Is it important to prepare questions before spreading?

As the title already explains, my questions is as follows: if I am doing a simple linear spread reading for myself or someone else (kind of the 1*2*3*4*5 kind of spread), do I have to "plan" how many cards I will pull and the questions for them or can I pull more cards out as I go if I pull and read the cards one by one? Ex. Let's say I make a 1*2*3*4*5 spread, but I want to ask a sixth questions that came to mind while reading, can I do so? Or did I have to know I was to ask this question before starting the reading? (Please note I am not refering to clarifications cards here)

Thx alot!
lad

IMHO is preferable to have everything decided in advance, questions and number of cards, BUT the Tarot practice is so flexible (and we all so curious) that you can add another question with corresponding card, in your case I would do as follows:

Once I had my 5 questions/cards if a new question arise I would fan the rest of the deck and pick a card for that question, why fan the deck? because I feel some extra randomness factor is needed if an extra question/card want to be asked using the already shuffled deck.

Hope it helps.

I preffer to know the request, so that I can plan which kind of spread I would like to use, if any. This is of course when I am shuffeling the cards; if someone else is doing it, then I tell them to think of something and then I lay out the cards according to a spread I think would work, for when there was none planned in that case.

lad said:

As the title already explains, my questions is as follows: if I am doing a simple linear spread reading for myself or someone else (kind of the 1*2*3*4*5 kind of spread), do I have to "plan" how many cards I will pull and the questions for them or can I pull more cards out as I go if I pull and read the cards one by one? Ex. Let's say I make a 1*2*3*4*5 spread, but I want to ask a sixth questions that came to mind while reading, can I do so? Or did I have to know I was to ask this question before starting the reading? (Please note I am not refering to clarifications cards here)

Thx alot!
lad

Click to expand...

I don't do a lot of linear spreads, I almost always do CCs.

That said...

I have gotten to the point where I'm not really sure that the cards care what the question actually is. I personally feel that they say what the querant needs to hear regardless of what the question is. Sometimes it matters, but oft times it doesn't. If that makes any sense.

What I do is if at the end of a reading I need more clarity, I will often shuffle the cards, focus on the reading I just did and ask for clarity of the reading, then I simply turn as much as a second celtic cross.

Last night I did a reading, and as I was shuffling to ask for clarity, the ace of swords jumped out of the deck.

I guess that response was clear enough. I didn't bother turning the rest of the cross at that point.

So sometimes, even if we plan to turn 13 cards, the cards might tell us we don't need them. Which is what I feel they did last night. Planning shmanning, I say, turn the cards until you understand the message.

but that's just me.

Sometimes I'll have all my questions planned. Sometimes not. I've done it both ways (re-shuffling and not) in asking additional questions. It depends on whether I'm planning on pulling fewer or more cards in response to the additional clarification.

I know that doesn't really help, but it's another opinion.

I usually always have the question and spread in mind in advance. However I do feel that the Tarot already knows what spread we are going to use.

~Azarial~

heya lad

I feel it's best to always start with a good plan, but we know what happens to our best layed plans. I think it's a good sign if you're getting flashes of insight; it means something's working.

fools_fool

Perhaps view the cards as you (and whatever power you acknoledge) as a servent, not a master.

Generally, it is better to have made up questions and spreads in advance but I also recommend querents who have difficulty in focusing on one question to make their mind clear eg just to let things flow. I sometimes add cards to an already laid out spread when I see the answer is still "open".

Though one might be flexible in their usage of the Tarot, it is almost manditory to pick up a deck with some sort of question, even if it is just a "tell me what I need to know" type of meditation. (Picking up a deck just to shuffle through them and look is well and good and makes for a nice meditation upon everything.)

Spreads can suit some people's need for a framework but, based upon my experience, is not necessary. I must say that I'm more open to experimenting since reading of different techniques used by people here on AT but not so much moved to recreate a specific spread as I am by the need to distill and understanding of just what I am trying to do when I read.