different goals. Check both comparisons against the actual terms of each option.

Look at the suits. A Pentacles-heavy row emphasises resources, security and tangible value; Wands emphasise initiative and enthusiasm. Cups introduce emotional fulfilment, Swords mental load or clarity. Relate these areas of meaning to the responsibilities and goals you have named for each option.

Read a reversal where it stands. A reversed card in a development position can describe a delay on that path or a period of turning inward; on its own it does not close the path.

Finish with two sentences: “For path one I need to weigh …; for path two I need to weigh …”. Then identify one piece of information to obtain before deciding.

Example reading: between two job offers

This example compares two job offers through their beginning, development and result themes, using Rider–Waite–Smith images to distinguish resources, workload and recognition.

Question: “I’m torn between a permanent post at a long-established company and an offer from a small, new team. What does each path bring me?”

Position	Card
1. Decision theme	Justice
2. Option one start	Ace of Pentacles
3. Option one development	Ten of Wands
4. Option one result	Nine of Pentacles
5. Option two start	The Fool
6. Option two development	Five of Wands
7. Option two result	Six of Wands

Theme: Justice. Scales and a sword bring fairness, responsibility and honest judgement into the decision. Ask what you value in each offer and which working conditions you are prepared to accept. Use those priorities as the basis for comparing the two rows.

Path one: the established company. The Ace of Pentacles’ hand holds out a pentacle, introducing opportunity and resources. In development, the Ten of Wands shows one figure carrying ten staves: responsibility, overload and the need to share work. The Nine of Pentacles’ garden introduces earned comfort and independence in the result position. Compare those themes with the offer’s pay, duties and working conditions.

Path two: the new team. The Fool’s traveller at a cliff brings openness, a new beginning and unprepared risk into the start. The Five of Wands introduces rivalry, friction and competing efforts in development. The Six of Wands’ laurel-crowned rider represents visible success and recognition in the result. Ask how the team assigns work and makes decisions to give those themes a concrete context.

Together. The Nine of Pentacles emphasises independence and material comfort; the Six of Wands emphasises visible achievement and recognition. Weigh those goals alongside the Ten of Wands’ load and the Five of Wands’ friction. Before answering either offer, prepare three questions about an ordinary working day, put them to both employers and write the answers side by side.

Select Decision Spread in the Larisa app and enter your question in up to 600 characters. The reader considers Decision theme alongside each option’s start, development and result, then brings the comparison together with a practical step related to your question.