Anyone know about this spread?

[jeank74]

Hello all, Thank you for dropping by!

I am actually looking for some information about a spread which is used by a Gypsy lady whom I have seen in the past three years. She only comes to my hometown for one week every year. So in the past three years while I was living with my family, I would go see her while she was in town.

Everytime when I went to see her, she would use the same spread for my reading. The spread goes like this:

Without asking me any question, she would give me a deck of card, which is not RWS, and ask me to shuffle it while thinking about what I wanted to know in my head. After I was done shuffling it, she would ask me to cut the deck into three piles and put each pile on the table. Then she would quickly look over each pile, seemed like she was looking for a particular card. Since she does not know my birthday, I don't think she was looking for my significator card.
Once she has found "the card," then she laid out all the cards in that pile where "the card" was. While laying out the cards, she would tell me my past, present, future, people around me, as well as answers for my questions.

She would use the same spread when reading for my friends and families. It looks like an amazing spread, but I have not seen it in books or online. So if you know anything about this spread please let me know.

Thanks!

[coldsuns]

Maybe this is a spread "created" by her. Most experience gypsy or witches prefer their own spread.

[Trogon]

Hi Jeank,

This sounds very much like the "Hidden Influences Spread" which is listed in the back of the book "The Complete Book of Tarot Reversals" by Mary K. Greer. I quote;

Pick a card to be your significator. Any card with which you currently identify will do. If in doubt, use the Magician if you are a male, and the High Priestess if you are female. Keep your significator in the deck.

Shuffle the deck. Cut into three stacks as evenly as possible. (Hint: hold the deck sideways and estimate one-third and two-thirds divisions.)

Look through the three stacks for the one containing your significator. Keep the cards in order. Discard the other two stacks.

With the cards face down, lay all the cards on a large table in the pattern and order shown on the following page. As you lay the cards, place them face-up by turning from right to left.
..........[small snip]
Look for your significator. This is you! Specifically, it is your key point of awareness. The cards that surround your significator (a minim of three and maximum of eight) are your major concerns. ...

And so on. The pattern is several horizontal rows of 5 cards each. Looking across each row (5 cards) you're seeing a Past-Present-Future type spread. Then each row has specific significance;

Row 1 - Creative desire, inspiration, intention. Fire
Row 2 - Emotions, feelings, fantasies. Water
Row 3 - Mind, thoughts, attitudes. Air
Row 4 - Physical manifestation, results, form. Earth
Row 5 - Unconscious motivations, needs, underlying causes.
Row 6 - Same as fifth row, but even more deeply underlying.

I'm guessing, from how you describe the process you observed, that the person doing the reading decides on the significator based on your physical appearances, or perhaps just on her feelings. Then after you shuffle and cut the deck, she simply follows the above proceedure to find the stack with that card and goes from there.

[Disclaimer] I have not personally tried this spread. While it does sound like a workable spread, I am tending to move away from these larger spreads with more than 10 cards.

Hope this has helped though. By the way... I highly recommend Ms. Greer's book.

[jeank74]

Trogon,

Thank you very much for sharing that spread with me. I think that might be it! She did lay out 5 cards in a row and often tell me about what's in my mind first and then about the money or school later on when she reached about row 4.

I will definitely take a look at Mr. Greer's book when I have chance.