Spread

          Fountain of Creation
Source: Spiritual Tarot by Signe E. Echols, et. al
Cards: 5

Layout

1: Supportive Forces
2: Distracting Energies
3: Ego Role
4: Hidden Aspects
5: Higher Purpose

Positions
1: Supportive Forces - As the name suggests, this position indicates factors that are helpful to the current situation.
2: Distracting Energies - Like the crossing card of the Celtic Cross, this position indicates factors that may prevent one from accomplishing goals.
3: Ego Role - One's conscious approach to the issue.
4: Hidden Aspects - Unrealized attitudes or facets of personality that may have a negative influence.  Or: unrealized attitudes and desires that are also having an influence on the situation.
5: Higher Purpose - The true meaning of the situation, a lesson to be learned, or a new direction to take.

Comments
I wish I could explain just what was so great about this spread.  All I can say is, "Don't argue with what works."  I have found this spread to give some of the most enlightening, intuitive readings I have ever done, that simply lay things out so clearly.

I would like to say that there is beautiful symmetry in the layout, but there really isn't.  The right side kind of has the bad stuff, except I've found that the "Hidden Aspects" position tends to simply show attitudes and desires that one isn't aware of, not necessarily detractors.  The bottom kind of shows the less conscious, more fundamental stuff, I guess.  I've found the second tier to be extremely accurate in terms of what is on my mind, at the very forefront, the here and now practical analysis, while the bottom is a good reminder of other considerations.  The "Higher Purpose" rests at the very top, shooting up into the sky.

If you really think about it, it's kind of strange to call it a "fountain", because it seems to reverse the relationships between the positions.  The "Higher Purpose" comes first, and the conscious effects fall out of that, and the unconscious fall out of that.  I think it's more like a pyramid, building from the bottom up.

In any case, it's a nice, quick spread that I've found to be useful for a wide variety of situations.

- Elwen, 02.17.03