The pentagram is an ancient symbol representing the harmony of the five basic elements; air, water, earth, fire and spirit. It is widely used in Wicca ceremonial magic and also by Christians to represent the five wounds of Christ. I discovered this spread some years ago and use it for general readings. I start by placing a pair of cards in the centre and a single card around each node of the pentagram. For a more in depth reading, a second card can be placed on each node.

The spread should be read as follows:

• Cards 1 & 2 - Querent, lead with two crossed cards at the centre of the pentagram, this will provide the focus of the reading. Some may ask about a relationship or career but it is these cards which will usually provide the source of the issue
• Card 3 - Past, an indication as to the querent's past, this will have a bearing on their influences and challenges
• Card 4 - Hopes/Fears, what is the querent hopeful for or what are they fearful about
• Card 5 - Influences, who or what are the main influences for the querent, if a King or Queen then a person otherwise it will be a situation. This card should be paired with card 4
• Card 6 - Challenge, what will be the main challenge, this could be what you need to do to get the given outcome or conversely this is what you need to do to avoid a given outcome
• Card 7 - Outcome, the outcome of the reading, sometimes you may wish to lay up to two more cards

Within the pentagram there are direct lines or connections between the various nodes of the spread, for example Hopes/Fears connects to the Challenge and the Outcome, so what the querent hopes for or wants to avoid will relate to the action they need to take. Notice there is no connection between the Past and the Outcome, so for someone who may have experienced a troubled past this does not mean they are destined for a troubled future. This is a very simple spread which is good for generic readings. Notice the numbering is out of order, this is deliberate so as to gain an insight into the state of the querent before making any future predictions.

The spread should be read as follows:

• Card 1 - Past, an indication as to the querent's past, this will have a bearing on their influences and challenges
• Card 2 - Present, this will show the issues surrounding the querent at the present time
• Card 3 - Querent, this will provide some insight into the current state of the querent
• Card 4 - Near Future, what is going to happen within the next few weeks
• Card 5 - Environment, what is going on in the surrounding environment
• Card 6 - Hopes/Fears, what is the querent hopeful for or what are they fearful about
• Card 7 - Outcome, the outcome of the reading, sometimes you may wish to lay up to two more cards