Finding Answers Three Cards at a Time

When I first began reading tarot, I would painstakingly lay out a full ten-card Celtic Cross Spread for every reading. It was actually a good way for me to start because I was able to get a very inclusive view of the client's situation that way. But it was a little bit like using a sledgehammer to tap in a nail; it was sometimes too much information to navigate. As time went by, I began to cut my readings into smaller pieces and I made them far more interactive. I also let go of the belief that I should provide all of the answers and embraced a style of working interactively with the client and the cards to find the answers together.

I began to lay out three cards at a time for most of my readings. Three just felt right to me and gave me a general trend of where the reading was going. I did this especially when clients didn't have a question so I would start by having them select three cards to get a sense of what was the most important for them to know. This is especially critical when I am only doing a short reading and don’t have much time. I would lay out three cards, see what the tarot had to say, formulate a new question (often working together with the client on this part), and then lay out three more cards that would either answer the question or inspire another new question…and so on and so forth.

I do occasionally use other spreads. I still like the Celtic Cross, especially when I have plenty of time to do the reading or if I know the client and want to go deep. I also like to do a full ten-card Celtic Cross for myself about every two or three months. I record the reading on a sheet with the layout and notes about my interpretation and tuck it in a special folder. (Yes, I’m that much of a geek!) It’s also fun to try new spreads like a Full Moon spread or a relationship spread. But ultimately, I have grown to love the back-and-forth conversations with tarot that working ‘three cards at a time’ allows. What’s your favorite tarot spread?

Have a fantastic month!