Try Astrologer API

Subscribe to support and grow the project.

Kerykeion

Relationship Check-In Spread #

Introduction #

Relationships are living entities, constantly evolving, shifting, growing. Like gardens, they require regular tending, honest assessment of what’s thriving and what needs care. This spread offers a compassionate inventory of where your relationship stands right now.

Whether you’re examining a romantic partnership, friendship, family bond, or professional relationship, this spread creates space for honest reflection. It doesn’t judge or predict; it illuminates, helping you see the relationship clearly so you can nurture it consciously.

The Layout #

2 You Bring
4 Dynamic
3 They Bring
1 Foundation
5 Growth Edge

Drawing order: Foundation (1), You Bring (2), They Bring (3), Dynamic (4), Growth Edge (5)

The Positions #

Position 1: The Foundation #

What it represents: The current base of the relationship. What’s stable, what you’ve built together, the ground you both stand on.

This card answers: What is the foundation we share right now?

Reading this position:

  • This reveals what’s solid and what may be shaky
  • It may show unspoken agreements or shared values
  • The foundation can be strong even if surface tension exists

Position 2: What You Bring #

What it represents: Your contribution to the relationship right now. The energy, patterns, gifts, or challenges you’re bringing to the dynamic.

This card answers: What am I contributing to this relationship?

Reading this position:

  • Be honest; this isn’t about what you wish you brought
  • Notice both gifts and growth edges
  • Your contribution shapes the whole; own it fully

Position 3: What They Bring #

What it represents: The other person’s current contribution. Their energy, patterns, gifts, or challenges in the relationship.

This card answers: What are they contributing right now?

Reading this position:

  • Read with compassion, not judgment
  • Remember this is your perception, filtered through the cards
  • Consider what they might be unaware of bringing

Position 4: The Dynamic Between You #

What it represents: The energy created when your contributions meet. The relationship itself as a third entity, beyond either individual.

This card answers: What energy exists between us?

Reading this position:

  • This is the most important card; it shows the relationship’s current state
  • Relationships create something beyond the sum of parts
  • This card reveals what you’ve co-created

Position 5: The Growth Edge #

What it represents: Where the relationship is being invited to evolve. The developmental opportunity available to you both right now.

This card answers: Where can this relationship grow?

Reading this position:

  • Growth isn’t always comfortable, but it’s always possible
  • This card suggests where conscious attention could help
  • It points toward potential, not guaranteed outcome

Reading the Spread #

The Triangle of Contributions #

Cards 2, 3, and 4 form a triangle: your contribution, their contribution, and what you create together. Look for:

  • Harmony: Do the contributions complement each other?
  • Tension: Is there friction between what each brings?
  • Transformation: How does the Dynamic card transform the individual contributions?

Foundation and Growth #

Cards 1 and 5 show the arc from where you are to where you could go:

  • How stable is the foundation for the growth being asked?
  • Does the growth edge build on the foundation or challenge it?
  • What needs strengthening before growth can occur?

Working With This Spread #

When to Use It #

  • Regular maintenance: Monthly or quarterly relationship check-ins
  • Before important conversations: When you need clarity before discussing issues
  • Transition points: Moving in together, after conflict, at anniversaries
  • Feeling disconnected: When you sense something is off but can’t name it
  • Celebrating growth: To honor how far you’ve come

Sample Reading #

Question: “What do I need to understand about my relationship with my partner right now?”

Cards Drawn:

  • Foundation: Four of Wands
  • You Bring: Queen of Swords
  • They Bring: Knight of Cups
  • Dynamic: Two of Pentacles
  • Growth Edge: The Star

Reading:

Foundation (Four of Wands): Your relationship rests on genuine celebration, on a home you’ve created together, on milestones honored. There’s stability here, a sense of having built something worth protecting.

You Bring (Queen of Swords): You bring clarity, truth-telling, intellectual honesty. You cut through confusion with clear perception. This is a gift, though it may sometimes feel sharp.

They Bring (Knight of Cups): They bring emotional expressiveness, romantic gestures, heart-led action. They follow feeling, offer love openly, move toward connection with passion.

Dynamic (Two of Pentacles): Together, you’re in a dance of balance, juggling different energies, keeping multiple balls in the air. There’s skill here but also constant motion. The relationship requires ongoing adjustment.

Growth Edge (The Star): You’re being invited toward hope and healing, toward letting guards down, toward faith in each other and the relationship. After all the balancing, the invitation is to trust, to pour yourselves out knowing you’ll be replenished.

Synthesis: You’ve built something beautiful (Four of Wands), and you each bring complementary but different energies—clarity and emotion (Queen of Swords, Knight of Cups). This creates a dynamic that requires constant balancing (Two of Pentacles). The growth opportunity is moving from balancing to trusting, from managing to flowing (The Star).

Journaling Prompts #

  1. Foundation reflection: What in our foundation am I most grateful for? What might need reinforcing?

  2. My contribution: Am I bringing what I intend to bring? What might I be contributing unconsciously?

  3. Their contribution: Can I receive what they’re offering? Am I seeing them clearly?

  4. Dynamic honesty: Is the dynamic we’ve created what we both want? What would each of us change?

  5. Growth invitation: What does this growth edge ask of me specifically? What might it ask of us together?

For Different Relationship Types #

Romantic Partnerships #

Focus on the emotional and energetic exchange. The Dynamic card often reveals intimacy patterns.

Friendships #

Consider how the relationship serves each person’s growth. Friendships allow different energy than romantic bonds.

Family Relationships #

The Foundation card often carries ancestral weight. Growth edges in family often involve old patterns.

Professional Relationships #

Consider power dynamics and shared goals. The contributions may be more role-defined.

Affirmation #

I see this relationship clearly and with love. I take responsibility for what I bring. I receive what is offered. I commit to conscious growth together.

Relationships thrive on attention, honesty, and willingness to grow. This spread offers a mirror for the relationship as it is, not as you wish it to be, so you can love it forward into what it might become.