All spreadsStudy and travel

Deciding on a Trip

Nine cards on a balance: what pulls you to go, what holds you back, what you gain and lose either way, and which to choose.

Take it while going is still an open question, to weigh leaving against staying put.

Cards
9
Minutes
10
Reversals
On
AI reading
3 credits
123456789
Lay out this spread

Cards and meanings are free. An AI reading of this spread costs 3 credits.

How to read it

The two top cards are the pull and the hold; read them first and say honestly which is yours and which belongs to someone else. The third names the real purpose of the trip, which often differs from the stated one. The middle row is the balance: the two left cards are for going, the two right for staying, each pair giving first the gain, then the loss. Weigh whole pairs, not single cards. The bottom two are what you fail to take into account, and the answer itself. If the answer contradicts the balance, the decision rests on that overlooked thing, not on profit.

Positions

  1. What pulls you

    The force calling you to the road, and how far that wish is your own.

  2. What holds you back

    What keeps you here: money, work, fear, an obligation or somebody's request.

  3. The real purpose

    What this trip is truly for, beyond the reason you give out loud.

  4. If you go: the gain

    What the trip gives you, including what you are not expecting now.

  5. If you go: the cost

    What the road will cost: money, work, relationships or peace of mind.

  6. If you stay: the gain

    What you win by staying: time, money, stability or an important meeting here.

  7. If you stay: the loss

    What you miss by not going, and whether that chance comes round again.

  8. What you overlook

    The circumstance that changes the whole calculation but is not yet on your list.

  9. What to choose

    The spread's direct answer and the condition under which that answer holds.

More spreads: Study and travel