Topics · 15 min
Spreads for work and money
Three spreads for work and money: a three-card row for one next step, a money row of what you have, need and can do, and the five-card cross for a whole work situation.
In this lesson you will
- Read a Situation, Obstacle, Advice row for one next step at work.
- Lay a money row of what you have, what you need and what you can do, and keep it free of amounts and dates.
- Choose between a small row and the five-card cross from the shape of the question.
Your manager has asked you to lead a small project for the first time, starting next month. You want a reading before the first meeting. One card feels too thin, and ten cards feel like more than the question holds.
Let the question choose the spread
Work and money questions come in a few shapes, and each shape has a spread that fits it. Most of them need no more than three or five cards.
| The question asks… | Spread | Why it fits |
|---|---|---|
| what to do next | Situation · Obstacle · Advice | It ends in a step you can take this week. |
| how to manage money for a stretch of time | What I have · What I need · What I can do | Every position stays on resources and choices that are yours. |
| what is going on in a whole work situation | The five-card cross | It shows where things came from, where they are heading and what lies beneath. |
| which of two offers to take | The choice spread (二者択一) | Each offer gets its own side; small spreads showed how to read it. |
Before you shuffle, say the question out loud and listen for its shape. A question about what to do next wants a row that ends in advice; a question about what is going on wants a wider look.
This lesson is part of Plus
Plus opens every lesson of the Practitioner, Reader and Advanced tiers and the topic courses, with practice that explains every answer.
What the lesson covers
- One next step: Situation, Obstacle, Advice
- A money row: what I have, what I need, what I can do
- A whole work situation: the five-card cross
- Practice
Foundations and the first lesson of every course are free.