365 Tarot Spreads: Revealing the Magic in Each Day - Sasha Graham 2014

Dracula Spread

On This Day

Bram Stoker and Pamela Colman Smith, illustrator of the RWS deck, were dear friends and worked together at the Lyceum Theater in London.

Bram Stoker published Dracula on this day in 1897. In doing so, he defined the modern form of vampires as we know them today.

Summation of Spread

Artist and author Robert Place created the Vampire Tarot, based upon the novel Dracula. He posits that the vampire’s thirst for blood is a metaphor for the Holy Grail quest—the life-giving substance and fountain of youth for which all philosophers and alchemists strive.

Feeling a touch of bloodlust? Dracula’s bloody tale regales the count’s attempt to relocate from Transylvania to England and the ensuing battle between perceived forces of good and evil. Stoker invoked themes of Victorian female sexuality, immigration, and post-colonialism. The Dracula Spread uses themes from the iconic novel to inform its questions.

Cast Your Cards

Cast the Dracula Spread’s cards in the form of two wooden stakes. Hold tight—they may save your life.

1. Traveler: Where am I going?

2. Intruder: How do I feel like an outsider?

3. Prisoner: What holds me captive?

4. Disguise: What do I pretend to be?

5. Fear: What do I fear and desire?

6. Isolation: Do I feel alone?

7. Sexuality: Can I express my sensual needs?

8. Blood Lust: What do I crave more than anything?