To spread or not to spread?

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 04 Mar 2005, and now archived in the Forum Library.

JulieG	04 Mar 2005
Hi everyone! Been months since I last posted - hope everyone is well. Wondered if I could have your thoughts on freeform reading? I sometimes find I struggle to draw much from the cards when I restrict them to a spread with defined positions. I have gotten good readings that way, but often feel drawn to just freeform readings: drawing a select number of cards and reading them without the constraints of a spread. Do any of you practice this method? What success have you had? Is it advisable as a general practice? Thanks everyone. Hugs to you all.

Keslynn	04 Mar 2005
Hey Julie! Welcome back! I've been playing tarot tricks on myself to enhance my intuition. The first was not to read reversals anymore so that I would sense whether the card should be read as more negative or positive. The second was reading without spreads. I do like the fluidity of a freeform spread and sometimes you can get some really strong intuitive hits. However, I only ever really did freeform readings for myself and close friends simply because of the irregularity of the results. Freeform can be very insightful, but I often like the structure of a spread as well because I think it helps the reading flow a little better, especially for a client. That, and it isn't as dependent on me being intuitively "on." Now I like hybrid spreads, in which certain of the positions are set and then I'll lay out 3 cards or so as the solutions part of the spread, or something like that. That all being said, if you have a strong inclination toward trying freeform, you should definitely do us! And let us know how it works for you. :) Kes

Emily	04 Mar 2005
Hi Julie, I do free-form readings for myself - Just shuffle, ask my question and take as many cards as I feel I need. It can be an interesting experience, you always seem to know how many cards to take to do the reading, and thats what I do - Just take cards and lay them out, usually in a line or column and read. If I think I need clarifying cards then I shuffle again and do the same thing. I usually find that a minimum 5 or 6 cards makes a good reading.

Moonbow*	04 Mar 2005
I'm with Emily here. I do freeform for myself but for others I usually do a spread. Having said that, I did a free form one in the Circle of Stones Thread a few weeks ago for a member here. I like to put seven cards in a row (like I do with Lenormand) and not necessarily read them in a row.

tarotbear	04 Mar 2005
Once you use more than one card, isn't that a 'spread' ? I realize we are talking here about 'organized or recognized' spreads. I think using 3-5 cards is the best way to go when 'some' info is needed but a large spread ike the CC is just too much info for a basic question.

Fudugazi	04 Mar 2005
I did a freeform with a friend the other day - it started as a three card spread, but because this friend has an original approach to life and discussions - as well as enjoying a good old debate - it became a three-way conversation between him, me and the cards. Fascinating how it just grew out of the moment. He's a photographer, successful, and is thinking of moving into film - it really became interesting when we got to XV-Le Diable! For myself I like to do freeform, or else to stick cards to parts of a sentence - like Keslynn, I am experimenting. But I come back to spreads now and then, trying to turn them into different kinds of exercises.

Milamber	04 Mar 2005
I was in the same Circle of Stones week, and how I did such a reading was to deal and read cards one by one from the deck until I felt that the spread was over. I did one in that week, and one for myself later. The first time I dealt 5 cards, the second time 7. Actually, during the 7 card one, I drew two Knights, side-by-side (wands and cups I believe), and when I drew the second, after reading it, I laid it crossing over the first Knight -- they seemed to me like they were meant to be read together (like the 1st and 2nd positions in the CC). So don't hold yourself to convention -- a straight line isn't the only option. I think sometimes a "non-spread" is a great spread to use, but other times, a more delineated spread might be appropriate. It depends on the occasion. A health related question, for example, might earn a health related spread. And a general reading would be quite difficult with a non-delineated spread.

TrueStar	04 Mar 2005
I also do free form or no-position spreads. Before shuffling I always decide how many cards I'm going to draw, usually between 3 and 5 cards. I always use a deck with I feel really connected and only when I think it "allows" me to ask on free spread. Results range from true revelations to completely fuzzy readings. I guess hybrid patterns (i.e., a 3 rows of 7 cards each, where the first goes for past, second for present and third for future) are more useful and reliable than free form. Although for both techniques is required a highly devoloped intuition and a profound knowledge of tarot itself. In this kind of reading you got to extract or deduce the meaning only from the actual cards, this is why in some books there are described series of combinations of cards (i.e., the Tower + 4 of Cups = divorce). I've seen this hybrid and free form done around here by professional readers. It's the most common way here, may be because of the influence of the traditional regular cards reading.

Ulfdis	05 Mar 2005
My wife does a sort of freeform reading all the time. She lays out 9 cards in a 3 by 3 square and from the cards, she figures out timelines, chains of cause and effect, all sorts of things. I've tried to do the same, but with mixed results. Sometimes we do collaborative readings based off her 9 card square. We wind up with tentacles sprawling all over the table and some really good insights, at least until one of the cats comes and knocks all the cards down.

SunChariot	05 Mar 2005
JulieG wrote: Hi everyone! Been months since I last posted - hope everyone is well. Wondered if I could have your thoughts on freeform reading? I sometimes find I struggle to draw much from the cards when I restrict them to a spread with defined positions. I have gotten good readings that way, but often feel drawn to just freeform readings: drawing a select number of cards and reading them without the constraints of a spread. Do any of you practice this method? What success have you had? Is it advisable as a general practice? Thanks everyone. Hugs to you all. Hi Julie, I hope you're well too. :-) My answer to this is, as in everything else Tarot, follow your heart and what feels right to you at the time.:-) I have tried it both ways. I started with spread when I was learning. Then I found them a bit constraining too and stopped for a while. I just thought out the problem I wanted to look at, formulated a series of related questions I needed to look at and pulled one card for each. That worked very well for me. I did some reading that were amazing for me that way. But recently I went back to spreads. It depends on your mood and what you feel like doing at the time, depends on where you are in your studies and just what feels right at the time. :-) Bar

The To spread or not to spread? thread was originally posted on 04 Mar 2005 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.