The Ancestor Reading

Admin · 2d

At this time of year our thoughts turn naturally to those who have come before, those whose lives form the basis of our existence. I developed this tarot spread specifically to connect, honour and understand more about our ancestral inheritance so that, if called, we can do begin the work of lineage repair.

We start with the cardinal directions and map your paternal and maternal lines onto the four directions. This can lead to some interesting insights into how elemental forces might be moving or stagnant in each line.

It can be helpful to choose a significator for yourself and note where/if it turns up. It shows where your current focus might be or which lines are most influencing you in the present.

Let’s break it down…

1. Your father’s father’s line in the East
2. Your father’s mother’s line in the South
3. Your mother’s mother’s line in the West
4. Your mother’s father’s line in the North

Notice how the maternal lines from both parents merge in the lower left quadrant and the paternal lines merge in the right upper quadrants? Let’s look at what that means for you.

5. What does your paternal line want you to know?
6. What gifts have you inherited from them?

7. What does your maternal line want you to know?
8. What gifts have you inherited from them?

9. How do your grandfather’s from both lines work together?
10. How do your grandmother’s from both lines work together?

The next three cards are optional, but useful if you are looking for ancestral allies.

11. Which ancestor is waiting to connect with you?
12. How can you best work together?
13. What will the outcome be of this partnership?

Of course the trick with a positional reading with this many cards is to string it together into a cohesive narrative. Here’s a few tips for reading.

Part 2: How To Read

Picture yourself at the centre of the spread.

1. The cards on the 4 directions REACH OUT away from you spanning the generations. In vision travel out over the generations connecting with the forces indicated in the cards. I sometimes lay more than one card in this position, to provide a synthesis of the energies there.

2. The cards in the cross quarter position MOVE IN directing their energies towards you.

3. Looking at the whole spread, notice colour, tone, suits, Majors vs Minors. Is the energy bright, dark, conflicted, peaceful?

In my example the cards coming from my maternal line/top right are darker, there are 3 powerful majors. Really strong. How might that compensate for or overwhelm my paternal line where things are less strong and more…errr…stabby??

4. Which lines have the most resources: i.e. wellness, spiritual strengths, accomplishment? Which lines are more disorganised or chaotic?

5. I find it helps to speak of the first 4 cards as if you are describing a specific person, with the understanding that these positions may actually reflect influences, energies and an amalgamation of ancestors going back over many generations.

6. You can also consider different groupings. On the North/South axis, you have a grandfather and a grandmother from different lineages. Are they in conflict? Or is it a good match? What do they have to say to each other? Same with East/West.

7. You might also read cards 7, 4, 9 and 10, 2, 5 in line, as specific advice, do & don’t.

Interested in discovering more? I offer a 1 hour Ancestor Reading following the above spread. I provide an overview of your ancestral inheritance or focus on a specific issue in your family line that needs clarity or healing.

Book a 1 hour Ancestral Reading Here