What is a "general reading" and how do you do it?

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 10 Nov 2004, and now archived in the Forum Library.

firemaiden	10 Nov 2004
Embarassing though it is for the Great and Terrible Firemaiden, whose capacity to spoof readings has you all fooled into thinking she can actually read... I have this little question... Yes, and I thought perhaps, if I am stumped on this, maybe somebody else will be also... Come on now, be honest, I'm talking about you! Yes you in the back row, twiddling your thumbs and looking up at the ceiling. Stop chewing that gum and listen to me when I'm talking, goll dern it! Two of my brave and willing victims are waiting for general readings. Rather than tell them sorry, no, Firemaiden is Out of Order, I'd like to rise to this challenge. What do you do when people ask you for "general" readings.

HOLMES	10 Nov 2004
for me it feels like they dont' care enough to come up with a question,, then i realize and remember that for many people it is a new process and they want to be either test it,, or are hesitant about it so much that it took an awful lot of courage to even say yes holmes please read for me. what i do is just lay out the cards and try to cover all my bases.. i use the build a case method so i do end up building a case,, albeit general case as it is. the most frustrating for me is getting started without any sign of what to look for ,, i in a differnt forum instead of using the chakra spread in order to get a picture of what is going on for them . (my preferred spread for general readings ) i recentally just did a celtic cross spread and it turn out very accurate and timely and meanginful and some others words.. for me i was flabgasted for i was prepared for ,, not bad but not very accurate to which i was ready to say yes but you didnt give me a question from which i can focus. perhaps i am thinking to myself i am using the specific question as a clutch, yet I find it very useful still

firemaiden	10 Nov 2004
Oh HOLMES, that was such a thoughtful and honest answer, thank you! Would you say you end up using more cards than you ordinarily might?

Phoenix Rising	10 Nov 2004
Actually firemaiden I was just thinking the same thing and was going to post..so you beat me to it. Yes I was actually wanting a spread that covers lot's of areas, instead of just one specific question. Question type spreads, bore the shit out of me, I want lot's of juicy stuff in it. Anyway I saw a reader yesterday 50 years experience. she used the whole pack. Three piles, past, present and future. she seemed to have laid out 6, then replaced another 6 on top etc, etc. I always wanted to know what her method is. she does pastlife stuff with it as well. Anyway she is going to give me copies of her spreads..hehe, so will let you guys know. At present I've started learning the Double CC, it's a good one. The last 2 cards indicate timings.

HOLMES	10 Nov 2004
i find that i use more cards then i might with specific questions for soemtimes at the end of the reading my mind goes blank for i can't relate the outcome card to the question. especially if it is a court card. :) so i usually end up throwing down one or two clarifying cards. I find to do a whole spread with the outcome card for further clarification even more energy consuming and i will rarely do it,, however i must admit if i was in a business for myself and they offered to give me an extra 2.50 for it,, i might do it,, money talks and the HOLMES walks ehehe.

Little Baron	10 Nov 2004
Hi FM I hate doing general readings also, and I do feel sometimes that I am being tested to uncover a question they want to see if I am skilled enough to find. Usually, in terms of a Celtic Cross, I will look at the different suits that pop up; what is there and especially, what is missing, to formulate what kind of energies are working or not in a reading. I will link majors through them to see what is of importance. Hopefully, after looking at the spread, I can sometimes get an idea of what the question would be if there was one. Hopefully, that will come up up in the small cross of the first two cards. I am doing a reading at the moment with a question, but the question is quite vague, so I may as well not have one, hehe. Once again, it is up to me to be put under the spotlight and see whether I come up with anything. Apologies if I have responded to the wrong question here; is this what you meant? Yabs

firemaiden	10 Nov 2004
Yes indeed Yabs, that's what I meant. ("yabs" hahah, that's a cute nickname). It sure is fun to have your feedback. Well old Holmes, you do use more cards then. Isn't that funny about Phoenix Rising's lady with 50 years experience who used the whole deck. Now THAT is a lot of cards. (wow, what does 50 years of reading experience do -- I'll be 90 before I'll be able to answer that question!). I'm actually having a LOT of fun now. It certainly frees one up when there is no question.

Imagemaker	10 Nov 2004
With a new querent who is doubtful about what tarot is and does, I reassure them with the spread that is almost the first part of the Celtic Cross (it's called the Time Traveller on one Thoth site, hypermart.net). The center line is past, present, future, with "subconscious" below present, "conscious" above. . . . . 5 2 . . 1 . . 3 . . . . 4 I lay it out one card at a time and explain that the spread is a snapshot of where they are right now. First of all, it gives me a general picture of them, and when it turns out to be accurate (which it always does), it reassures (or astounds) them that the cards know who they are. Then they're usually ready to ask a specific question. To me, asking for a general reading is just a way of affirming what the querent knows. Makes them feel like they're in touch with their reality. Sometimes that's the foundation for moving forward.

HOLMES	10 Nov 2004
for me i found your question while kind of vague , it did give me something to relate the cards too as i looked at them a lot more then if i had tried to do them without any frame of reference. example for that would be ,, please read for me i dont' know what to ask so you throw down the five cards and said ,1 is the source, 2,3,4 is what to do what about the source 5 is outcome if adhered tool..then i would of been stuck ,, yes the source yess BUT IN WHAT REFERENCE and i would of took my head and started hitting it against the table my keyboard is on (not realy lol ) yes i agree about the hidden question, i know in live readings after seeing that smile or that look i say OK what is the question your are thinking off ,, half of the time at least they know what it is but dont' want to say it,,(they tell me at that point i dont' want to tell you ) especially if they know me, yes firemaidien i guess i do use more cards,, however when stuck i alwasy used more cards as i read in the tarot books when i was just beginner about that method of taking the outcome card and doing a whole new cross if the answer is vague. so to my thinking eheh i didnt' use as much cards. i suppose that is a clutch as well to throw down more cards.

Keslynn	10 Nov 2004
I agree with Holmes that sometimes querents want general readings because they're unsure of the process or are testing the tarot. However, I've also had querents who genuinely wanted to know what the cards would tell them about without biasing it with a question. For example, they might want to know about a relationship, but if the tarot thinks work is more important then they don't want to exclude getting whatever message is primary. (I hope that made sense.) For a general reading, I usually just do a CC. Then, if something interesting comes up, I'll do another spread or throw some extra cards. For the most part, a CC suffices though. Personally, I like doing general readings. It's much better than getting peppered with yes/no questions. :) Kes

closrapexa	10 Nov 2004
Actually I prefer general readings over readings with questions. There are time when people don't know what to ask or don't know what they don't know. At these times I usually do the CC and let the cards tell me whatever they deem important. At times they relate to a specific subject, since that is the one that is most pressing. At other times it truly a general reading, where the querent's personality is discussed, what they can do to imrove their lives, etc. My problem with this kind of reading is that my readings are usually negative. Not that I predict bad things exactly, but the way I see it, people usually know what they are doing right, and my readings usually concentrate on improbvement rather than patting them on the back.

Chronata	10 Nov 2004
Seems like all I do is "General Readings"...then again that is what I offer my clients so I shouldn't complain! For me, a general reading is to lay out nine cards and see what comes up. Focus on what I can see most before me. Use a general past present future slant.... In the most general of general reading rules...I usually count the number of cards in each particular suit... If there's lots of Wands...then the client is usually concearned with thier job or carreer...Pents means they worry about money, Cups mean theres trouble on the relationship front...Swords often relate to health or just general chaos. And a lot of majors is all about the spiritual bliss. Even if I just mention one thing about each of the general topics...Love, Job, Health, Goals...then I feel that I have accomplished a general take on what they need to know... Although I admit there is always more that I can tell them!

WolfyJames	10 Nov 2004
Personally, I like doing general readings. I have such a boring life that I have no question to ask. I'm sure it's the case for some too, or maybe it's the opposite, they're so busy they don't have time to ask a question for each of their concerns. I use a general spread for reading, that coincidently, I posted last night ( http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=33225 ). I used it when I did readings at the Beltaine fair, it's a nice introduction to tarot and it's a quick reading, less cards than the celtic cross.

isthmus nekoi	10 Nov 2004
I actually don't mind general readings at all. It is nice to be able to "pin" the cards to a question, but I've often found that the question ppl ask consciously is not the same one they ask unconsciously. Frequently I'll hear: this describes something in my life but it's not what I asked about... I always go w/a c/c. It's like taking a psychic photograph w/a good digicam. Everything you need to see is there and you can zoom in wherever you want for more details. w/something more basic like a ppf spread, it's faster, more succinct, but I can't zoom in as well lol!

lunar_rabbit	10 Nov 2004
I am not experienced enough to do readings for the public yet, but something new popped in my head when I read your post. What about doing a one card reading to get started: "In what area of their life would this person most benefit from the information from a reading?" or "What should we do a reading about?" Almost like pulling a first card to be the title of the book. And the reading itself being chapters. I like the 5-card reading Imagemaker suggested. That is like the one I usually used for myself when I was using the Universal Waite deck. .........................(5) Higher conscious/Spiritual Guidance..................... (2) Past Influences............(1) Current Situation.............(3)Potential Future ...........................(4)Subconscious Influences/Roadblocks.................. With the Fairies Oracle, I just ask "What would you like to tell {person's name}?" Usually 2-3 cards is plenty.

Pebbles	10 Nov 2004
I often get people who don't want to ask a specific question because they are embarrassed to tell me. It is usually about love. Sometimes they tell me after the reading is done.

lark	10 Nov 2004
firemaiden wrote: What do you do when people ask you for "general" readings. First I sob softly into a hankie... If they don't take pity on me, pat me gently on the back, and offer up a question, I straighten up blow my nose and pull two cards. An inner you and an outer you. That usually opens up where they need to, want to, or don't want to go.

Rhiannon	10 Nov 2004
I also, do a CC spread in most "general" cases. But I do ask the cards a question which is "What does the querent most need to know right now?" Actually, I do that reading for myself alot too, when I feel like I want to read for myself, but dont' know what to ask. :)

Umbrae	10 Nov 2004
I prefer general readings – and use a standard 3, 5, or 7 position layout. Nothing special. I love general readings!…Underlying issues most always come to surface. General readings usually get to the core. I think of it as a story line. Here are five cards that mean a lot to the person in the story line – what tale do they tell? I just gotta be open to the story, and not project or judge. Then just tell the story. Have I told you yet that I love general readings? You may wanna practice with playing cards – fewer distractions at first…

SteveGlick	10 Nov 2004
Alot of people I read for want to start with general readings. In fact, my first professional tarot gig, which was about 2 weeks ago.. Jeez, I think of the 20 people I read for (was at a party) only 2 or 3 came to me and started with a specific question or area of interest.. Heres how I handled it.. Total of 15 cards to start (I pull alot of cards usualy.. my intuition plays a very big part in when I read, and honestly, if I dont get the message about a card right away, ill pull another 1 or two to support it, and once I get the message or know what its saying, thats when I go with it..) Anyway, I pull like this.. Start with the cross part of a celtic cross.. ........6 3.....1.2.....4 ........5 then I pull 3 smaller "clusters" ......1 --- Number 1 being the main card ....2..3 --- Number 2 and 3 being supporting cards (supporting in that they might be influencing it, or causing number 1, or are the outcome of what number 1 will bring, etc... support cards are generaly placed with my intuition to see how they are affecting number 1) The 3 small piles I pull are the... Left Brain (or where the head is, what has been on thier mind, usualy business, work stuff..) Right Brain (where thier heart is, family stuff, relationships, etc..) Enviroment (whats going on around them, external influences...) An example of how a cluster could work is like the following... A woman asked me how many kids she was going to have.. That is a bad question, honestly.. SO I rephrased it for her asking, how is she going to do with children and a family.. I pulled the following.. 1 - The Sun 2 - Emperor Inverted 3 - Queen of Swords. I read the sun as a birth/child (you know, new beginings, etc..) So I told her Yes, she is going to have kids. But, supporting that I saw there was a lack of the father figure (the emp) and the Woman was in a very strict and stern possition (which I saw as her). So, I saw it as she was going to be a single mother. So I advised her to reevaluate how shes going about her relationships if she wanted to avoid that. Anyway, back to the spread... With all these cards and piles, I usualy dont interprate every single card that comes up, but rather, look for paterns or messages, and then, when I figure something out, ill go with it..... MOST of the people I read for that night didnt want to start with a specific question, but once I found what was on thier mind or going on in thier heart, they definetly came up with alot of questions.. A good example of this is a lady I read for.. I saw in her "right brain" area she had alot of heartbreak going on, and in the "Past" area she had the page of swords.. Court cards for me are almost kinda "wild" cards and they usualy wear alot of hats and always mean something different, Normaly I interprate pages as female, but my intuition said.. "This is a guy, he caused that heartbreak.." So I said.. Well, it seems your very heartbroken because of a man.. She burst into tears and started to tell me about how her Husband did something (she wouldnt say what exactly) but she was on the brink of divorcing him, and she wanted to know all about that.. but she didnt want to just come out and say it from the begining. But after that barrier had been crossed, she asked many many many questions about what she should do about him, and her whole situation. So, in my advice, general reading should be, well, all inclusive. Doing a celtic cross with extra possitions or cards can better form whats going on and will help make the begining a springboard for the rest of the "readings".

zorya	10 Nov 2004
i really like general readings. i think sometimes people just want to hear what the universe thinks they need to, or should hear.... i know i do. there isn't one way that i do it; sometimes the 'issue' card will be loud and clear, or there might be a predominance of one suit or number, or the past positions might lead you like a story.. but it's really all the cards together.... usually the cards just speak. (sorry, that probably wasn't much help) :)

TemperanceAngel	10 Nov 2004
General readings rock!!! I always start with them, unless someone is desparate to have their question answered before the general reading... (generally the "will I ever meet Mr.Right" want to jump in here...) I use 23 cards, yes I am a nosy parker...it's a past, present and future general reading. My husband thinks that all the readings are the same with 23 cards, he thinks your chances of the cards all being 'positive' 'exciting' etc. are always going to be this way. Oh little does he know, 23 cards can really highlight positivity or not, things become very obvious and there is no escape from it, however much you squirm. Just kidding on the last bit folks, I don't make my clients squirm... But seriously, 23 cards let's you know what's going on. *1&2 *1*2*3*4*5*6*7 *same again* *same again* 1 and 2 can be now or past influences. Next 1 and 2 are Past, 3, 4 and 5 are Present, 6 and 7 are possible outcomes. Then it gets fun with the three rows, because sometimes the Past can be the future or the Present. You can read all the one's, or all the fours and fives and so on and so forth. Then there's the diagonals...the Suits, the Majors, the Aces... Oops, it can get crazy, I like it that way. Sometimes I can spend 40mins talking about that spread. Best not too attempt the 3 lines if you are new to Tarot, try one and keep adding as you feel you need to. If you jump in to early, it can be awfully confusing!

lifeistyme	10 Nov 2004
my method for a general reading is to focus on what i feel is the nine general essentials health-friends-family-career-intellect-magic-love-spirtuality-fate i use a simple star nine card spread which generally focuses on these nine important areas. I find that when people need a general spread it is becuse they are curious about many aspects in their life.

firemaiden	10 Nov 2004
TemperanceAngel wrote: Just kidding on the last bit folks, I don't make my clients squirm... Somehow methinks the Angel of Intemperance doth protest too much... :D

TemperanceAngel	10 Nov 2004
firemaiden wrote: Somehow methinks the Angel of Inteperance doth protest too much... Angel of Inteferance?

firemaiden	11 Nov 2004
TemperanceAngel wrote: Angel of Inteferance? Thank God we got our edit buttons back :D :D Well, I am so delighted to have heard from all of you, with such wonderful ideas.. Now WISH ME LUCK!. :eek:

TemperanceAngel	11 Nov 2004
firemaiden wrote: Thank God we got our edit buttons back :D :D LOL I thought you were trying to rename me (again...) Wish you luck, but you'll be fine :D:D:D:D

ros	11 Nov 2004
When I was studying numerology I asked a lady what was the meaning of number 7. She told me it was the meaning of you. (innerself) Then I looked up meaning for 7. If someone wants a general reading I get them to pull 7 cards and then I just read them like a story. It's like a message for them.

tmgrl2	11 Nov 2004
Good Luck, fm! If I have a short period of time, I do a three card spread and decide in moment...sometimes, PPF, sometimes Mind, Body, Spirit... If I have time and sitter is a good vict....er listener...I do a CC.... Sometimes I do my own Four of Swords and Shield of Love Spread and see what area comes up. I also like to keep the acronym: Money Ambitions Travel Career Health Expectations Sex/love in mind.... Sometimes, once I start, a topic or direction comes up, we interact and we're off... Keep us posted on how it goes. I am finding as I do live readings...I don't really have any formula....I just sit down and see where it takes us. I love that! terri

Catpaw	11 Nov 2004
This is very interesting and I do admit that I admire the straight forward responses. I am not as experienced as some of you (only been reading for 3 years) but if someone just does not know what to ask or how and will not give me much info, I use this spread (and forgive me, I do not remember from whence it came in order to give due credit): 1. General tone or mood surrounding person 2. What may help/hinder 3. Advice 4. Daily lesson 5. Near term solution/outcome At least this gives the querent a focal point from which to start talking and then as we proceed to more clarification or additional readings later, we have a baseline. Also, this helps the person to try and come up with a question the next time.

Paul	11 Nov 2004
Well, I'll throw in something I know from being a family psychotherapist: Garbage in, Garbage Out. That is, a poorly formed psychotherapeutic goal ultimately means a "wandering in the desert". Consequently, when there is no goal, the goal is then to get a goal. A Plan to form a Plan so to speak. I used to read at Renaissance Faires. It's only my experience, but general inquiries resulted in general answers. Then, you were condemned for not being specific. Soooo, I did a quick spread to determine the question. 3 cards. Nothing too involved. Read them like a sentence, taking into account suit meanings and come up with a relevant question. So, spread 1:the question is "What's the question?" Spread 2: The question, answered. All of the tarot cards need to have their meanings bent in the direction of a palpable question. Otherwise, all we are is dust in the wind.

Lurea	11 Nov 2004
That's a neat idea, Paul, but I'm not sure how to get a question from the cards. If it's not too much trouble, can you give an example of a question you might come up with, and the cards that led to it?

Imagemaker	11 Nov 2004
In Forest of Souls, I believe it was, Rachel Pollack also says that she draws cards to give her ideas for questions. For example, I might say, I need a question and draw the Hanged Man. Then I might say, "what do I need to see from a different perspective?" or "What can I willingly sacrifice to help myself?" Or if I drew a 8 swords, it would make me think of asking, "where am I trapping myself with negativity?" Whatever the question card is, there's probably a clear connection that will bring a situation or memory up for questioning.

Paul	11 Nov 2004
My pleasure. Keep in mind that I read with the Tarot de Marseille and use a different system of Minor Arcana reading than the ubiquitous Rider-Waite/Thoth. So the minor meanings may not match for you. Here's a recalled example... KING SWORDS + 5 CUPS + DEVIL (R) Here's the key words that popped into my head: "Brainy man + Talking about/Deepening relationship + (Bad) Sex." Here's the intuitive insights that occurred when looking at the card layout (Marseille cards of course). These are the Rorshach inkblot-flashes that occur. I'll go over these in more detail sometime in Paul's Minor Arcana Tiered System thread. http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=32084 King Swords, upright, so she likes him...Cups, so emotions...5's are ruled by Mercury, so talking and communicating...The center cup on the 5 of cups struck me as the "central issue" that won't go away...indeed, the King of Sword's eyes seemed to be looking at the central card...groin on the Devil, so sex or genitalia. The eyes on the belly of the Devil, so "eyes". So I said, "your question concerns something about a sexual component of a relationship with a male you like, which has become the subject of scrutiny. Perhaps the male is too cerebral, or perhaps you like his intellectualism. But, in any case, the elephant in the room is something sexual, even perhaps about 'equipment' if you know what I mean. And, there's something about 'eyes' and I have no idea what that is about." Ok - the woman confirmed by stating to effect that she was recently starting a relationship with a man who "lived in his head," but was unfortunately untalented in bed. Although she felt guilty for being hedonistic it had in fact become the central issue. To him, sex was unimportant. He was for all intents and purposes impotent. In fact, she had often said, "we don't see eye to eye on this issue" to friends. So, the question was about this relationship. Yeah, on this reading, I happened to be hot. As we all know, we have good hair days and bad hair days.

full deck	11 Nov 2004
I often consider general readings as being more a question of "What do I(you) need to know" as opposed to focusing upon a topic. It is more an effort to reveal what is needed and is more like an indicator or sometimes commentary. I visualize asking the high priestess or myself, myself if I'm doing a reading for myself.

firemaiden	12 Nov 2004
This is turning out to be quite an informative thread. I'm very happy to meet a new member, Paul, on this thread -- a family psychotherapist who uses the tarot, that is fun! Well, I've finally finished my first "general" reading. *firemaiden wipes brow* .. wow, that was a long haul. Now on to the next. Thank you everyone for your input!

TemperanceAngel	12 Nov 2004
When I was at work today I stated (as I do) that I was to do a general reading first and from there we will go on into questions after that. From this thread I really looked at how I was reading, and it intrigued me. I realise I double/triple read cards. For example: I read vertically the first three cards, and then would re-read them across and differently and then perhaps in a square, and so on and so forth. I also realised that the first time I may be talking about my client, the next time their family or partner and the next time their child and then their work etc. I thought this was quite snazzy actually and I think that you would have to have a reading from me in person to understand fully. It goes to show how the cards can have so many different meanings. Great thread firemaiden :)

purple_scorp	13 Nov 2004
Hey all, I just wanted to add perspective from a querent's viewpoint because I myself have asked for just a general reading. Why? Because at the time, everything seemed pretty balanced in my life and therefore, I didn't have a specific question that I wanted to ask. Why ask for a reading at all then? Well, just in case there was something that I was unaware of, like some deep, dark, hidden, undealt-with issue lurking in my subconscious, somewhere. Or, maybe I was just so bored with the status quo that I was hoping the cards would show that something exciting was coming up for me soon. One of my friends always does two readings. The first is a general spread where each position represents a different aspect in your life. She usually looks for a card that juts out and then does a second reading for that aspect. Or, if she sees that the querent has a reaction to a card, she might do a reading on that one to see if she can uncover more. purple_scorp

lunakasha	13 Nov 2004
I have done LOTS of "general" readings, and I actually like them. As several people have mentioned, they can be less constricting than question-specific readings, and the cards will tell you and the querent what you need to know to get into more specifics. In readings for myself or for an online querent, I usually start with a pretty simple spread (3-6 cards) and pull more cards to clarify or gain more insight into specific areas...I have also used some larger spreads to begin with (12-16 cards), usually when the querent has asked for a reading that covers EVERYTHING--they want to know about career, finances, relationships etc....and they want advice in each area. I have found these readings to be very accurate and helpful for the querent, to look at issues they may have been unaware of or just not ready to deal with. When they look at the cards it may provide them a different perspective on the issue, or it can be confirming for them that they are on the right path. With face-to-face readings, I have found that usually a 3-4 card "general" reading will provide enough information for the querent to say "ahhhh"....like they were not surprised at all and it seemed as though they already had a question in mind but were unable to verbalize it. During the course of the reading, they will confirm that this is something they have had on their mind. I may not have known the question, but the appropriate cards came up....pretty amazing really. :) Luna

Chronata	13 Nov 2004
Paul wrote: Soooo, I did a quick spread to determine the question. 3 cards. Nothing too involved. Read them like a sentence, taking into account suit meanings and come up with a relevant question. So, spread 1:the question is "What's the question?" Spread 2: The question, answered. All of the tarot cards need to have their meanings bent in the direction of a palpable question. Otherwise, all we are is dust in the wind. Well met Paul...and I have to say, I ABSOLUTELY LOVE this! Your examples of how this woks was pretty fabulous too...thanks for a cool new idea to try!

The What is a "general reading" and how do you do it? thread was originally posted on 10 Nov 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.