Why use tarot spreads?

Why use Tarot Spreads?

A tarot spread is like a map, each position offering the chance of a different card journeying down the same road and each card will relate to its own particular experience along that journey. Using a spread enables us to relate a card to a position in a spread and gain deeper insight behind the meaning of the card depending on its placement.

As you take a little time to study the image on the card and its placement in a spread, this allows you to peel away the layers and pick up on the many different perspectives offered. A tarot spread can reveal a huge amount of information and give information which the sitter may not be consciously aware of.

People ask for readings for many different reasons and the motivation behind the reading sometimes comes out in the spread and also has an influence on the overall reading. Some might have a question in mind, some may be hoping for guidance or for confirmation of what they are going through. Some come for a reading for the fun of it and others are genuinely curious. I have found when giving readings that if I’m reading for someone who has never had a reading before and is wondering about the tarot, that often scenarios of their past comes up and they will confirm ‘everything you have said has already happened’ and I feel that this is the Universe’s way of showing we are linked to the Divine through the tarot and this connection does give us a reflection of aspects in a sitter’s life that were meaningful to them in the past or are associated with the present.

As you are giving a reading, take care when doing so that the sitter does not influence you into giving the answers or responses they expect or are hoping for. I prefer when giving readings that the sitter does not reveal anything until the very end of the reading and then we can discuss the cards and the reading. This works well with me. Every reader will have their own methods. Also, it is important to remember that the tarot can give guidance but does not make other people's minds for them. We should leave others’ to make their own decisions.

The layouts

There are many different layouts … hundreds of them and you can make up your own too. I like to use the Celtic Cross spread as I feel that it gives a good in-depth reading but if a person comes to me for a specific purpose, I will make up a spread to cover the questions they have asked.

Also when using a spread, just like when reading the cards, trust your intuition. If you feel that the meanings of the positions in the spread are different to the meanings given in the books, change to your own definition. Trust your inner guidance.