At times, a situation seems straightforward, and you believe you know the answer. However, things can quickly change, leaving you uncertain. When using tarot to provide guidance for yourself or others, you often want to know a yes or no. It is good to have a reliable tarot spread to help in these cases.
I have experimented with various techniques, such as considering all upright cards as a yes or focusing on positive cards (previously defined) as a confirmation.
Barbra Moore uses a 5-card Yes No tarot spread from Susyn Blair-Hunt's Tarot Prediction & Divination. It is an effective method that provides insight and clarity to your yes-no questions. It involves a 5-card spread that answers yes or no while also offering an explanation for the decision, including a possible maybe.
As I started working on this post and using my go-to 5-card spread, I realized that I am unsure if it will be useful this time. While laying the cards for my question, I received a strong intuitive hit. However, when I applied the spread's rules, I found a conflict between my intuition and the method. In this post, I will unpack this experience in the hopes of finding the best way to determine a yes or no in a reading, both for myself and others.
How does this work?
Place 5 cards in a row horizontally.
Count how many yes and no's to determine the answer. We are using 5 cards so that we will not get a tie.
As with all questions - shuffle while repeating your question.
In this method:
YES = Major arcana & even numbered cards
NO = Court cards and odd-numbered cards
*Another note from me about this system - Aces are No cards in this system – for me they are definitely a Yes card! Especially when they are upright!
If you have 5 yes or no cards, you know your answer and can then read the cards.
At this point, tell the story about why it is either a yes or a no. This can be done left to right, or you could be pulled to the most influential card in the group and tell the story that way.
As there are no positions in this spread you have a lot of room to move. It could be the middle card, or whatever card calls you, see below for my interpretation.
2/3 answer is really a maybe, or a yes/no with conditions. Perhaps you will need to further clarify those extra details in another spread? If you don’t like the answer, now you can get down to the guidance and advice about how to change it, or alternatively why it is meant to stay that way.
I am going to explore this with you and share my results. I am not sure if I am sold on this yet or not, so bear with me.
I am using the Light Seers Tarot and the 5-card yes/no spread. My question is ‘about booking a stall at the Rainbow Wellbeing expo' at a certain location and date, very specific to me and my life right now.
My 5 cards are – The Chariot, Page of Wands, Ace of Pentacles, The High Priestess and Queen of Cups (see picture below).
For me, my intuitive hit is a YES from the outset. 5 very positive cards, however, if I use the method above this really becomes a different answer.
Using the 5-card Yes No Tarot spread:
Chariot = Yes (Major)
Page of Wands = No (Court)
Ace of Pentacles = No (odd)
High Priestess = Yes (Major)
Queen of Cups = No (Court)
Summary 3 nos and 2 yeses, this could be a maybe?
As I said before for me Aces are yes cards, so if I adapt this to my own personal preferences, we get
Chariot = Yes (Major)
Page of Wands = No (Court)
Ace of Pentacles = Yes (ace)
High Priestess = Yes (Major)
Queen of Cups = No (Court)
Summary 3 yes and 2 no's, this could be a maybe and leaning towards the yes.
While this could be me wanting to skew this reading, I really don’t feel an ace is a no, so I am very comfortable changing this to suit myself.
I am going to give you an example of how I could read a YES and then NO.
Let’s start with yes first (this is my intuitive yes):
The Chariot
Is a yes card for me – it is positive about momentum, success, and drive. It is a signal to go forward, and, in this card, we have a free-spirited van pulled by two untethered horses. Wild and free and going in the direction towards what makes them even more so.
Page of Wands
It can be impulsive energy but here it speaks of enjoying life, throwing caution to the wind, and getting out and doing things you enjoy, that you are passionate about and even creative, throwing the paintbrush in the air (I am going to do psychic art at the expo).
Ace of Pentacles
Another yes – sitting right in the middle almost a pivot point. Talking of the opportunity. This opportunity is a grounded one, one that is meant to come to fruition or to light. It is another move forward energy, take it while it is ripe.
On the left of this card, it is all about the passion and excitement to move forward and to do so with fire and drive. And on the right, we get a different energy altogether - watery emotional, psychic and creative - two key aspects of what I will do at the psychic expo.
High Priestess
Yes – she is in her element in the psychic expo, it is about opening and being a pure conduit for the energy of spirit. To open to the dreamy otherworldly quality of the High Priestess, she is at home. She is also talking to me about surrendering to divine suggestions.
Queen of Cups
For this question again she is a yes. She is in her element also. Completely at home and even protected in her own space where she is experiencing the pure essence of spirit and fully absorbed. Having her next to the High Priestess talks of the deepening of skills, talents and abilities that may have been hidden or dormant.
Intuitive answer = Yes
There could be alternative interpretations of these cards, but the feel of these 5 cards for me was this as I have outlined above.
Finally – using the above method – this is a no, or even a maybe 3 – 2.
Chariot
Yes – it is positive about momentum, success, and drive. It is a signal to go forward, and, in this card, we have a free-spirited van pulled by two untethered horses. Wild and free and going in the direction towards what makes them even more so. However, as it is next to the Page of Wands, it could talk about being overly reckless, and not thinking before acting like the Page of Wands.
Page of Wands
No - it can be impulsive energy, throwing caution to the wind, being very self-centred and walking to the beat of your own drum. With both the chariot and page of wands here perhaps I am letting myself get carried away with the excitement of something I want to do, not putting enough thought into it.
Ace of pentacles
No – this could talk about looking at everything in the cold light of day. What are the practicalities of this for me? It is a long way from where I live. It looks also like it is something that needs to be taken care of, to be nurtured into existence, not rushed. To make the most of this opportunity it needs to be developed with slow and steady patience.
The High Priestess
Yes – she is in her element in the psychic expo, but she can also speak of no action. About going within while opening yourself up to spirit. Maybe she is nearly ready.
Queen of cups
No - she has her eyes closed, she is aware of the energies she is submerged and surrounded by, is she too psychic and too sensitive for this energy? She could be too out there in the energies, not allowing clear vision and thought about this choice. Particularly as both cards have their eyes closed. This could be being blinded by the energies.
This doesn’t feel like the energy of the card in this reading. She feels poised to step into her crown, into what she is good at.
In doing both readings I can feel that there is a truth in both. However, I am struggling to to find the negative of both the High Priestess and the Queen of Cups, when they are expressed in the upright position, their key energies relate to a psychic fair so well, that it feels like I am manufacturing it.
My initial gut reaction to the 5 cards was an overwhelmingly positive yes from all 5.
A really quick sum up for me is about the momentum of moving forward (the chariot - I have felt very stuck for a long time) of doing something I love to do and creating something out of it while I stand in my power as the High Priestess, fully present to my spirit team and enjoying this, expressing it with my creative, imaginative and flowy nature (I am a triple earth in astrology, but very sensitive). Perhaps it could also speak to me about being more of the High Priestess and Queen of Cups, really owning these aspects of myself.
I will continue to work with this Yes No tarot spread. I will also continue to work in other ways with Yes No tarot spreads until I find my way. I am happy to play with these ideas some more. If you too are exploring these challenges with tarot spreads, I would love to hear how you are going.
Play around with this yes-no tarot spread and see if you can trust yourself and the spread.
Jo