how do you read the cards?

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 18 Sep 2003, and now archived in the Forum Library.

earthdance	18 Sep 2003
Ok I know the celtic cross is the most popular tarot spread but I find it somewhat limiting since the cards are intepreted individually. I was wondering if anyone could share how they read their cards, what spreads they use and the overall picture of their readings to other people?

firemaiden	18 Sep 2003
Hi earthdance, welcome to the forum. Wow, that's a pretty broad question, one I cannot really answer myself, but I will refer you the the table of contents I compiled called How to Read hopefully there will be answers to some of your questions there. You might want to read the Process threads by Dan Pelletier, and for more advice about spreads, you can also browse through the spreads forum. :)

Thirteen	19 Sep 2003
Quote: Originally posted by earthdance Ok I know the celtic cross is the most popular tarot spread but I find it somewhat limiting since the cards are intepreted individually. I was wondering if anyone could share how they read their cards, what spreads they use and the overall picture of their readings to other people? I never use the CC. As with you, it just doesn't flow for me into a larger picture. I use the Zodiac Spread. Bit of history: Seeing a reader use the Zodiac spread is what motivated me to become a tarot reader (I'd just fiddled with the cards before--my reaction to seeing a Zodiac spread was sheer amazement..."You mean...there are other spreads than the CC?! Whoa. Cool.") The reason the Zodiac spread works for me (and mind, I'm speaking for myself here) is that it's "Circular"--or, rather a kind of diamond shape. This allows me to examine the connection of top and bottom cards (Cancer & Capricorn--home vs. public life, mother vs. father) and side to side cards (Aries vs. Libra--single ego vs. partnership). Etc. The cards aren't in two seperate groupings (as with CC) nor seem to be seperate cards (as with the parts of CC--the staff part always looks like four different cards, not one leading up/down to the next). These cards touch, link, form a sacred circle. They interact--at least, that's how I see them. The "circle" also gives me a better view of repetitive numbers and/or symbols. In this formation, if there is, say, an abundance of cup cards, they really stand out. I always look for that in readings--is there anything top-heavy or missing? Is this person trapped by "fours" or completely lacking the cool, airy reason of swords? The Zodiac spread also, IMHO, allows for a build up-- through a person's personal life, home life, family life, work/health, partnerships--on up to changes, spirituality, career and hopes/fears. It's more than just covering different aspects of the person's life--it reads, to me, like an evolving story. That's what helps me. What might help you is not only a visit to the Spread section of the forum, but also getting Konraad's Classic Tarot Spreads, a marvelous book of interesting spreads--including the CC.

Le_Corsair	19 Sep 2003
Arrr! No gamblin' 'tween decks, there! As fer meself, three cards is enough, past-present-future, dealt port-to-starboard. I pulls a card most days, just to be thinkin' on it, like. I hates it when I pulls the Hanged Man! Arrrrrrr! Shiver me timbers, that one gives me the horrors! Bob :THERM

Inana	19 Sep 2003
Quote: Originally posted by earthdance I was wondering if anyone could share how they read their cards, what spreads they use and the overall picture of their readings to other people? ˇBienvenid@! To see how people reads the overall picture in a reading what i've found most usefull is to give a look at the 'Reading Exchange' forum and 'Your Readings' forum, both here in Aeclectic. That way you can see how the others connect the meaning of the cards and the different positions. Its a practical way to learn. About the spreads, if you dont like spreads with attached positions like the celtic cross, try to read three or four cards in a free intuitive way. Maybe that works better for you. There are lot of spreads and ways of reading one can try.

earthdance	19 Sep 2003
thank you guys for your replies, I will do what you said! Thanks xoxo

VGimlet	21 Sep 2003
So, I'm trying to not use spreads at the moment. For my last several readings, I just pulled cards until I felt I was done. The most cards I pulled was six, and the least two, but not always an even or odd number. It felt kind of odd not to use a tradional spread, but all the readings worked out very well.

ZST	22 Sep 2003
actually, I do the same thing often and I feel it usually works very well, VGimlet Anyway, lately I seem to have a tendency to let cards fall from the deck when shuffling (not one now and them, more like 5 or 6 cards - and no, I'm not usually just clumsy when shuffling), most times even before I have a question well-formed, just the idea floating in my mind... but they always turn to be *really* accurate readings. oh well, maybe I could think about turning that "clumsy randomness" into a new spread :P (nevermind that...)

pan	22 Sep 2003
spreads are an interesting way of creating blanks and thus syntax for the cards to fall in. I use no spread. try just having a casual conversation. Ask a question, pick a card. Make a statement. Voice an objection. Ask for clarification. Ask about causes or long term effects. As long as you are going to use a spread, the only spread indigenous to tarot would have to be the tree of life spread. Thats even a long stretch, but at least it isn't out of the clear blue sky...(or religious eclectic mixups oh my..) like the celtic cross is.

Dexter	23 Sep 2003
I have used the celtic cross but find it to convoluted sometimes and don't get a true feel for the answer. It does come in handy when people don't have a clear question for what the reading is for. Especially for people who just want to give this "whole tarot thing a try". They are surprised to find that the first two cards zero in on what their question is really about. I used this spread for a woman I work with and she was surprised to find that what she was keeping most hidden from people around her is what showed up first. She kept insisting that she wasn't even thinking about it but it showed up anyway. I find 3 or 5 cards quite clear when the question itself is clear. Myself I pull only one card a day for myself and then jot in my journal at the end of the day things that have taken place. I know when first starting out I read this somewhere and it works for me. I have also at times just thrown the cards and was amazed at what came out. What cards crossed each other and what cards were farther apart etc. I really enjoy doing this sometimes. It reinforces the feeling that no matter how you lay the cards they have the same message to deliver.

pentunen	23 Sep 2003
If you (like me) are new to the Tarot, then it might be easier for you to use spreads that have fewer cards. Personally, I find that 3, 4, and 5 card spreads work best for me - any more and I start to have trouble 'tying' them together. http://www.tarotspreads.com/ has plenty of spread ideas, as does the 'Tarot Spreads' forum. Blessings, pentu

pan	21 Oct 2003
if i really want to mire myself in contemplations for a while, just take the deck and toss it into the air in front of you. Some people may think this is too random... but actually the subconscious mind can calculate chaos events such as these fairly well.... best not to do it in a room with a draft tho... although the subconscious mind may be able to calculate those choasing paramters into the matrix as well...

Umbrae	21 Oct 2003
31 years of reading and I ain't never used a celtic cross (one of the worst spreads ever IMO). Begin with three card spreads. Begin doing three card readings (for others). Do them for-ever. Do a lot of them. Three card readings are versatile, and accurate. More cards do not always mean better readings (but they look good on TV). There is no need to advance to a five card spread until you have at least six months of reading under your belt. Buy a spiral notebook. Use it as a Journal (very important). Write down every reading (both cards and your interpretation). Only read for yourself no more than once a week.

pan	21 Oct 2003
if you are intent on using spreads, that sounds like good advice. i still think a more honest approach is to spread the cards and have a conversation by pulling cards. And the tree of life spread is the only thing that even vaguely relates directly to Tarot going back further than the bohemians. three card spreads can be done in a variety of different variations. Cause, Effect, prescribed action ego, id, high self... problem, cause, fix etc.

ihcoyc	22 Oct 2003
Anymore, I simple line spreads, almost exclusively. The only qualifier, really, is that they always have an odd number of cards: three, five, seven. I typically begin with three, then draw more if they seem to be called for. About the only meaning to a position is that I usually read them from left to right.

mercenary30	22 Oct 2003
In my opinion, which differs from most posted here, the Celtic Cross is quite versatile. I read them in pairs. For example. —------------10 —----5-------9 -4--1/2--6---8 —----3-------7 Pos1 - Heart of the Matter Pos2 - Opposing or Supporting factor Pos3 - Unconscious Influence Pos4 - Recent Past Pos5 - Conscious Influence Pos6 - Near Future Pos7 - You as you see yourself Pos8 - You as others see you Pos9 - Hope and Fears Pos10 - Outcome Using this as a basic definition of the Celtic Cross, as there are plenty of ways to define the positions, I will proceed to read the cards in pairs. 1 & 2 - The two positions define something but as a pair they really focus on the issue and the surrounding factors. 3 & 5 - Unconscious and Conscious influence but as a pair they define more clarity on what is influencing the issue. 4 & 6 - Past to Future pairs up to show the trend and a possible path to take. 7 & 8 - Seeing yourself and outside yourself gives two different perspectives on the querent. 9 & 10 are not paired. Although 10 can be supported or refuted by the 5th position as some consider that position to also signify an alternate future. That is how I use the Celtic Cross, and I find that is works well for not only defining their respective positions, but really helps in putting together the story for the reading. With this method you end up having 15 different aspects to talk about, and that does not even take in to consideration any suit based, numerology based, majors vs. minors, court influences, and overall spread trends that may present themselves.

pan	22 Oct 2003
what? you can never have too much bleu cheese!

mercenary30	22 Oct 2003
Spread it a quarter inch thick on a hamburger (or soy). The really strong stuff, and take a bite...... Quote: Originally posted by pan what? you can never have too much bleu cheese!

WolfyJames	23 Oct 2003
I usually use the Cetic Cross that was in the book that came with my deck, The Enchanted Tarot (Zerner-Farber). I think it is a complete spread. There were times where I wished there were other spreads, but I didn't know any, and I didn't know I could create them. Since I've been here, I have almost copied all the spreads from the spreads forum. I have even created a few of my own. But I still think the Celtic Cross is a good basic useful spread.

firemaiden	23 Oct 2003
Quote: Originally posted by pan I use no spread. try just having a casual conversation. Ask a question, pick a card. Make a statement. Voice an objection. Ask for clarification. Ask about causes or long term effects. That's how I do it most of the time too. :)

IrishRiotGrrrl	23 Oct 2003
I usually do a three card spread and then I eloborate. Meaning, more cards are pulled to go into more detail. This works pretty good for me... After the eloborations are done, then I go about and lay them all out and do an overview for the individual I am reading. On occasions I use other spreads, but I prefer to keep it simple.

Kaiju	23 Oct 2003
Being a total tarot newbie I stick with CC as the positions are easy for me to remember and it's very easy for me to put everything into context using this. A spread that I'm very curious about, though I'm sure is way beyond my current ability is what a friend of mine calls the Romani Spread. A local reader, whom I've visited several times uses this layout and her readings are creepy accurate and very specific about all the points she addresses. For a new reader like myself, what would the rest of you recommend I look into as I feel more and more comfortable with the CC? I'd like to explore as many avenues as I can as my ability increases but I'd also like to make the logical progression to the next level with a spread that isn't something too advanced.

pan	23 Oct 2003
i feel the need to once again say that in my opinion, creating "boxes" and filling them is a bit contrived for tarot, and that rather than using spreads, i would simply think of tarot as a disembodied person and have a frank conversation where its turns to talk are by way of drawing a card from the deck fanned out. the subconscious mind may feel very much more inclined to also be as frank as you are being... i have been told that my "readings" are stunningly accurate.

lawguy51	24 Oct 2003
I do a 3 card spread every morning. I use Umbrae's 14 card horseshoe spread quite often. I sometimes just peak at the bottom card for advice. I like the celtic cross because it feels like an old friend, although I usually only use it for others. I have been known to use Talisman's Tea Cup spread, the 5 card question spread from the Victoria Regina book. Does any of this matter? No. But back to the point of the original question. Experiment. Find the spreads that work for you. Maybe you'll try tossing the deck in the air and that will work for you. ;) LG51

The how do you read the cards? thread was originally posted on 18 Sep 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.