More patterns in a spread: Predominance
In Patterns in a spread: Predominance, I concentrated on mode, suit, element, and number. However, there are more patterns to look out for if you want to deepen a tarot reading and focus on predominance.
Colour
You might notice a predominant colour in a spread or a subset of cards.
A predominance of colour could indicate the following:
| Black | power, elegance, sophistication, formality, mourning, death, sin, hidden knowledge, the unconscious, absence of insight |
| White | purity, spirituality, cleanliness, virtue, illumination |
| Red | passion, love, sensuality, anger, violence, willpower, purpose |
| Blue | peace, calmness, responsibility, conservatism, reliability, heaven |
| Green | freshness, life, growth, vibrancy, jealousy, naivety, adaptability, worldliness |
| Yellow | happiness, cheerfulness, creativity, energy, sunshine, cowardice, the intellect |
| Orange | energy, dive, ambition, movement, creativity, vitality, confidence, impulsivity |
| Purple | royalty, authority, creativity, wealth, luxury, spiritual insight |
| Gray | conservatism, moodiness, depression, boredom, neutrality, balance of opposites |
| Brown | earthiness, the potential for growth, stability, neutrality, dependability, reliability, stagnation |
| Pink | love, calmness, femininity, sensuality |
Reversals
A spread containing a large number of reversals could indicate difficulty, being blocked, negativity, an ending, or a focus on the inner world. If the spread is small, a majority of reversals (say, two out of a spread of three) could be significant.
'Missing' cards
Another pattern might be 'missing' cards. These cards are not actually missing, but there is a general lack of a mode or a suit.
If there are no major arcana cards in a spread, the focus is on everyday life.
An absence of suit and court cards in a spread—thus a spread consisting of major arcana cards only—could refer to the importance of the matter or indicate that the querent is in the grip of external and unpredictable forces, creating a great deal of uncertainty and fear.
An absence of a specific suit could be significant in a large spread. An absence of Swords cards could imply that the situation is characterized by a lack of reason or communication. A lack of Pentacle cards could point to a general lack of groundedness and practicality. No court cards might mean that the focus is on the querent or that there is a lack of advice or the viewpoint of others.
In a smaller spread, a 'missing' suit might mean nothing at all but could be significant if, in a reading on finances, no Pentacles cards are present, or in a love reading, there is a surprising lack of emotion.
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