Ive always had trouble reading these cards.

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 15 Jun 2003, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Menmay	15 Jun 2003
Hello everybody ^_^ well heres my question.. When ever I do a reading I usually use the influence of the element layout 1 Spirit -the spiritual health of your life 2 Air -the mental health of your life 3 Fire - your energry or the movment of events 4 water-your emotional state 5 Earth - your physical self. Theres the layout for those of you who dont know it. Anyway I can never seem to read these cards when Im doing a reading. The high Priest, Queen and king of wands, Nine of swords ten of swords. I know each one of there meanings I just have a hard time when it comes to how they are read though the layout. Like I would have no idea what to say if the hight priest landed on Spirit or any of them in that matter!! Sigh thank you all for taking the time to read this ^_^ Thank you

firemaiden	15 Jun 2003
Hi Menmay, perhaps the interesting thing to ask yourself would be, "why do particular cards these cards puzzle me in these positions?" Perhaps it is the redundancy that bothers you? Since the Hierophant and the Priestess both open doors to the world of spirit, it is likethe answer to the question, "how is my spiritual life doing" comes up "spiritual life" - hahah. And you've learned nothing. I don't really like this spread too much. What do the positions really mean? Are they general "what is the state of my ... " question? You could have more active questions, like "what advice to I need to hear" , "what obstacles will I face", "what is hidden from me that I need to know", etc, and you might get better results. Why do you always use this one spread anyhow? Are the readings for yourself? Like a daily reading? Or are these readings you are doing for other people? Do you generally ask a question to accompany such readings? Or is this spread itself the question?

Menmay	15 Jun 2003
Thank you for your insight, I know I should try more layouts. The infulence of the elements was the first one I learned. I guess because of that factor Im scared to try something new. Does anyone out there know of any good layouts I can try?

firemaiden	15 Jun 2003
Menmay, you will find all kinds of really interesting spreads to tryout in the spreads forum. I have been exploring that forum a bit myself lately.:)

Trogon	16 Jun 2003
Quote: Originally posted by Menmay Thank you for your insight, I know I should try more layouts. The infulence of the elements was the first one I learned. I guess because of that factor Im scared to try something new. Does anyone out there know of any good layouts I can try? Howdy Menmay, I'd have to agree with Firemaiden here. It does sound more like you might be having a bit of problem with the spread, rather than the cards. You did say you were familiar with meanings for the cards which were giving you trouble, but had trouble with interpreting them within the spread. But learning and trying new layouts isn't really all that hard. It is a little daunting at first if you've only used one layout, especially if it's the only one you've really known. But there are many spreads around that are very useful for a variety of purposes. Who knows... after you try a few out... you may even find yourself making your own up. Just start trying a few out... You asked for suggestions for spreads... as Firemaiden mentioned, there are a lot of very good spreads discussed in the Tarot Spreads forum. You might also want to check the Tarot Layouts FAQ as well as TarotSpreads.com. Anja's Tarot web site also has a lot of very good Tarot spreads. As for me... I first learned the Celtic Cross... but have found myself using the 5-card Past-Present-Future spread more often than not. It is, I feel, a very easy to use spread and gives good insight into the questions or issues addressed. I've described this in a post to the thread on "A Spread for Exams" (4th post down). Finally... if you think you might need further information on the cards themselves, you might want to check Thirteen's Tarot Basics if you haven't already. It is a great resource.

Menmay	16 Jun 2003
Thanks for your insight!! Im no longer scared about learning a new spread and Ive been looking at so many. Its fun to try and find a new spread, its like a small adventure. wish me luck^__^ Oh and I'll let you all know what spreads I end up learning.

Trogon	17 Jun 2003
Good luck and have fun Menmay! Who knows, you may find yourself collecting spreads as much as collecting decks. At least this is a cheaper collection... :D

The Ive always had trouble reading these cards. thread was originally posted on 15 Jun 2003 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.