Compiled by David C. Jones (djones@ponder.csci.unt.edu)

Copyright, 1996, David Clark Jones.  Please see the table of
contents for the location of the full listing of the copyright
notice.

1.48) The Waite Spreads (#43/78, C9, L)

The following two layouts come from the Waite book and are meant to
be used in conjunction with one another.  The forty-three card
spread is offered as a regular method of divination while the
thirty-five card spread is meant to be used only if part of the
first spread is unclear or left in doubt.  In keeping with the
flexibility of this document, I see no reason why the thirty-five
card spread could not be used on its own nor why it could not be
used in conjunction with other layouts to resolve similar
ambiguities, but these are merely my assertions and not those of
Waite himself.

1.48.1) The Forty-Three Card Layout (#43, C9, L)
Layout:
07 06 05 04 03 02 01   Q  - 1st line
14 13 12 11 10 09 08      - 2nd line
21 20 19 18 17 16 15      - 3rd line
28 27 26 25 24 23 22      - 4th line
35 34 33 32 31 30 29      - 5th line
42 41 40 39 38 37 36      - 6th line

Deal: I include this method of dealing only for those who are
interested in ritual.  I, personally, see no point in it.  This
passage is lifted directly from the Waite book:

Shuffle the entire pack and turn some of the cards round, so as to
invert their tops.  Let them be cut by the Querent with his left
hand.  Deal out the first forty-two cards in six packets of seven
cards each, face upwards, so that the first seven cards form the
first packet, the following seven the second, and so on-as in the
following diagram: --

[6th packet] [5th packet] [4th packet] [3rd pack] [2nd] [1st]

Take up the first packet; lay out the cards on the table in a row,
from right to left; place the cards of the second packet upon them
and then the packets which remain.  You will thus have seven new
packets of six cards each, arranged as follows --

[7th packet] [6th pack] [5th] [4th] [3rd] [2nd] [1st]

Take the top card of each packet, shuffle them and lay out from
right to left, making a line of seven cards.  Then, take up the two
next cards from each packet, shuffle and lay them out in tow lines
under the first.  Take up the remaining twenty-one cards of the
packets, shuffle and lay them out in three lines below the others.

You will thus have six horizontal lines of seven cards each,
arranged after the following manner.  
[Same as above layout w/out card Q]

Reading:  The Querent card (Q in the diagram) is always the
Magician (Trump 1) if male or the High Priestess (Trump 2) if
female.  This card is to be pulled out of the layout and placed in
position Q; Then, pull a random card out of the remainder deck to
replace the card.  If this card in not in the layout, pull it from
the remainder deck.  Cards are read numerically as shown

Comment 1: No explanation is given as to how to interpret any of
the cards other than all the cards should be harmonized (really, as
should be done for any reading).  In short, use your own intuition.

Comment 2: Waite suggest that this method be used when "no definite
question is asked".  In other words, this is a spread that is good
for just a general reading but, Waite goes on to note that the
reading can be used even the querent specifies a time span for the
reading.

Comment 3: This layout does not have a known name.  Waite merely
titled the section "An Alternative Method of Reading the Tarot
Cards."

1.48.2) The Thirty-Five Card Layout (#35, C5, L))
Layout:
07 06 05 04 03 02 01              - line 1
13 12 11 10 09 08                 - line 2
18 17 16 15 14                    - line 3
22 21 20 19                       - line 4
24 23                             - line 5
35 34 33 32 31 30 29 28 27 26 25  - line 6

Waite does not specify any pattern in which the layout must be
setup, other than each packet (see below) be dealt in a line.
Therefore, you need not follow the above diagram; an aesthetically
pleasing variant might be center each row about a vertical axis
causing lines one thru five to form an upside-down pyramid and line
six to be a very broad base.  No method of line ordering is given
either, so these may be swapped around so long as each line retains
its meaning once moved, although the above line ordering would
probably be best to use to maintain consistency with the previous
layout.

Deal: Take up the 42 cards from the previous spread an put them in
one pile to the side.  Place the querent card on top and upright. 
Take the 35 cards constituting the remainder pile.  Shuffle and cut
as before.  Divide into six packets as follows:  Packet 1
containing the first seven cards, Packet 2 containing the next six
cards, Packet 3 containing the next five cards, Packet 4 having
four cards, Packet 5 having two cards, and Packet 6 having the last
eleven cards.  As before, packet one should be on the right and
continuing numerically leftward.  Take each packet in turn and deal
each one into its own line.

Reading:
Line 1 - House, Environment
Line 2 - Querent, Subject of the divination
Line 3 - Events and Persons passing on the outside
Line 4 - Surprises, the unexpected
Line 5 - Consolidation.  May also moderate the unfavorable cards of
          previous lines.
Line 6 - "...that which must be consulted to elucidate the
          enigmatic oracles of the others; apart from them it has
          no importance." - Waite (gobbledeegook at its finest)

Each line should be read from right to left.

Comment: Waite does not specifically state that cards from each
packet should be dealt from right to left.  I have assumed that he
meant as such since this would be consistent with everything else
in the previous layout.