Reading the Square of Nine (or 3x3 Layout)

exercise created by Mary K. Greer

This training exercise is designed for beginners who are familiar with the card meanings and have experience combining cards in pairs. You will work step-by-step through one approach to reading the cards in a 3x3 pattern. It can be used as stand-alone layout or as part of the Grand Tableau. You should take your time and write down all your responses. Include the name of each card to which you refer.

Part 1 - The Four Corners

1) Write down a specific personal advice or insight question (not yes/no). 2) Select a Topic Card that best expresses your question and place it face up in the center (position 5) of what will be a layout of three cards in three rows (3x3). 1 4 7 2 5 8 3 6 9

[For instance, for your Topic Card you might pick Heart for love, Fish for money, Tree for health, etc.] 3) Shuffle and lay the rest of the cards FACE DOWN starting with top left (position 1) down to bottom right (position 9) - like the numbers on a phone keypad. TURN UP THE FOUR CORNERS ONLY!! (Leave cards 2, 4, 6 and 8 face down.) 4) Read each of the four corner cards paired with the center card - making the center the Noun/ Subject and modifying it with the corner cards as adjective, verb or development. Limit paired meanings to two to four words. [For instance: Fish+Stork = Improved finances.] 5+1: 5+3: 5+7: 5+9: 5) Read the corners that mirror each other diagonally as pairs: 1+9: 3+7:

6) Read the top/bottom pairs: 1+7: 3+9: 7) Using this information, respond to your question with a statement that starts with the center card and proceeds in the following order: 5, 1, 3, 7, 9. Keep the sentence simple. [For instance: "Advice regarding my money issue (Fish-in-center) is . . ."] 5, 1, 3, 7, 9: WAIT 8 HOURS OR MORE BEFORE PROCEEDING. Don't look at the other four cards until this time is up.

Part 2 - The Inner Cards

So far, you've related the four corner cards to the center one, and you've read the paired corners and written an advice statement. You waited at least 8 hours while you contemplated the corners, noting any additional insights. You are now ready to read the final four cards in positions 2, 4, 6 and 8 (all even numbers): 1) TURN THE CORNER CARDS FACE DOWN. Turn the inner cards FACE UP. These are cards 2, 4, 6 and 8. Read each in relation to the center card. How do they tell you something about or describe your topic? You should have a short phrase (2-4 words) each for the pairs: 5+2: 5+4: 5+6: 5+8: 2) Write a *short* descriptive statement that relates to your question by linking the cards in the following order: 2, 4, 5, 6, 8. 3) Turn ALL THE CARDS FACE UP. Read them in relation to your question: The past: 1+4+7: The present: 2+5+8: The future: 3+6+9: 4) Read the following sets in relation to your question: What you think: 1+2+3: What you have: 4+5+6: What you are willing, creating or doing: 7+8+9: 5) Modify your original advice/statement from Part 1 with the new information. Write down your new statement and compare it with what you first wrote. Has it changed? If so, what changed it?

At this point you may have your answer and can stop, or you can continue reading the same cards. The next two parts of the exercise involve knighting, which is not used by everyone and therefore can be considered optional and more advanced.

Part 3 - Knighting from the Corners

Follow the numbers (and knighting technique) carefully. Knighting provides a way to uncover the more subtle energies, motivations and influences involved in the situation. Based on the Knights movement in chess, knighting involves moving away from the first card two spaces, horizontally or vertically, followed by one space sideways (a 90 turn). Or you can move forward 1 space, then turn and go 2 spaces. 2+1 or 1+2. It probably evolved from an older cartomantic technique called counting cards, here it would be count four in all directions. This part focuses on the diagonal lines that cross each other in an X. Diagonals are usually described as cause and effect lines. While the center card plays no specific role in Parts 3 and 4, you should have a good idea of how it relates to all the other cards. Apply those insights as you do the next steps. 1) Card 7 is a past cause of the situation over which you had some control. It knights to cards 2&6 indicating underlying desires, motivations or concerns that set this cause in motion. 1 4 7 2 5 8 3 6 9

What do cards 2 and 6 tell you about the card 7 "cause"? 2) Card 3 shows the future affect arising from the card 7 cause. It knights to Cards 4&8 showing hidden attitudes or agendas that influenced the effect. 1 4 7 2 5 8 3 6 9

What do cards 4 and 8 tell you about the card 3 "effect"?

3) Card 1 is a past cause of the situation about which you couldn't do anything. It knights to cards 6&8 indicating underlying desires, motivations or concerns affecting that cause. 1 4 7 2 5 8 3 6 9

What do 6 and 8 tell you about the card 1 "cause"? 4) Card 9 shows a future effect, over which you have some control, arising from the card 1 cause. It knights to cards 2&4 showing hidden attitudes or agendas that influenced the effect. 1 4 7 2 5 8 3 6 9

What do 2 and 4 tell you about the card 9 "effect"? What else did you learn by doing this? This information may be redundant and not add anything to what you already have learned, but it's worth trying at least once.

Part 4 - Knighting from the Inner Cards

You will now be knighting from the inner cards. From Card 2 you move down two spaces and then one space to the left and one to the right - to the bottom two corners. 1) Card 2 is what is influencing you but out of your control. It knights cards 7&9. Your past and future choices and potentials arise out of the present moment in card 2. 1 4 7 2 5 8 3 6 9

How does card 2 affect your past and future choices in cards 7 & 9?

2) Card 8 is currently within your control. It knights cards 1&3. 1 4 7 2 5 8 3 6 9

How do cards 1 and 3 affect card 8 (or vice versa)? 3) Card 4 is a quality or characteristic of the past. It knights cards 3&9. 1 4 7 2 5 8 3 6 9

How is card 4 projecting itself into the future, through cards 3 and 9? 4) Card 6, is your future focus. It knights cards 1&7. 1 4 7 2 5 8 3 6 9

Card 6 is a result of what prior attitudes and energies represented by 1 and 7 - what are they? 5) Finally, there is a secret pattern linking all the squares into a unicursal 8-pointed star that is revealed via the knighting sequence. This will give you a final summary statement. Read the cards as a story in the following sequence: 2, 7, 6, 1, 8, 3, 4, 9. Include the position 5 Topic Card as often as needed in your story. Try all four parts of this exercise with one or two more questions (no need to stop between parts). Do a reading for someone else. After that, forget these rules and do what makes sense to you. For Fun: To make a unicursal 8-pointed star: draw a 3x3 table and place a point in the center of each box, then draw a line from point to point staring with position 2 and continuing: 7, 6, 1, 8, 3, 4, 9, and back to 2. You'll have an 8-pointed star without having to lift your pen. Notice that each point knights the one before and after it.