Situation, forces & direction
Situation · Challenge · Advice
What is happening now, what is getting in the way, and what to do with it. The most practical of the three-card spreads.
When to use this spread
What is happening now, what is getting in the way, and what to do with it. The most practical of the three-card spreads.
Why this spread
When the feeling is "stuck", what is missing is not another description of the situation but a step. This spread separates what is happening, what is in the way and what can be done, and ends on advice rather than a forecast. It suits anyone who wants to leave the reading with something to do tomorrow morning.
The positions and what each one means
- 1
Situation
What is actually happening beneath the immediate feeling - 2
Challenge
What stands in the way or pulls in another direction - 3
Advice
The step the cards suggest right now
What sets it apart
Example questions
What is blocking my progress at work, and what should I do?
Open with this questionWhat is the right way to approach this situation?
Open with this questionMore spreads in "Situation, forces & direction"
- Strengthens · Weakens · Potential3 cardsFor evaluating something that already exists — a relationship, job, project, or process already in motion.
- Support · Block · Tendency3 cardsAn alternative to yes/no. Instead of a fixed answer, it reveals the forces at work and the direction things currently lean toward.
- 5-Card Question Reading5 cardsThe same question, with more depth: adds the root of the situation and advice above the forces acting within it.
- Seven-Card Horseshoe7 cardsA middle ground between five cards and the Celtic Cross: adds past, hidden influences, and a possible outcome without the complexity of ten positions.