same spread different decks

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 12 May 2004, and now archived in the Forum Library.

EminemsAngelBaby	12 May 2004
I keep track of all my readings in my journal so I can reflect on them over time. Sometimes I like to lay out the spread with a different deck to see and feel the spread from another perspective. My question is if the deck I'm using to relay the cards(in this case it would be The Shapeshifter) is signigicantly different from the original deck used(Hanson-Roberts)should I rethrow or would this be redundant? I got a reading with the Shapeshifter today that's made me want to go back and reflect on some of my other spreads with this deck! It was incredibly deep.

Mimers	12 May 2004
I just started doing this. You are absolutely right. It does add a new twist to the reading, doesn't it? great idea

eastarot	12 May 2004
What a wonderful idea! It adds depth. And when I tried it out, one card repeated itself in both spreads, and so did the number 10 in the same position in BOTH spreads. Uncanny. Back to further analysis:) blessings eastarot:)

Ravenswing	12 May 2004
I do this every so often. But I don't lay them out as two separate spreads. Instead I put out both decks at the same time. You get to see interrelation and differences between the cards along with the reading as a whole. fly well Raven

EminemsAngelBaby	12 May 2004
Hi Everyone, Looks like I didn't really make myself clear. Apologies for the confusion. What I meant was when I'm reflecting on a spread sometimes I lay out the same cards in the same spread from a different deck than the one I first used. It helps me learn about the cards to compare them in the same positions. Like what Ravenswing is talking about. What I'm wondering is since the Shapeshifter is so different from the decks I've been using(Hanson-Roberts and Buckland Romani)will it translate to lay out the same spread with the Shapeshifter or should I rethrow the spread all together?

dadsnook2000	12 May 2004
I've reviewed a reading using the "same cards" from a different deck. For me, the reading was quite different. But what I really wanted to comment on relates to my re-reading of Rachel Polack's Forest of Souls yesterday. She was talking about the Chariot in her Shining Tribe tarot deck. I was struck by how different the symbology was and yet how similar it was to a "regular" Chariot. Her deck builds on a fairly deep concept of Tarot and her explanations seem richer. My sense is that the differences between some pairs of decks would not make much difference but other pairs of decks would present a lot to think about. I'll try this in the next few days and mark this thread for a follow-up. Good question and observation. Dave.

EminemsAngelBaby	13 May 2004
Dadsnook2000, Thanks, I'll be interested to see your reply. In the meantime I'll probably pick up the Shapeshifter Tarot. The reading I had the other day was so powerful I haven't stopped thinking about this deck.

EminemsAngelBaby	26 May 2004
Since I posted this question I 've been playing around with these ideas and I've come to the conclusion, for me at least, that different decks speak very differently and this doens't translate across spreads. So for example, if I want the Shapeshifter's perspective on a question I will use a new spread with this deck rather than laying out the "same" cards from an earlier reading with a different deck. It's given me a lot greater depth on choosing different decks for different readings. Which deck is most connected to the energies I'm interested in about the questions/answers I'm exploring.

Zoe Kate	26 May 2004
I do this often. I only have two decks so far, a RW and the Haindl. I usually do my spreads with the RW, because that is the deck all my books refer to, and I find it easier to read initially. However, I am trying hard to learn as much as possible about the Haindl, and I have found it very helpful both for the reading and for learning, to pull out the same cards from the Haindl and compare them. There is so much on those cards that I always get so much more out of my reading when I look at both sets of cards. I then make notes in my book about what I got from the Haindl cards, beside the original interpretation of the RW cards... ...sorry if that made no sense...It ended up being way more complicated to explain than I thought it would be. ;) *BB*

Flavio	27 May 2004
Sometimes I repeat one of the most accurate readings from my Journal using a different deck (because it is brand new) to see if the new cards can provide more depth/details to the already confirmed result of the reading.

jema	27 May 2004
Yes, this technic is called "Comparative readings" and if you do a search I think you will find a few older threads dealing with the same subject. There is also a yahoo-group/mailing list called Comparative tarot http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ComparativeTarot/ and there is even a Comparative tarot deck out now:-) I usally stick to gill, thoth and sometimes aquarian tarot for my comparative readings.

Sillanza	28 May 2004
I started doing this as soon as I got a second deck! I always do this if the question is particularly important to me, or if I simply have a hard time believing what I saw the first time.

EminemsAngelBaby	29 May 2004
Oh, comparative readings. I like it. Thanks for the link. I only have two decks also (Hanson-Roberts and Buckland Romani)and working with them this way is what helped me understand the similarities and the differences. Then my friend got the Shapeshifter Tarot which I've worked with a bit and discovered another perspective. I'm very intriqued with the different personalities and energies with the different decks. After awhile I began to notice that the "same" cards from different decks were really saying quite different things. For example the Hanson-Roberts 9 of Swords and the Buckland Romani 9 of Chivs(Swords) have quite a different feel although at the most basic level the general theme is the same. I feel it's important to understand and be truthful to the particular deck I'm working with.

The same spread different decks thread was originally posted on 12 May 2004 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.