Face Down or Face Up?

From time to time I see mention of the different ways people lay out the cards in a spread. For most of my long journey with tarot, I've been laying all of the cards face up so I can get an immediate "gestalt" perspective on the spread, a carry -over from how I've always read astrological charts: look for the main themes first, then examine the less prominent features. I don't read that way, of course, preferring a narrative flow from start to finish. But it does help me focus on the major message as the smaller details emerge. An example is immediately seeing that there is a complete lack of one element in a spread, or that the spread is "mostly Cups" or "mostly Majors." These are big-picture tip-offs.

Since coming to AT, I've found that many people like to lay all of the cards face down (hence the interest in fully-reversible backs), and than turn them up one at a time to read, doing the broad overview at the end. Personally, I've found this takes me too much time and locks me into a kind of "compartmentalized" reading style; I much prefer to see card interactions "on-the-fly," sometimes a card or two ahead.

Since I returned to professional reading last year, I've been using what I call elements of "the theater of tarot." One of these is leaving the outcome card face down to create a sense of drama and anticipation in the reading; the rest I deal face up as usual.

Although my old tarot books didn't make much of how the cards are dealt, I've seen newer books that promote the "face down" method, which is where I suspect many people here got the idea. Although it probably doesn't merit a poll, and it really is personal preference, I'm curious if there is a consensus on this.

I'm a face upper, for same reasons. Face down, to me, does add a theatrical flare, but not much else. Perhaps face down could assist with single card meanings, and maybe walk the sitter through the process of the reading?

I lay the cards out face up. Like you, I prefer to be able to see the whole picture at once. It's easier to see how the cards interact with each other and to get the tone for the reading, seeing if a main idea is there throughout the whole reading, which suit is predominant or whether there are many Major Arcana cards, etc.

mrpants said:

I'm a face upper, for same reasons. Face down, to me, does add a theatrical flare, but not much else. Perhaps face down could assist with single card meanings, and maybe walk the sitter through the process of the reading?

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The instructional walk-through makes sense, but when I'm "on-the-clock" (20 or 30-minute sessions), I simply have to be more fluid. With the spread I've been using, I often talk about card combinations or complexes ("mental/emotional/physical," for example), so I like to "get right to it."

I learned to lay them out face up and to scan the entire spread for connections (numbers, suits, court cards, symbols) before going one by one through the cards in the spread.

I suspect part of the disparity is based on your own preference for how you gather and use information in general.

Some people need to build up, point by point, until they reach a conclusion. Others like to get an overview, and then drill down for specific data.

It's an 'inductive reasoning' versus 'deductive reasoning' preference in the end

Face up, so that I can see how the cards and question fit together.

Guess I'm odd man out cause I lay them face down. I like to concentrate on each card as I turn it over and then look at how that card flows with the cards before it. Once all the cards are turned over is when I do my overview.

When reading with the sitter present (as opposed to an email or exchange reading), if I turned all the cards over, they might focus on a different card than I'm on and either interrupt my flow or not pay attention to the card I'm discussing because they see this troubling card hanging out there like the sword of Damocles....

Rodney

l have always laid my cards face up it gives me a feel of where the reading is heading, then l read the cards one by one story book wise. l also add extra cards if l feel to do so. It may not be everyone's method but it does work beautifully for me.

rwcarter said:

Guess I'm odd man out cause I lay them face down. I like to concentrate on each card as I turn it over and then look at how that card flows with the cards before it. Once all the cards are turned over is when I do my overview.

When reading with the sitter present (as opposed to an email or exchange reading), if I turned all the cards over, they might focus on a different card than I'm on and either interrupt my flow or not pay attention to the card I'm discussing because they see this troubling card hanging out there like the sword of Damocles....

Rodney

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There is this . . . I try to head it off by giving them the "one-minute tutorial" in advance about the cards that are most likely to draw their attention away - usually Death, the, Devil, the Hanged Man and the Tower. When I talk about each card I usually pick it up, maybe turn it around if reversed to talk about its "normal" meaning, compare it to another related card in the spread, anything that focuses the sitter on that card at that moment. I keep the story-telling moving along briskly and try not to let them wander.

rwcarter said:

Guess I'm odd man out cause I lay them face down. I like to concentrate on each card as I turn it over and then look at how that card flows with the cards before it. Once all the cards are turned over is when I do my overview.

When reading with the sitter present (as opposed to an email or exchange reading), if I turned all the cards over, they might focus on a different card than I'm on and either interrupt my flow or not pay attention to the card I'm discussing because they see this troubling card hanging out there like the sword of Damocles....

Rodney

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Same as you Rodney! I want to be able to really focus on each individual card first instead of having my thoughts flowing in all directions and making possible connections.
Maybe with experience I would be able to block that, but I'm an overthinker in general and tarot is no exception!