Any interesting/different spread favorites that you love?

euripides

I tend to do a lot of single cards, sometimes two or three cards with positions. I've enjoyed a few large spreads but they take a lot of mental time and space so I don't do them often.

A reading done for me recently used two decks, with an oracle card drawn for each tarot card. It was rather lovely and interesting the way the oracle cards threw light on the tarot.

Have you tested out any unusual or different spreads that have become part of your regular way of reading?
 

Barleywine

This one, which I use every day now for my daily draw. It's different in that it applies the decan cards (pips and courts) representing my astrological Ascendant, Sun and Moon as a kind of permanent backdrop for the cards reflecting the transient circumstances of that day, in the areas of "focus," "personal power" and "mood." In addition, it uses a face-down "wild card;" I decide which of the three daily cards I want to use it with before turning it over.

http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=269949
 

euripides

This one, which I use every day now for my daily draw. It's different in that it applies the decan cards (pips and courts) representing my astrological Ascendant, Sun and Moon as a kind of permanent backdrop for the cards reflecting the transient circumstances of that day, in the areas of "focus," "personal power" and "mood." In addition, it uses a face-down "wild card;" I decide which of the three daily cards I want to use it with before turning it over.

http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=269949

Oh now this is interesting. I like that 'backdrop' idea, like a kind of development on the significator concept. The three key areas are really helpful too. I'll definitely try this one. I'll have to find out what my ascendant and moon are.

Edit: found my ascendant. Gemini. http://www.asktheastrologers.com/whats-my-rising-sign/
and so is my moon! http://www.lunarium.co.uk/moonsign/calculator.jsp
 

barefootlife

http://i.imgur.com/DsqGXvM.jpg

That's my go-to spread for regular checking in or when I'm feeling stuck. If that seems to complex, a simplified version would be to pull five cards and read them thus:

1 - most important thing
2 - what I don't know
3 - what I need to know
4 - clarification
5 - advice/guidance

Depending on what oracles you have, they can really be added in anywhere for some extra guidance. On the first spread I posted, if I'm going to pull two 7 cards, the second is usually an oracle. On the second spread, the 5th card is the perfect place for an oracle.
 

Barleywine

Oh now this is interesting. I like that 'backdrop' idea, like a kind of development on the significator concept. The three key areas are really helpful too. I'll definitely try this one. I'll have to find out what my ascendant and moon are.

Edit: found my ascendant. Gemini. http://www.asktheastrologers.com/whats-my-rising-sign/
and so is my moon! http://www.lunarium.co.uk/moonsign/calculator.jsp

To figure out your decan cards and associated court cards, you will need the exact degree for each factor. There are free chart calculation programs like Astrodienst as long as you know your time of birth.
 

euripides

http://i.imgur.com/DsqGXvM.jpg

That's my go-to spread for regular checking in or when I'm feeling stuck. If that seems to complex, a simplified version would be to pull five cards and read them thus:

1 - most important thing
2 - what I don't know
3 - what I need to know
4 - clarification
5 - advice/guidance

Thank you Barefootlife. I *really* love that one you've linked to with the image- the positions are really thought-provoking. 'your perspective' against 'alternate perspective', and 'destroy/give up' vs 'create/build'. Potential here for really constructive analysis and generation of action.

This more simple one seems very good for a quicker but not flimsy reading.

To figure out your decan cards and associated court cards, you will need the exact degree for each factor. There are free chart calculation programs like Astrodienst as long as you know your time of birth.

oh ok, thanks, I'll try it. I used to be obsessed with astrology (at a basic sun sign level - we had a huge book with personalities and love matches and the like, way back in the 80s) but these days tend to dismiss it - but - I've become more open to just opening my mind. I gather the ordering of the heavens set out in traditional astrology may not be even relevant anymore, given the progression of the equinox, but I don't even care - if it's a framework of meaning that can work for me, I'm going to give it a try!
 

barefootlife

Thank you Barefootlife. I *really* love that one you've linked to with the image- the positions are really thought-provoking. 'your perspective' against 'alternate perspective', and 'destroy/give up' vs 'create/build'. Potential here for really constructive analysis and generation of action.

This more simple one seems very good for a quicker but not flimsy reading.

Constructive analysis and generation of action is what I look for in my reading, which is part of why I find this spread so excellently multi-purpose! Pretty much every aspect of the reading can be read against any other card for further insight, so nothing really stands alone. It can also be an interesting exercise to read the whole thing through the lens of the guidance card, to see if that changes the tone. There's a lot to dig into, but at least for me it's much easier to make the connections than with, say, a classic CC, and also easier for a sitter to understand.