Five positions can separate the situation, your assumption, your leverage, a useful resource and a testable action. This is a reflective exercise, not the site's five-card compatibility format.
Name all five positions before drawing
- Positions 1–2: describe the situation, then name your assumption about it.
- Positions 3–4: identify what you can influence and what support is available.
- Position 5: choose a small experiment; place cards in a line and label each position first.
Worked example
A workshop is running late. Position 1, Five of Wands: competing methods; 2, The Moon: your untested fear that nobody supports the idea; 3, Queen of Swords: a clear scope you can request; 4, Three of Pentacles: colleagues' expertise; 5, Page of Pentacles: a small prototype. The plan is to agree one requirement and test one sample. Ask the team directly about support instead of treating the second card as their opinion.
A completed test brief is: “I will make one sample panel by Thursday. The team will check only whether the instructions can be followed without explanation; we will discuss the result Friday.” The team's participation still needs agreement. Do not quietly expand this into testing the entire workshop.
Where this method needs care
The assumption position is not a hidden fact. Test it against direct evidence. More positions are useful only if each answers a distinct part of the question.
Give the prototype one test
Before the workshop reading, write the known delay and original requirement separately. Then draw the five cards. The Moon belongs to the assumption position, so it invites “I am unsure how much support we have,” not “the team is secretly opposed.” The Queen of Swords belongs to your influence, so use it to clarify the brief rather than label a colleague cold. The Page's prototype should test one requirement, not become a replacement full project. End by assigning an owner and a review date to that test. If five positions repeat the same question, reduce the exercise.
Which part of this situation is a fact, which is an assumption, and who can agree the smallest useful test with me?
Try this question in the reading guide.
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