Spread and Reading with I Tarocchi Lando

I discovered this spread in a booklet by Giulia Orsini included in the Lando Tarocchi produced by Giordano Berti. It works best for providing an overview of a situation and for advice on how to get the outcome you want. I don’t often use spreads, but I was attracted to this one because it has features I like: The trumps are separated from the suit cards; only one suit is used – whichever fits the question best; and it resembles the Tirage à Croix (fancy name for the Cross Spread).

To prepare for the reading, shuffle the 22 trump cards separately. Choose a suit for the reading, pull those 14 cards out of the deck and shuffle them separately. (I use Cups for the reading below since it’s about a hoped-for relationship). In the layout shown below, cards 1, 2 and 3 are trump cards, and A and B are suit cards. X is a trump card derived from the sum of cards 1, 2 and 3.

Spread Positions (I’m assuming you’re doing the reading for yourself).

1 – Yourself in the situation

2 – How your own actions, thoughts, attitudes work AGAINST you

A – How other people and external circumstances work AGAINST you

3 – How your own actions, thoughts, attitudes work FOR you

B – How other people and external circumstances work FOR you

X – How the situation might evolve; or advice for getting what you want

Sample Reading

The question comes from one of Cinderella’s nasty step-sisters:

I’ve heard that the Crown Prince fell hard for some bubble-head at the ball the other night. The ninny dropped one of her shoes on the palace steps. Now the Prince is going door to door throughout the kingdom trying to match the shoe to the foot. Of course, it’s not my shoe — but I want the prince! I’ve known all my life that I was born into the wrong family. I was meant for wealth and power. Now I want my destiny fixed! Tell me how I can get the Prince to recognize me as his rightful wife.

Here’s my interpretation of the layout shown at the top with the Lando deck.

1 – La Papesse.  Yes, you certainly feel entitled to sit on a throne and wear a crown.  You believe it was written in the book of fate that it should be so.

2 – La Maison (The Tower).  Your take-no-prisoners attitude and ruthless willingness to do anything to achieve your goal may be a bit of a turn-off for the Prince.

A – 3 of Cups.  The Prince has seen the woman he believes he’s destined to marry, and he’s holding that vision in his mind as he searches throughout the kingdom. This is going to be difficult to overcome.

3 – Le Diable.  One thing you have going for you is your all-consuming focus and determination.  You have tremendous powers to magnetize people and situations and create your own reality.

B – 6 of Cups.  The prince’s path leads him straight to your front door. By the time he arrives at your house he may be discouraged from his long search and be susceptible to your magic.

X – La Moreux.  (The three trump cards add up to 33.  3 + 3 = 6).  You’re going to need some powerful magic to deflect Cupid’s arrow away from the prince’s beloved and point it toward yourself. The Devil card tells me you have the power and the know-how to do this.  If you need help, I was talking to a boy named Hansel the other day who told me about a powerful witch living in a cottage in the woods. If you visit her, take a big bag of pastries and an extra-large pizza. You don’t want her feeling hunger pains while you’re there.

Here’s my review of the Lando deck. It’s a Piemontese/Piedmont deck with many features of a TdM Type I.

The deck was produced by Giordano Berti at Rinascimento Italian Art