The Deck of Shadows | The Wizard of Oz Spread
I am always looking for unconventional, yet elegant, ways to use The Deck of Shadows, Tarot cards, and other divination tools. In light of the upcoming holidays and their theme of gratitude, I wanted to share with you a spread I developed which is based on L. Frank Baum’s beloved 1900′s tale, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Naturally, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is powerfully and imaginatively built around the words, There’s no place like home . . .
In The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Dorothy is disconnected with her home, her family, and herself. She lives at her home, but she is not grounded with her home. Dorothy must take a daring, inward journey in order to reach the self-realization that the home she thought she left has more meaning for her than she originally recognized. In other words, home – particularly in this spread – stands for the concept of self-acceptance.
Mr. Baum’s story readily contains many charming metaphors and life lessons – some likely intended by the author, others eventually found by the personal observations of the various fans of the stories. Irrespective of your approach, the fable is what is known as a circular journey; a voyage or passage in which the final destination is exactly the same as the place of departure. This type of story is like Nature’s cycle of the seasons and plainly represents the psychological or hidden wheel that turns one’s life. It is not just about a homecoming. Rather, it is about an internal change in someone – while their external world remarkably remains the same.
Circular stories also provide a ready example of cause and effect; one thing or decision leads to another thing or decision. You know how the story starts and how it will end; it is the journey between the two points that holds the most significance.
Further, circular stories are, by definition, predictable. How appropriate, then, to use this construct for a reading.
The Wizard of Oz Spread helps us to quickly explore someone’s connection to the world around them and the changes they are going through internally in relation to that world. It is built around the six archetypes of Dorothy Gale, The Tin Man, The Scarecrow, The Cowardly Lion, The Good Witch of the North, and The Wicked Witch of the West. The layout looks like this:
Take your Deck of Shadows or other divination device and select six cards, runes, gem stones, etc. for each of the following locations – North, East, South, West, Far North, and Far West. These locations represent the following patterns in a person’s life:
NORTH – Dorothy Gale (There’s no place like home) – MEANING: What is wanted (the external world) or needed (the internal world) in order to achieve personal power or confidence
EAST -The Scarecrow (If I only had a brain) – MEANING: What the person must learn to laugh at and thus discover wisdom
SOUTH -The Cowardly Lion (If I only had courage) – MEANING: What the person must learn to confront in order to find bravery
WEST – The Tin Man (If I only had a heart) – MEANING: What ritual the person must learn to give up in order to find their heart
FAR NORTH- The Good Witch of the North (It’s always best to start at the beginning) – The aid a person will receive in order to go back home
FAR WEST – The Wicked Witch of the West (I’ll get you, my pretty)- The obstacle that must be overcome before the person can get back home
Use The Wizard of Oz Spread to look within to find your or someone else’s power.
Just some thoughts. Enjoy.
Oh, and one more thing – never give up your silver (ruby) slippers!
Make sure to sign up for my blog mailing list so you get all future postings delivered directly to your inbox.
