Ah, decisions decisions. When faced with a choice between two paths most readers consult the cards for guidance. It may be that they need more information, a certain option may seem more attractive, or (if they’re anything like me) may just suffer from chronic indecisiveness.
The Alternate Realities spread is ideal when you want to compare the potential future of two options alongside one another; sometimes the visual impact alone can help with your decision. You’ll find the template for this spread on page 145 in the Chronicles handbook but we’re providing a real case study here, so you can see it in action. (For confidentiality reasons the seeker’s name has been changed.)
Susan runs her own business, which she enjoys, but business has been slow recently and finances are suffering. Alternatively, she’s been offered a position elsewhere and it seems to have good potential. Although she thinks it’s the sensible thing to do she feels quite reticent but isn’t sure if that’s because she’s emotionally attached to her business and the work she’s already put into it. In the long run, she doesn’t think it’s realistic to do both without something suffering and so feels very torn, although she’s already agreed to take the work on. She’d like to know what the future of the new work will be; if she should just concentrate on the new post, or what the outcome would be if she continues her efforts in her own business.
We decided to focus our intention as: Option A: The future of the new work, (left side) and Option B: the outcome if she continues with her own business (on the right). Susan shuffles the cards and then cuts into three stacks, the first cut is stack A, the second cut is B, and the third cut C.
We decided to focus our intention as: Option A: The future of the new work, (left side) and Option B: the outcome if she continues with her own business (on the right). Susan shuffles the cards and then cuts into three stacks, the first cut is stack A, the second cut is B, and the third cut C.
Seeing them alongside, you probably can’t help but notice the outcome card in Option A, Road to Nowhere, but let’s look at the full picture, both options separately and then in comparison.
Option A: Future of the new work
Lady Spring in the present position indicates new beginnings, although there can be a hint of renewal with this card too. Whilst the position is new to Susan, the type of work and the person she’s working with brings a renewed association into play.
The card working for or against you can sometimes be two sides of the same coin, it can be easy to read it as either a positive or negative card association, but it can also offer hidden depths. The Butterfly Queen brings change and a major transformation and works on many levels for Susan: it’s a complete change of work culture and environment but also her fears of losing her own business, as she wouldn’t have time to continue as before. Was she resisting the change? In some ways, yes, but not enough to have stopped her doing what she felt was ‘the right thing,’ but it did feel like a massive change to what she had become used to in her business.
The outcome card for this option is the Road to Nowhere, so for all that she feels it’s something she should do, it doesn’t hold a promising future as it leads to a dead end. It could be that this is how the work feels further down the line, as if she just isn’t going anywhere, but this card also asks you to reconsider the route you’re travelling and find a different way round. She may need to reconsider her goals, as this option doesn’t seem to offer long-term prospects so it could be short-lived, especially with The Butterfly Queen, and this could also be the obstacle that card was presenting.
Option B: Continued efforts with her own business
The Lightbearer indicates a gift, someone being generous or doing you a favour. In Susan’s case, our first thought was the message The Lightbearer gives in the story of the card, “Your destiny is in your heart, you just need to follow where it leads.” As Susan talked about her business it was easy to see she loves what she does and puts heart and soul into it. She may be following her heart but could it be that she’s the one doing so much giving? She agrees that she tends to go above and beyond for her customers, but she also felt the job offered to her was something of a godsend when she needed it, although it was now creating the underlying angst she faces over her business.
The Sinking Ship shows the difficulty with finances, it’s the main card to watch for with financial loss but can also show failed plans. It’s interesting with these two side by side, The Lightbearer giving and The Sinking Ship losing, it appears to be a case of ‘in one hand and out the other.’ Whilst it can sometimes be a temporary situation, in the immediate term the picture for finances doesn’t seem to be improving or changing. Interestingly, this has been the crux of the problem and the reason for Option A to begin with.
The outcome card looks promising but possibly not in the way she would expect. The Adventure brings in a new beginning but it’s usually unfamiliar or unknown territory. This can’t be referring to the work in Option A, as this has already been accepted and started (so it’s in the present) and the work is familiar, whereas this new beginning is yet to come. The Adventure shows a door being opened that leads to a new opportunity and path in life, it’s a positive card with an element of excitement surrounding it. As the outcome card on this side, it tends to suggest that it will come through her existing business although it will take her in a new direction. It could be this is more in alignment with the type of work she’s already doing, albeit a different path. (Notice how she appears to be walking away from The Sinking Ship with her back turned to it, facing the unknown future that draws her curiosity.)
It may be that the financial losses are temporary, the work she’s taken on (in Option A) may offer a short-term fix to help plug the gap in the meantime, but for the moment it appears that she should continue the best she can with her existing business, as this could be where the new opportunity comes from. The work in Option A isn’t offering a long-term solution and leads to a dead-end, but with The Adventure, whatever the new beginning is, it appears she’ll feel much more excited about it than she does with current circumstances.
The final card provides additional advice to consider, and it seems a strange one because it points to a person. We left the secondary characters in the deck as we’re quite comfortable with them, but since we have Hero II we can see it’s not Susan’s partner, which would be represented by The Hero. Hero II could be the family friend that offered her the new work but, outside of this, he didn’t seem to hold much relevance with regards to future influence. It can also represent a mystery man, so we feel it’s possible he’s not known to her yet and still has his part to play. He could be connected to the new opportunity that is yet to land but, as the advice card, it’s letting her know that this person will be important to her situation and to watch for his appearance.
It’s worth noting that sometimes when you do this spread you may find both options look equally good, or equally bad, so there’s not always a clear-cut ‘winner’ but, in either case, it does offer different aspects to consider and perspectives to explore.... or, as the Cheshire Cat replied to Alice, “That depends a good deal on where you want to get to.”
Happy Adventures!
Option A: Future of the new work
Lady Spring in the present position indicates new beginnings, although there can be a hint of renewal with this card too. Whilst the position is new to Susan, the type of work and the person she’s working with brings a renewed association into play.
The card working for or against you can sometimes be two sides of the same coin, it can be easy to read it as either a positive or negative card association, but it can also offer hidden depths. The Butterfly Queen brings change and a major transformation and works on many levels for Susan: it’s a complete change of work culture and environment but also her fears of losing her own business, as she wouldn’t have time to continue as before. Was she resisting the change? In some ways, yes, but not enough to have stopped her doing what she felt was ‘the right thing,’ but it did feel like a massive change to what she had become used to in her business.
The outcome card for this option is the Road to Nowhere, so for all that she feels it’s something she should do, it doesn’t hold a promising future as it leads to a dead end. It could be that this is how the work feels further down the line, as if she just isn’t going anywhere, but this card also asks you to reconsider the route you’re travelling and find a different way round. She may need to reconsider her goals, as this option doesn’t seem to offer long-term prospects so it could be short-lived, especially with The Butterfly Queen, and this could also be the obstacle that card was presenting.
Option B: Continued efforts with her own business
The Lightbearer indicates a gift, someone being generous or doing you a favour. In Susan’s case, our first thought was the message The Lightbearer gives in the story of the card, “Your destiny is in your heart, you just need to follow where it leads.” As Susan talked about her business it was easy to see she loves what she does and puts heart and soul into it. She may be following her heart but could it be that she’s the one doing so much giving? She agrees that she tends to go above and beyond for her customers, but she also felt the job offered to her was something of a godsend when she needed it, although it was now creating the underlying angst she faces over her business.
The Sinking Ship shows the difficulty with finances, it’s the main card to watch for with financial loss but can also show failed plans. It’s interesting with these two side by side, The Lightbearer giving and The Sinking Ship losing, it appears to be a case of ‘in one hand and out the other.’ Whilst it can sometimes be a temporary situation, in the immediate term the picture for finances doesn’t seem to be improving or changing. Interestingly, this has been the crux of the problem and the reason for Option A to begin with.
The outcome card looks promising but possibly not in the way she would expect. The Adventure brings in a new beginning but it’s usually unfamiliar or unknown territory. This can’t be referring to the work in Option A, as this has already been accepted and started (so it’s in the present) and the work is familiar, whereas this new beginning is yet to come. The Adventure shows a door being opened that leads to a new opportunity and path in life, it’s a positive card with an element of excitement surrounding it. As the outcome card on this side, it tends to suggest that it will come through her existing business although it will take her in a new direction. It could be this is more in alignment with the type of work she’s already doing, albeit a different path. (Notice how she appears to be walking away from The Sinking Ship with her back turned to it, facing the unknown future that draws her curiosity.)
It may be that the financial losses are temporary, the work she’s taken on (in Option A) may offer a short-term fix to help plug the gap in the meantime, but for the moment it appears that she should continue the best she can with her existing business, as this could be where the new opportunity comes from. The work in Option A isn’t offering a long-term solution and leads to a dead-end, but with The Adventure, whatever the new beginning is, it appears she’ll feel much more excited about it than she does with current circumstances.
The final card provides additional advice to consider, and it seems a strange one because it points to a person. We left the secondary characters in the deck as we’re quite comfortable with them, but since we have Hero II we can see it’s not Susan’s partner, which would be represented by The Hero. Hero II could be the family friend that offered her the new work but, outside of this, he didn’t seem to hold much relevance with regards to future influence. It can also represent a mystery man, so we feel it’s possible he’s not known to her yet and still has his part to play. He could be connected to the new opportunity that is yet to land but, as the advice card, it’s letting her know that this person will be important to her situation and to watch for his appearance.
It’s worth noting that sometimes when you do this spread you may find both options look equally good, or equally bad, so there’s not always a clear-cut ‘winner’ but, in either case, it does offer different aspects to consider and perspectives to explore.... or, as the Cheshire Cat replied to Alice, “That depends a good deal on where you want to get to.”
Happy Adventures!
RSS Feed