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

Salome’s Dance of Seven Veils Spread

On This Day

When Ishtar, goddess of sexuality and warfare, approached the underworld, the gatekeeper allowed her to pass through seven gates, one at a time. At each gate she had to shed an article of clothing until she entered the underworld naked.

Oscar Wilde’s play Salome, based on the biblical story, premiered on the Paris stage while he sat in prison on this day in 1896. Salome performs the sensual dance of seven veils in exchange for the severed head of John the Baptist. The dance of seven veils is thought to originate with Babylonian fertility goddess Ishtar.

Summation of Spread

This spread encourages you to examine your inner desires and discover how you might fulfill your heart’s wish.

The Nine of Wands represents passage via passion. The seven veils dance is done in order to obtain something, as Ishtar’s passage does. The Nine of Wands is a formidable character who forges new ground as a result of bravery, strength, and being a breaker of barriers.

Cast Your Cards

1. What do I desire more than anything?

2. What I am I willing to do to get it?

3. What is my great challenge in receiving it?

4. What will aid me in overcoming the challenge?

5. What lies at the base of my desire?

6. Is there someone who can help me get it?

7. How will my world be changed as a result?