This post was originally shared on Tarotize in 2012. The spread then had the title The Scales of Libra Relationship Tarot Spread. It was created on and for the Autumn Equinox. However, as I was going through my archives, I realised what a gem of a relationship Tarot spread this can be for any time of the year. So I renamed it the Scales of Relationship Harmony Tarot Spread.
This Tarot spread can be used for any form of relationship (friends, colleagues, romantic partners etc) at any time of the year. You may wish to invoke the wisdom and guidance of Archangel Raguel before laying the cards out.
I have included the original sample reading I shared all those years ago to help you learn how to work with this 13-card spread.
The Scales of Relationship Harmony Tarot Spread
- The current state of the relationship
- The main challenge the relationship is facing
- Near future
- Far future
- Spiritual theme/lesson associated with the main challenge
- The main spiritual lesson for person A
- The main spiritual lesson for person B
- (a-c) What person A needs to bring into harmony
- (a-c) What person B needs to bring into harmony
a. + b. what needs to be brought into balance
c. how to bring a. + b. into balance
If you like you can use cards from a Majors-only Tarot deck or an Oracle deck for positions 5-7.
Relationship Harmony Sample Reading
I chose to work with the Lover’s Path Tarot by Kris Waldherr and the OOP Majors-only deck the Star Tarot by Cathy McClelland. This is a sample reading for a romantic relationship.
The Middle Pillar
Let’s work from the bottom up: The card at the bottom of the spread represents where the relationship is now. The crossing card represents the current challenge to the relationship. The next card up is the near future, then the far future and at the top a Major Arcana card for the spiritual lesson that needs to be kept in mind for the relationship to progress.
Basically, this is a relationship that has burnt itself out (10 of Wands). The challenge is to find the joy which brought these two together in the first place (9 of Cups). There was so much joy at one stage. Now there is only the bitter taste of ashes.
The near future card (5 of Pentacles) shows a woman struggling on her own, carrying a child in her arms and the far future card shows us the Myth of Orpheus and Eurydice (trad. The Hanged Man) with a strong theme of sacrifice as implied also by the card title.
How apt it is then for the spiritual lesson to be contained by the energies of The Star card. It reminds us that nothing is ever lost in the eyes of God and that there is always hope.
Person A & B
To the left, we have the scale (three cards from the Lover’s Path Tarot) that shows us what person A needs to bring into balance in the left and right-hand cards. The middle card shows us how to do this. On top of this sits the energy that represents the spiritual theme/main relationship lesson for person A at this point in time.
The right-hand scale mirrors the one on the left and represents what person B must bring into balance, how to do this as well as what his or her main spiritual lesson for the relationship is.
Using person A as an example we see that this person needs to find a balance between his or her quest for love (The Lovers) and allowing something new to come into his or her life (Ace of Pentacles). Rather than forcing things here, person A can rely on good fortune to put things right (X Fortune). The Moon as the main spiritual lesson indicates a need to flow with the tides. The future cards in the spread indicate that this person can seek help. But what will happen is pretty much set in stone and will require a long period of waiting. This is due to the Sacrifice card in the far future.
Have fun figuring out what person B needs to bring into balance and how best to do it!
