The Two-Choice Spread
A five-card spread for decisions: options A and B must be clearly defined before drawing, and in the reading the outcome positions carry more weight than the process positions.
The five positions
A five-card decision spread for comparing two specific options. The five positions:
- The present situation: the overall circumstances before the draw, such as whether the querent already has two concrete opportunities in hand, or is only feeling their way between two possible directions.
- How option A develops
- How option B develops
- The outcome of option A
- The outcome of option B
This spread has one precondition. Before drawing, confirm with the querent exactly what options A and B are. Even if the querent does not want to share details, at least make sure both of you are clear on "what A is and what B is," so you do not discover after the draw that the options themselves were never properly defined.
Reading points
In the reading, the outcome positions (4 and 5) usually carry more weight than the process positions (2 and 3). Even if both options seem to develop reasonably well, the main basis for judgment should be whether the final outcome cards are favorable. A few situations come up often when giving a conclusion. If both outcomes are good, do not make the decision for the querent; explain what is good about each option and leave the choice to them. If one outcome is clearly better, you can suggest leaning toward that option, but still make clear that the final decision belongs to the querent (the option that looks better in the cards is not necessarily the one they want more at heart). If neither outcome looks good, gently help the querent see that the problem may lie partly with themselves, beyond the options being poor.