Face up or face down...how do you read your spreads?

Anyankah said:

I think some about what each card means as I turn it over but don't start deciding what it all means as a whole until I have all the cards out.

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Me, too.

Sinduction said:

I turn them all over. Before I begin on one card, I like to get a sense of the reading as a whole. But I don't read with card placement so that might be why I do that. I also don't read reversals so I need an overall view to understand what each card is trying to tell me. I am not sure that made any sense at all.

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It does to me! Because that is exactly what I do. And I may not start at the beginning - sometimes I start at the end and work my way around to the beginning or the middle and out on either side. I look at the spread overall and wait a sec, calm my brain, focus and see where I go. Each reading is different.

That's why you asked me to post my spreads.... you do the same!

I lay them out face down and turn them over one by one. As Umbrae mentioned it helps me to stay focused. When I began reading I laid them out all face up and the readings were a big disaster, nothing but nonsense, only skipping from one card to the next ... 'I need to hurry' ... 'I need to get the story together'. I didn't concentrate on the cards themselves but more on the results they're showing. It was by chance that I began reading them one AFTER the other.

franniee said:

That's why you asked me to post my spreads.... you do the same!

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That's why I want to see how you do it. I never run into anyone who does it the same way!!

For me, personally, it depends on how I feel when the cards are laid down. For some readings, I go one card at a time, for others I turn them all up and study them for a few minutes to get the over all "gist" of it before going card by card. Sometimes as new insight hits me, I go back and make a point or reference to the question or other cards. It all depends on what's going on with the question, situation etc.

Face up for me, because the way I read is that I actually visualize the cards comming to life, telling a story with all the scenes and characters blending in beautifully

I lay them face down and turn them over one by one. I do this so I can look at any initial thoughts or feelings that come across as I observe each card individually.
As I turn over the second and third cards etc.. I keep in mind what I felt about the cards before and see if things start linking together but still trying to see the cards individual message for a moment.
Once they are all face up I go over them again looking for links and forming the reading.

I turn the cards over one by one in order as I'm going through the spread. I, for the most part, have always done it that way. It just feels more natural for me to do it that way. Then it comes down to intrepreting to what the cards are saying. That is where I probably need to spend more time with the cards. And to actually think and look at what the cards are trying to tell me. I still think I rely to heavy on books that tell me the meaning. And then again, if I haven't seen a card in awhile it like I'm stumped.