the huge multiplicity of spreads...

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 23 Oct 2002, and now archived in the Forum Library.

rota	23 Oct 2002
I do wonder sometimes about the huge multiplicity of spreads out there... It seems as though Tarot writers, in order to fill out a book, simply make up spreads. Couldn't I just shuffle the deck, place cards in different parts of the room, and call it the Easter Egg Spread? Pin them to the ceiling in the shape of the Big Dipper and call it the Celestial Spread? I don't want to be disrespectful, but surely some of the possibilities 'work better' than others? Or do you feel all purposefully-arranged spreads are equally valid? It seems sometimes like there are as many spreads as there are readers. I'm sure that's legitimate, but then again how is a newbie to make any informed choice among them to pick spreads that are 'best' when learning? Do any of the Elders here know which spread types are best? (secondary issue: why are there not standard spreads for the various suits? wouldn't it seem reasonable to have an 8-card square spread for Pentacles, when the questions concern, say, money? or a 10-card lineup for Wands, if the issue is career? Probably someone has already addressed this possibility, and I just haven't run across it yet in my reading...)

wavebreaker	23 Oct 2002
I think all spreads are equally valid, but which one works best is a very personal thing. Every reader has his or her favourites, and a spread that's a favourite for one reader might not work at all for another reader. Just have a look at the thread on the Celtic Cross, and you'll see what I mean... ;) My advice to a newbie would be: start with small spreads, for example three-cards spreads. When you feel comfortable with those, move on to bigger spreads. What kind of spreads you use doesn't really matter. There are many different three-card spreads, just choose the ones you like and which work for you, or make up your own.

Umbrae	23 Oct 2002
Rota, please accept my apology up front, and be careful of your toes. Oh my gawd how could you be so short sighted – do you not realize that we must have a spread for each occasion and each deck! … And how dare you make light of the Easter Basket Spread by referring to it as the Easter Egg spread (which is lovely on toast). We are slaughtering sacred cows here. After reading for a while, I must once again say, I have never used a Celtic Cross. It is neither Celtic nor a cross. I still use mainly, a 3, 5, or 7 card spread. Sometimes I use 2 cards in each position. I have two other spreads for specific reasons…and usually I do not spread them (A trick I learned reading on planes…what shape table? I prefer Delta – SAS sux). Oh, I hear you folks, “well bully for you”. But seriously, do we need ten thousand spreads? We need ten thousand spreads no more than we need ten thousand books telling us ten thousand ways to interpret the High Priestess! No. What is needed is to learn to listen to the cards well. If you cannot read a 3 card spread well, 28 cards laid out in the shape of the Hale-Bop Comet will not produce a better reading or outcome (but you will look swell in your purple tabard). So, keep spreads sensible, and learn to listen to the cards folks. And lighten up! Have some fun! Oh and Rota…second question. Because often, when the sitter is convinced their issue is one thing, they cannot see the obvious. To do a suit only would be poor advice. But we can devise a new spread for it…

rota	23 Oct 2002
hee hee! Thanx!

jema	23 Oct 2002
i use almost exclusivly spreads i make myself for specific questions simply because i find they work. sure there might be spreads out there infinatly better then mine - but i really can't be bothered trying them all out. when i have a client she has often a specific question and i design a spread to cast light on the issues she have. i find most spreads i see in book or on the net have far too many cards and i don't think i ever made a spread with more then 5 cards. so my suggestion is that there are really too few spreads;) i think it is a really fun and challanging thing to make your own spreads.

fairyhedgehog	23 Oct 2002
I find that I need to decide in advance what each position means for it to work for me. I only read for myself (and 'play readings' for absent friends that I do not share with them ever, which by the way is a whole other kettle of worms). And at present out of all those glorious spreads out there I use a daily 3 card spread (which I made up myself) and my own version of the Celtic Cross But I now believe that any spread could work if I wanted it to - I'm just afraid that I'd forget what the positions were when I was halfway through the spread. Or maybe that wouldn't matter ... I don't know.

faunabay	23 Oct 2002
I'm with jema -- I tend to make up my own spreads for the question at hand. And I rarely use over 5 cards (sometimes 7). It seems to be more fun - not so much of a "stuck in a rut" thing. I get bored easily can you tell???? ROFL But I have to admit I will use the celtic cross now and again, but only rarely. :)

Keslynn	23 Oct 2002
I agree that the number of spreads can be absurd. They were apparently useful for someone, but of course, they can't be useful for everyone. I do use various spreads that other people have made, but only when I feel that they will be useful for my or the querent's situation. Also, I make sure that I know what the card positions are supposed to mean before I lay anything out. If that spread doesn't resonate with you or seem to have a point, then don't do it! The other spreads I use are my own, and they range in size. The main one I designed and use has 8 cards. Basically, only use the spreads that you feel you can get good information from. Most people feel that it's the 3 card spread for newbies. I personally have no problems with the Celtic Cross. But it's all about what works for you. :) Kes

Umbrae	23 Oct 2002
Quote: Originally posted by fairyhedgehog Surly you meant "Ducks to avoid flying Missals", as some take the CC as gospel.

HOLMES	23 Oct 2002
what i did after ten years of using the celtic is tried differnt speads i got in the tarot reversals,like life inventory spread for example, chakra spreads. yet i found one spread that i didnt' like was the old horoscrope, for if one card went bad, i was telling the person their whole month,, or in a diffent varian the whole love life or money life for the year therefore giving them a bad year. as for the celtic i adapted a differnt meaning myselfs. but as one who takes the cc as gospel... *TAKES OUT LIGHTSABER, WHO SAID THAT ? AND WALKS BROADLY DOWN THE STREET IN A SHOW DOWN STANCE* :O)

RedWood	23 Oct 2002
Personally I like all the spreads...I dont use them all...but some of them I am like duh...I just dont take the time to make up my own...The way i see it is...There are as many spreads as decks..So do we need that many decks? Do we need that many spreads? no..its just fun! I do not use the CC..find it a pain in the arse.

Melvis	23 Oct 2002
One reason I like using spreads from all those books is so, when I lay the cards out, I can say, "What kind of a spread is this? Who came up with this piece of cr*p?" And then I can reconfigure the cards into my own completely readable spread creation. This is a great exercise for when your self-confidence needs a boost. After all, there's no one around to contradict your opinion. Sad, but true. Book spreads are usually pretty useless. Now the spreads from the Aeclectic members, on the other hand, have been lovingly developed by thoughtful card readers. That doesn't stop me from changing them to fit my own needs, though...shhh! Don't tell anyone! :D Peace, Melvis :TSTRE

Major Tom	24 Oct 2002
Quote: Originally posted by rota why are there not standard spreads for the various suits? Probably someone has already addressed this possibility, and I just haven't run across it yet in my reading...) R.T. Kaser in Tarot in Ten Minutes uses combinations of 10 majors and 10 minors in a single suit to answer very specific questions.

Emily	26 Oct 2002
I like to use many different spreads and also to adapt spreads that I find in books. I don't think I have ever found 'the perfect spread' so I do the next best thing and take from other spreads to make a new one. It work for the most part :)

The the huge multiplicity of spreads... thread was originally posted on 23 Oct 2002 in the Using Tarot Cards board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Using Tarot Cards, or read more archived threads.