Elemental Cards On A Go Board

One night I decided to lay my custom elemental cards down on a grid. In that moment of inspiration, I had come across a new way to read cards, on a Go board.

For those not familiar with the game of Go, it is a two-player abstract strategy game. The game has existed for thousands of years and was invented in east Asia. It has since gained worldwide popularity and is played in countries all over the world.

The game board is a grid, and you take turns placing tokens on the board. The player that has taken the most space on the board wins. A simple goal for a victory that becomes complex as you act out the game.

Go Board Appropriation

I could have used any old grid to lay my cards down onto. I could have got one from an art store. They are useful for cutting paper accurately too. But I didn’t have one on hand that one night, I had a travel Go Board.

The board is a plastic mat that folds up into a carry bag. When I had first used it I realized that the dimensions of the card are a perfect fit for 3 x7 spaces on the board. I thought that the appropriation was somewhat synchronistic.

Using the Go Board

I use the board as a way to arrange the cards. I start the card spread, in the same way, I did in the previous article. I cut the deck in half and I allow for space between the two stacks of cards. Between the two stacks holds 4 cards, 2 in front of each stack. I take turns alternating the draw from each stack of cards. The way I arrange the cards is done with intuition and patterns. I consider what elements empower others and use that intuitively.

Empowering Moves

To me, the Go board empowers the card spread. The board, or mat I should say, has enough of my conscious energy stored in it seems to help the readings. Each card fits into a 3 x 7 group of squares. There is a little bit of space left over vertically. The cards are not long enough to fit the exact dimensions. I use this to my advantage. You can see how in the video below.

What I do is slide the card up or down if the cards above or bellow match or empower each other. For spirit, I can do what I feel fits. Spirit is a wild card in that way.

When I put this together I have a unique card spread as well as an interesting design to look at. Either way, the experience is gratifying.