Dream Interpretation Spread

I have been asked so many times, “Stacy, can you write a post about how you do the breakdown your dream interpretation?” My answer is always the same. ”No, I can’t!”  It’s not that I don’t want to share…or maybe I don’t in all truthness. I have tried in the past with utterly boring and snooze inducing results. However, I was asked another question and I thought, “Hmmm, I could do that!” So, with inspiration from our Kate, here is what she asked of me and here is how I will respond…

“Stacy, my love, BREATHE!!! If you can’t write about how you work out the dreams and their symbols, could you write about the spread you use after you’ve done the dream interpretation?”

Side note: I knew I could and was eager to share, but first let us give credit where appropriate. Although you all know I’ve been doing dream interpretation for over 30 years, I only recently added tarot to my repertoire. A dream in most cases is a message about your current state of events, but by adding tarot, you now receive the gift of a path clearing, allowing you to take steps in your waking life to ease the anxiety that causes these dreams to manifest.

Mystic Dreamer Tarot

I am a self taught tarot reader, but have gone to classes taught by the fabulous Amberstones of the Tarot School, here in NYC. The deck I learned on, and this shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone, was the Mystic Dreamer with text by Barbara Moore and stunning and surreal artwork lovingly provided by Heidi Darras. I bonded immediately with this deck and it was my only deck for quite some time…even before the Waite Smith! I use the Dream Spread that Barbara has provided on page 41 of her accompanying book,  The Dreamer’s Journal. Since it is not my own creation, I asked Barbara if she wouldn’t mind if I wrote about my using her spread and she was gracious and kind and gave me the A-OK so let’s get to it!

Dream Interpretation Spread

I use this 4 card spread if it is an issue or event that is fairly new to the dreamer. If I feel that this is a long standing conflict, unreleased emotions resurfacing because they have not been dealt with or someone returning back into their life after a long absence, I tweak the spread a bit. For the latter, I add another card in the 1st position and it is called Past Event. I then continue along with the rest of the spread that Barbara created.  

 For the sake of ease, we will give the Past Event card the number 0 so as not to confuse those who have not tried the spread yet.

• 0 Past Event:  If a Major Arcana card comes up I feel certain that this is a long standing issue that has recently started coming to a head again. This is the card that I feel has the most relevance over the others because it gives us a background on the anxiety. If it is a court card it alerts me to either a person or an energy around the querent or one that they may need to adapt or drop. If it’s a pip card it signals an action that was taken or needs to be taken and it is not being acknowledged, so the dream is doing all it can to get your attention.
• 1 Overall Theme of the Dream: This card will indicate what is currently going on. It will be a warning of an impending loss, a big decision that needs to be made, a situation that is arising that needs to be dealt with or the feelings and emotions that the dreamer is experiencing that are causing anxiety. In the case of happy, joyous dreams this card is that Cosmic High Five that says to you, “Good job!  Well done.”
• 2 What is blocking this message:  There is always the biggest reaction to this card! It is sometimes so hard to see clearly when we are in the midst of a tumultuous situation that we miss signs, clues and messages. Our lives are so busy, we’re running like crazy, meeting deadlines, providing for our families, helping others…we don’t take the time to stop and think about that crazy dream because it’s just silly. Therefore, when this card is read, I am never surprised to see the furrow in the eyebrows, a slight wiggling in their seat and I know to be quiet for a bit, allowing them time to digest what I have just told them.
• 3 Message of this dream:  Here is the card that lays it all out for you.  If the 6 of Cups, a normally happy card, came in reversed and the dreamer tells you that an old ex reappeared and that they had a very toxic, on again off again relationship, it would be a clear message indeed. But, as readers, we understand that the heart knows what the heart knows, so all we can do is put it out there and hope for the best. If The Devil came up, I’d inquire into any kind of overindulgence, whether it is food, drink, drugs, shopping…even obssessive thinking. If a Knight came in and the dream was of a romantic sort, (depending on the suit!) I’d say there is a good chance that they will meet someone soon.  Whether they stick around….that’s another dream!
• 4 Lesson to be learned:  By this point, the dreamer’s mind is spinning at such a rapid pace that it’s important to take your time. Although either way it’s a fairly short spread, when dealing with sensitive, vulnerable and personal (sometimes even embarrassing) issues, it is best to flip the card, give it to the dreamer and let them look at it, ruminate on it for a bit, and then see what they think. This helps them to be more proactive in their decision making and will reduce the possibility of that person making you a crutch for their every decision. I let them ask as many questions as they need to, but I try to have them provide the answers.

Side note: I can work three ways. Via Skype  is my preference. It’s 100% real time, interactive and allows me to read the dreamer’s aura and relay messages. I can also show them the tarot card clearly if they are not familiar with the deck. By phone will also allow back and forth conversations, but they can’t see the cards. Via email is my least favorite. Way too much typing, too much post dream interpretation back and forth instead of just sitting back and absorbing it all slowly. Regardless of the method I use, if it is for a fellow tarot reader, I never interpret the cards, but do show/tell/type the cards that were drawn and I always read reversals with one exception. When every card comes out reversed! It’s my previous I Ching study and practice that compels me to do it that way, but feel free to read however you feel most at ease and open.

So, have a dream, write it down, work out the symbols first since Tarot and dream symbols are NOT the same and then try the spread! You will be amazed at what you might learn about yourself, will come into your new sense of power by figuring out WHAT is causing this anxiety in my waking life that it is infiltrating my dreams? Many thanks to Barbara Moore and Heidi Darras for their beautiful and loving deck and accompanying book, but mostly for allowiing me to share her spread with all of you.

Sweet Dreams,

Stacy

Dream Interpretations Using the Mystic Dreamer Spread

• Decoding Your Dreams With Tarot
• Post Traumatic Stress Dream
• Finding Your Voice
• A Dream of My Own

Mystic Dreamer Tarot (Book & Cards) by Heidi Darras, Barbara Moore and published by Llewellyn.

Stacy LaRosa – has written 7 posts on Tarot Elements.

Stacy is a an amazing psychic, tarot reader, medium and dream interpreter. To find out more about her, contact her or get an awesome dream interpretation with her, check out her pages.