This week we will be focusing our attention on the number Nine. Nine represents foundations - deep, integral structures that support and enable our growth - when they are properly constructed. A destiny is a type of foundation. We will be using a nine-card spread to lay a foundation for a major project - and give ourselves several options on how to approach it. This can even be a general “life-journey” spread. Any large, long range arc of development that has a beginning, a middle, and an end. The helpful thing about such huge exercises in storytelling is that they give us something to focus on when we are in a time of doubt. This is a spread for the Long Game.
This spread pattern is prophetic in function. It is a matrix of destiny. A “Choose-Your Own-Adventure” in time. It has been carefully designed with a great deal of flexibility built in - because that is life - there are many possible courses for us to take.
As always, we start by getting into the magickal mindset. In this case, I will do it as follows. Begin to shuffle or spread the cards on the table as you visualize a stream of light washing through them and cleaning them out… Watch as the deck becomes crystal clear - like a cube of pure ice, concealed in water…
You want nine cards - I keep shuffling until nine jumpers pop out, but you could also mix the cards face down and in the process of doing so, allow nine to become separate from the others. Try to keep them face down, but its okay if they pop up - just turn them over. If you are eliciting jumpers, also, you may find yourself with 11 or more cards - that’s okay: just separate enough cards intuitively (and without looking at their faces) until you are left with only nine, face down…
Don’t be rigid - really let these nine cards emerge out of the background like a pod of whales rising from the deep sea….
Next, as you continue to clear your mind, and imagine that the cards are being washed in pure light - becoming fully transparent, massage them into the figure of a 3x3 square of cards - listening to your intuition as to what fits where. Do what you need to do so that you feel you have assembled the “right” square to express the forces of destiny that are influencing this undertaking.
You can imagine that this is a great Tortoise - like the sort that mythopoeically uphold the world.
Once this square is fully formed, you can turn the cards up - in any order that you like. The meaning of the positions has not yet been decided. Feel the energies contributing themselves to the primordial destiny pool, like ingredients in a soup.
Once the cards are all face up, take the time to soak them in - look at the centre, at the corners, at the rows, columns and diagnols. Let the overall spread make an impression on your unconscious without trying to interpret it, yet.
You now have a square of cards that has emerged synchronistically from the shuffled deck - but with no particular order given to the cards. This is a fertile field of possible destinies, but it is up to the sitter to choose which course they will take.
The Key to unlocking this spread is the ancient 3x3 magic square known as the “Lo Shu” square. There are eight possible versions of the Lo Shu based on all the different orientations and reflections of the numbers. In other words, the are possible 8 destinies here, and we can each choose one.
Consult below for the meaning of the 9 positions. The Lo Shu depicted on the left is in Destiny Pattern #1 configuration as a default, but know that you may apply whichever of these keys shapes the raw destiny material of the square in the way that best suits your needs as the sitter. The sitter decides which key to apply.
1: Beginning of Beginning - The Spark 2: Middle of Beginning - The Protector 3: End of Beginning - The Initiation 4: Beginning of Middle - The Challenge 5: Middle of Middle - The Bridge 6: End of Middle - The Crossing 7: Beginning of End - The Home Stretch 8: Middle of End - The Closing 9: End of End - The Legacy |
After due consideration, the sitter chose to use Key 5 to unlock this Rose of Destiny:
This then gives the positions in the spread meanings in accordance with the above description.
The sitter thought about where they would like their destiny to lead, and of the four options: 2/wands, Justice, 5/wands, and 4/cups, Justice and the 2/wands were the most appealing places to end up.
After evaluating both directions for each of these two destiny paths, they chose to begin in the 5/wands and end in the 2/wands by moving first towards the Ace of Cups. This produced a path with maximum coherence, and which “front-loads” the difficult energies. It thus becomes a story of hard work, overcoming of hardship, and triumph.
This spread is usable for any major process with different possible angles of approach. It gives you the freedom of choosing which way through the process that you will take. It is especially good for initiations, and full life readings.
Choose wisely, choose once.
Assuming that this is a full life reading, then Destiny Pattern 5 gives us the following sequence:
1: The Spark. Initially the life of this person is conditioned by instability, conflict and contention.
2: The Protector. They are nurtured by at least one profound source of love in their early years, and this helps offset the anxiety produced by the conflictual environment.
3: The Initiation. They grow into luxury, and become somewhat self-satisfied, not truly appreciating what they have.
4: The Challenge. Unresolved grief from early childhood manifests as trauma, spiritual and psychological ordeals, or addiction.
5: The Bridge. They find themselves carrying a great burden in mid-life, perhaps holding a karmic debt that they resolve to pay off.
6: The Crossing. Working with great industry results in a consolidation of themselves and their worldly affairs. This manifests as a suprising “late bloom”, just on the other side of middle age.
7: The Home Stretch. As the late stage of life dawns, an equilibrium is achieved as they pay off the karmic debt from their youth and become free of the burden.
8: The Closing. The sitter becomes masters over their own heart and soul, having achieved victory in the struggle for integrity and wholeness.
9: The Legacy. A world is secured for those walking in the footsteps of this sitter - their children and their heirs.
So in effect, this is a very powerful spread for very big picture inquiries, mainly because it allows maneuverability and contemplation before “gelling” into a specific prophecy. Once the key is chosen, however, it becomes a powerful energetic armature that may have lasting results on the whole life of the sitter - Past, Present, and Future.
Pro Tip - Consider the following - the card in the centre is unchanging - it will be in position five, “the bridge” regardless of which destiny pattern you choose. Also consider that the cards in the centre of each side of the square are the four possible “entrances” to the path, as well as being the four possible exits. Whichever entrance you choose (position 1), the exit will be the card directly opposite (position 9). Finally, from each of the four gates, you can chose one of two paths. Each will get to the same destination, but by a different route. Study each of the eight paths and decide - how do you want to start? How do you want to finish? You may need to make some compromises in order to carve out a path to your satisfaction.
But Wait! this is called the Rose of Nine Destinies! What is the ninth?
Good question! The ninth key of destiny is to play the-wild card, and to reshuffle and form a new square. The ninth destiny is fluid - it is a reminder of the fact that whatever course we are on, we can always spin the wheel again - overturn the tables of fate and reformulate them- but consider the cost carefully before doing so - such a panic-button can throw everything stable into arrears. Invested energies and states of affairs will be upturned and could become lost forever. You are re-booting the hard drive of your life, and doing a clean-install: The course of things as you understand them will almost certainly be aborted, abandoned, reset - but - if there is truly no bright path through the field of destinies from where you currently stand, then by all means, brave soul, re-deal!
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