daphne
By active, I mean that they impact on the querrent's past, present or future in some way. So they may not be on the same line, but could be read via diagonals. Sometimes the cards aren't snagged by left or right, up or down, or diagonals... those I call neutral, but do still read them if the querrent has a specific question and a card has a particular bearing on the question. IE: Health, or whatever not.
IE: If I'm reading for a woman and the man card isn't 'active' (is neutral), I can still go read around that card to see what they want in a significant other, etc. I could tell them, that there isn't anyone serious in their life right now (unless there are other indications of a 'friendship with benefits' which often appears), but that they're looking for X, Y, Z.
May I ask again what do you mean buy active? With all the methods to connect the cards, it seems that all cards can be connected in some way with all (left or right, up or down, or diagonals, mirroring, knighting).
Can you please give an example? Which cards active and which are "neutral' to the Lady in the example you post it here:
http://tarotforum.net/showpost.php?p=2604613&postcount=4
And can cards be only active or neutral, or is there a 3rd state too?