Tarot Spreads Part II

As you continue on your tarot journey you will begin to want more complex tarot spreads to help you gain more insight into the personal issues of yours and your Querents. These spreads will require significantly more knowledge of how the tarot cards relate to each other and of their individual meanings. Using these spreads will be great for developing your knowledge of the cards as well as your intuition.

---The Three Card Tarot Spread---

This spread will give you much more information than the one card tarot spread and is better suited to more complicated issues. Like the other tarot spread begin by relaxing and focusing on the question or issue and shuffle in the same manner. Several different teachers have different methods at this point. The two most common are spreading the cards out in a line and intuitively picking 3, or you can split the deck and just draw the top 3. I prefer the later. Lay the 3 cards out next to each other horizontally. You can lay them upside down and flip them over one at a time or just lay them out right side up.Left Card: The Context – The general overview of the current issue.

Center Card: The Focus - This card is usually the general problem or decision to be made.

Right Card: The Outcome – The effects of the circumstances in the second card on the future as it is now. Remember the future is not set in stone.

The three cards can also be thought of as past, present and future in more of a time line approach. The approach you choose to take to this spread is up to you. Think intuitively and choose the one you think best fits the issue or question.

Left Card: The Past – This card is the Querent's past experiences that are having a direct influence on the issue at hand.

Center Card: The Present – This card represents the forces or the emotions effecting the Querent at the present that relevant to the issue.

Right Card: The Future – This card shows the likely future the Querent will take based on the information in the previous two cards as it is now.

---The Five Card Tarot Spread----

There are several five card spreads which all seem to go by that name. This is one of my favorites.
This tarot spread is very good when looking for the course of action to take in a given matter. Focus on the question, shuffle, and cut the deck just like before. Draw 5 cards and lay them in the following configuration and in that numbered sequence.



Card 1: The general theme of the reading
Card 2: Past experiences having influence on the issue
Card 3: The future
Card 4: The reason the Querent is asking the question, may show a subconscious motive
Card 5: A possible results from taking a given course of action

As you can see this is extremely similar to the 3 card tarot spread. The big difference is it gives a a potential outcome if action is taken as well as the future as things are now. It also offers a subconscious motive for asking the question which may reveal more information about the past. Sometimes the answer to an issue lies not in the future, but in introspection into the past.

More spreads to follow. Keep practicing.

Good luck.

Part I can be found here

Tarot Spreads

Tarot Spreads

After you begin learning the meaning of each card you should begin to learn some tarot spreads. It is fine if you haven't mastered the meaning of each card before you start reading. In truth real life practice will probably lead to you learning each card faster. This can be a bit of a moral issue however. If you are doing a reading for another person you should probably not involve any serious matters until you have some experience under your belt. I got most of my original experience doing extremely goofy readings while me and my friends were partying. My biggest suggestion would be to do readings for yourself, such as a daily reading (which I will get into later). Do not necessarily take the advice you get immediately. I believe that you will begin to just 'know' when you are getting accurate readings. This may happen immediately for some people and it might take some practice for others. Like almost all other skills, with tarot you must learn to crawl before you can walk.

The first tarot spread I will start you out with is the tried and true one card spread. I see many beginners jump right into using the Celtic Cross tarot spread and I feel this is totally unnecessary especially for the beginner. The sheer amount of information will likely confuse people who don't have very much experience. I also feel a 1 or 3 card spread can give enough information for the average question. Most professional tarot card readers will even use a 3 card tarot spread for their clients. In the case that the question may be a little deeper only then will they move on to a more complicated tarot spread.

The One Card Tarot Spread

The one card tarot spread is a fast way to consult the tarot and get a simple answer. This spread is very good for on the fly readings or readings that sound like they may have a simple answer.

To begin a reading sit in a quiet comfortable place, if possible. This is more important when you are beginning than when you have some experience. Try and relax and let your conscious mind and ego go for the moment. Focus on the question at hand. Make sure this isn't a yes or no question, or a question worded so the Querent(the person to whom you are giving the reading) is giving away the responsibility of their actions to the cards. For example a question like-"Should I dump my boyfriend?". It may help to think of the “issue” at hand rather than a question.

Begin shuffling the cards. You can shuffle them like they are a deck of playing cards if you have big enough hands however I find this wears cards out significantly faster. Other methods include laying them all out on the floor or a table and scrambling them around or splitting the deck in parts and inserting them together. I find scrambling the cards to look unprofessional so I generally pick the inserting method. Once you feel the cards are properly shuffled you may stop. This is extremely intuitive. While doing readings I usually feel a “spark” or “flash” in my head telling me to stop shuffling.

At this point either you or the Querent may split the deck. Again this is very intuitive, just go with what feels right. Draw the top card, lay it down on the table so both you and the Querent can see it. To the best of your ability interpret the card using the knowledge from the previous pages(Meaning Of Tarot Cards), other lists, and most importantly your own intuition. If the card is upside down remember to read it as “reversed.” Reversed cards have a lessened or opposite meaning. Reversed meanings are also listed on my previous pages. This easy should give a quick simple answer to your question.

More tarot spreads to follow. Always remember if you want to get better with tarot PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE.

Good Luck

Part II can be found here
Tarot Spreads Part II