SynTAROTis

What if I do nothing? Decision spread

1. My problem is this …

2. What do I want to achieve? (Tangible result)

3. What is my intention? (What lies behind my need to act, to make a decision)

4. If I do this …

5. On the other hand …

6. But what if I do nothing at all?

SWOT spread: strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats

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

Magic Square variation 2: I want, I have, I need, I deserve

Magic Square variation 3: I want, I have, I need, I deserve

Look-before-you-leap spread

One aspect of problem solving is decision making, the stage where you have generated ideas, evaluated them, and now need to decide which course to follow.

I created this spread—a variation on the traditional Celtic Cross spread—specifically for reflecting on a situation before acting on a decision, but it can also be used to explore any situation. The core of the spread is the cross—cards 1 to 6. Cards 7 to 10 are optional.

1. The essence of the situation
2. The most challenging aspect
3. What you know, and should focus on
4. What you don’t know, and should be aware of
5. What you bring with you from the past that has a significant influence on your situation
6. What is coming, and will have a considerable effect on your situation
7. An inner strength that you should call on
8. A positive influence that will help you
9. How your emotions affect your choice of action
10. The probable consequences of your decision (or, The next step, or Outcome)

The spread works well in both divinatory and creative-thinking readings. When you are using it for creative thinking, questions 4, 6, and 8, although they seem to call on divinatory knowledge, are an invitation to explore possible oversights. I read card 10 as the possible consequences of the decision, although it also works well as a "next step" or "outcome" card.