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Scrying: Overview

Scrying is a powerful practice that builds many skills. I include it in this program for several reasons:

  1. Scrying deepens our relationship with the Tarot, improving the quality of our divination.
  2. Scrying enhances willpower, imagination, and concentration – all of which can significantly impact our well-being.
  3. Scrying is a powerful method for gaining spiritual insight and enacting personal transformation.

What is Scrying?

Scrying is a form of meditation practice that utilizes a medium (in this case, Tarot cards) to stimulate an inspired psychological experience. It’s really fun!

More specifically, scrying the tarot is a period of active imagination seeded by the cards’ symbolism. Active imagination is the term Carl Jung gave to shamanic journeying as he brought it into widespread, mainstream psychology practice. In essence, it is a process by which we become aware of and integrate unconscious processes by allowing them to unfold naturally.

In effect, the person scrying enters into a waking dream state seeded by the symbolic language of the Tarot. During this experience, the person can have various intuitive experiences or interactions with the archetypal constructs represented by the card. This process is a form of gnosis, or direct knowledge, that deepens our understanding of the card’s divinatory and spiritual significance, as well as its relationship to other cards.

How do I do it?

Scrying sessions work best if they can be at least 15 minutes long. Shorter is fine; longer can be delightful.

There are 3 components to a scrying spread:

  1. An initializing sefirah’s corresponding cards, laid out in an open square or circle.
  2. A target sefirah’s corresponding cards are laid out in a closed square or circle.
  3. The trump that corresponds to the path between the two sephirot.

NOTE: Even though we are starting in one sefirah and travelling toward another, remember that the path is bi-directional! You can start at 10 and head to 9 or start at 9 and head to 10. In the active visualization, both directions of the flow are present.

Here is an example of what the whole spread looks like, using The World Path from Kingdom to Foundation as an example.


Here are the steps.

  1. Set apart the time.
    • Examples: going for a short walk, taking a few deep breaths, lighting incense, drinking a glass of water, washing one’s face, or listening to ambient music.
  2. Lay out the Tarot where you can see them while seated comfortably. Do this deliberately, focusing on the symbolism of each card as you set it down.
    • Each scrying session will be on one of the Trumps as the path between two sephirot. (If you have the time to scry each pip, go for it!)
      • The initial sefirah’s cards are laid out in the shape of an “open flower.”
      • Then, the target sefirah’s cards are laid out in a “closed flower” far enough away to set the trump between them.
        • To be precise, lay the sefirot in the same orientation as they are on the tree.
      • If you want to be really fancy, use the following directions:
        • North = Pentacles
        • East = Swords
        • South = Wands
        • West = Cups
      • Finally, place the Trump between them.
  3. Take several deep, full belly breaths as you take in the whole image.
  4. Bring your eyes to focus softly on the Trump. Allow the Trump to fill your vision and the symbols and correspondences to run through your mind as the mind settles.
  5. Allow for whatever experience and information may arise.
  6. When you feel like you’re done, be done!

Once you’ve finished, it can be very helpful to make notes of any interesting experiences you may have had. This is also a great time to update any of the relevant entries in your Tarot encyclopedia according to whatever insights or downloads you experienced.