Although the one-card pull reveals a wealth of information, there are times when you want to know more.  How did I get here? What exactly is going on? What should I do next?

When you’re going to pull more than one card, the first step is to determine your questions and the position they will occupy. Past, present, future is an easy example. You’re going to lay these cards out left to right. Or the current situation, the obstacle you’re facing, and the cards’ advice.

Think about the situation as you shuffle. Try to be as concise as possible. Vague questions invite vague answers. Tackle one situation at a time. Don’t ask, “What is the probable outcome if I get married and I move to Martinique and I buy a house?” That’s way too much for one spread. The cards won’t know what to make of it and you’ll likely get an answer that makes no sense.

I like to cut the deck and take the top three cards, but again, there is no wrong way to shuffle and pull.

Here are some spreads I find useful:

What should I start doing? What should I stop doing? What should I continue doing?
Option 1, option 2, what you need to know to make a good decision
Opportunities, weaknesses, advice
You, the other person, the relationship
What you want from the relationship, what the other person wants, where it’s headed
What brings you together, what pulls you apart, what needs your attention
What you have, what you want, how to get there
What’s keeping you stuck, what to release, what to cultivate

And, of course, you can always come up with your own.

Tip: Refrain from asking the same question repeatedly. Ask once. Give it time to play out. If, in a few months, the situation still seems up in the air, review the cards you pulled. Tweak the questions in your spread if you feel they need fine-tuning. But resist the urge to continually ask the same question.

Next week we’ll look at some questions that you shouldn’t ask the cards.

Dig into your mystical side. Do some spiritual introspection. Tap into your intuition and set intentions with this Pisces new moon.

Start a meditation practice if you don’t have one. Try something new if you do–like meditating while gazing into a bowl of water. Pisces is a water sign after all.

You might also want to do some dream work. Tell your subconscious what what you’d like a message about and then set the intention to remember your dreams before going to sleep.

Use this tarot spread for to see what the new moon means for you personally.

With this full moon in Leo, state your needs. Shine your brightest. Sing your loudest. Let go of the reins.

Changes are truly possible this week but only if you allow them–not force them–to happen.

Every story is a love story.

It might be a traditional love story where two people fall in love. But there are also love stories about dogs (Old Yeller), hometowns (A Confederacy of Dunces), baseball players (The Natural), and food (Fried Butter by Abe Opincar. I highly recommend it).

And there are the stories we tell. Our words weave the story of what we love.

I’m no spring chicken—I loved being young
I always attract the wrong sort of person–I love being a victim
Everyone else is a horrible driver—I love feeling superior
It’s too hot/cold/humid/dry—I love complaining

We attract what we generate. The Universe can only multiply the energy we put out.

Our relationships also mirror our relationship with ourselves.

To experience affection, we should give it from a place of authenticity.

If we would like others to honor us, we need to honor ourselves first.

Watch the stories you tell—to yourself and to others. Take a moment this week to examine your current relationship with yourself and those with others.

And remember: Baby steps.

Snuggle with a pet. Volunteer doing something you enjoy. Send someone a note telling him or her how much you appreciate their friendship. Hell, send yourself a love note.

Can you release fear?

Take a risk.

Dare to love first.

“You just parked under a no parking sign!” Mak said incredulously.

I shrugged. I was trying to be less of a goody two shoes. You know the type—follows every rule, sits in front, waves her hand to answer all the questions.

We were on our way into our Clinical Pastoral Education class. This unit was hospice internship. I was surrounded by seminarians finishing up their schooling before ordination. A group who followed the rules almost without question.

Well, except Mak. He had a slight issue with authority. But apparently that did not extend to the powers that governed parking.

So, I parked under a huge no parking sign. Big deal. What was the worst that could happen?

Ok, it was Chicago. My car could be towed by the Protective Parking Service Corporation (aka Lincoln Towing), a company that had so many complaints filed against its questionable practices that maybe I should have chosen to rebel some other way.

But I parked there week after week, defying that giant sign, taking a risk, questioning what seemed to be an arbitrary rule. I mean, it wasn’t a fire lane or anything.

How often do we blindly follow “rules”?

Don’t wear white after Labor Day.
Don’t end a sentence with a preposition.
Men, open the car door for a woman and pull out her chair for her.
Women, get rid of all your body hair.
Face forward in an elevator.

Doing otherwise can make us appear trendsetting, maybe quirky, or maybe even tone-deaf.

Doing otherwise may make us feel courageous, like risk-takers, chicks breaking out of our shell.

One of the barriers to change is rigidity about rules.

I’m not suggesting you run red lights or shoplift a five-pound ham.

I’m talking about examining the norms that were instilled in you by your parents, or teachers, or peer groups. Little things like clapping after someone blows out their birthday candles. Why? Was it that big of an accomplishment? Or maybe it’s a habit you’ve developed that, upon inspection, makes no sense.

Does following informal rules give you a sense of order and comfort? Does it make your life easier, like Steve Jobs wearing the same outfit every day?

Or does it keep you inside your shell?

When you think of the societal norms in your life, do they enlarge or limit you?

What custom can you play with or test this week?

Will the earth spin in the opposite direction if I don’t put my left shoe on first? If I set the heat to an odd number? It might. But I’m going to give it a shot, rebel that I am.