A SWOT analysis—investigating strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats—is used in business to analyse projects, products, and the position of a company in its market. It can also be used to make help you make decisions—as a way to determine your situation or the merits of a decision—and as a tool for self-analysis.
Like the magic square spreads (see “related posts” below), some cards in the spread are read twice, in different card positions.
Red arrow: Read the three cards in the top row as strengths
Green arrow: Starting with the middle card in the ‘strengths’ row, read the first column down as weaknesses
Blue arrow: Starting with the last card in the ‘weaknesses’ row, read the bottom row as opportunities
Orange arrow: Starting with the middle card in the ‘opportunities’ row, read the second column of cards as threats
Sample reading
I have used Mark McElroy’s wonderful Bright Idea Deck for this (very cursory) self-exploration reading. The interpretations are inspired by both the images and (to a lesser degree) the traditional meanings of the cards.
Strengths
The first three cards are Green 6 (Six of Pentacles), Blue 3 (Three of Cups), and Red Controlling (King of Wands):
They can indicate:
- willingness to cooperate, teamwork; knowing when to work with others, and when to work alone; generosity; having fun (building sandcastles) even when serious work is being done
- ability to have fun (good for creativity!); can ‘play alone’ and still have a good time
- good at formulating goals; can focus on a goal; knowing what I want and shooting for it; can call the shots, leadership
Weaknesses
The ‘weaknesses’ cards are Blue 3 (Three of Cups), Nurturing (the Empress), and Green 5 (Five of Pentacles):
They can indicate:
- having fun when I should be working; overindulgence; celebrating alone, instead of with friends/co-workers; expecting too much; keeping too much to myself, instead of sharing my ideas
- overindulgence (again!); neglecting work in favour of enjoyment; tendency to ‘smother’ ideas by over-analysing them
- wanting to give up when the going gets rough; initial response to a crisis is sometimes despair instead of looking for the opportunity (especially when I’m tired); losing sight of my goal when feeling overwhelmed; not asking for help when I need it
Opportunities
The Opportunities cards are Green 5 (Five of Pentacles), Yellow 10 (Ten of Swords), and Red 2 (Two of Wands):
They can indicate:
- using my flair for turning challenges into opportunities (once I lift my head); learning to trust in my ability to turn despair into a search for alternative solutions; change direction if one path leads to a dead end (as in my current project); learn to ask for help when I need it (not when it’s almost too late); I know where to find experts and information when I need help
- use my ability to see the big picture to identify flaws in the plan; focus on the important details now that I have gained perspective; use my resources for self-analysis as basis for my writing; I have all the tools I need to tackle my project; I am good at identifying the right tool for the job
- I can focus despite various distractions; I can draw dissenting opinions and diverging ideas together, which is necessary for my current project; my project can use some research, and I have access to the best databases; I have several projects in various stages of completion, which can help me get unstuck
Threats
The Threats cards are Yellow 10 (Ten of Swords), Blue 5 (Five of Cups), and Red Controlling (King of Wands):
They can indicate:
- I’m getting too caught up in details, time to stand back and gain perspective; I’m obsessing over a detail in one project, while other projects with considerable potential are ignored; I’m over-analysing a creative project; staring at details hampers creativity; I’m in danger of analysis-paralysis—time to start moving
- grief—I should transform it, not let it overwhelm me; I am focusing on a few failures, while ignoring several triumphs
- I am focusing so much on one goal, that I’m neglecting communal support—mistake! My goals have become a little fuzzy, I need to reformulate and redirect
I hope you enjoy this spread. Let me know how it goes! I have a variation on the SWOT spread that I will post in the next few days.
Related posts
The magic square spread: From worry to peace
Magic squares: I want, I have, I need, I deserve
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