Past Cards... why do we do this

[fyreflie24]

Hey! I often use a 3 card past, present, future spread as I'm a relative beginner and I find this spread accessible but today, I was thinking about the past cards. Why do we use the past cards? Yes, they help us understand where we've been but don't we know where we've been? Or not?

Hum...

I'm just curious what everyone else thinks about the use of past cards and how they are relevant in your readings.

Thank you!

[PathWalker]

I find them helpful, becuase for me they narrow down which aspect of my situations in the past are relevant to this reading.

So is a specific situation from the past playing out in the now?

Did that make sense?

[janie144]

Perhaps you would find it more helpful if you didn't look at it as a 'where you have been' card, try thinking of it more as a 'what you did or how you behaved in the past that brought you to this point' card. In future if you don't want to be in this position you will know what behavior or action not to repeat.

[Barleywine]

I've begun thinking of the "past" card(s) as describing the source of underlying motives for actions in the present, among other things like lessons learned, entrenched attitudes and - sometimes - unfinished business.

[CelestialHorse]

I'd look at the past card as, like a validation/confirmation.

[MissMacchiato]

yes, I've read about this before. It's really just a bit of an ego stroke, isn't it? That we are correctly reading the cards.

I don't generally include it anymore, unless I'm using a specific spread that would involve that position, and choose to keep it 'as is' rather than modify.

[CelestialHorse]

Yeah and good point, why use the past card.

I always want to know if I am having accuracy in the reads because I want the cards to tell me what I NEED to hear, what will really happen, etc. But I think in the end it's a wait and see kind of thing if your cards are right or not :/ I hate waiting lol.

[Hanno]

I am not fan as well of P/P/F 3-card spreads. For smaller spreads, say 1-3 cards I find the reading more effective for me if I concentrate on present and potential energies at work.

For larger spreads, I found past cards have their use; in particular if you are reading for a 3rd party/client as it can bring up to the surface past events/influences that the person may not be aware, forgot or didn't connect to his/her current situation.

[Sulis]

I think that the only way to look at what may possibly happen in the future is to look at the past to see how it's created the present and the present to see how that will create the future. By looking at the past you can see how you've got the problems you have now and so can see how to change things to make them better in the future.

[rwcarter]

How the Querent views the past may be different from what actually occurred in the past or from how the other person involved (if applicable) perceived what happened in the past. So, the past position could be seen as a reality check.