Question on Three Card General Reading or Single Question Spreads

EmpyreanKnight

I'm just curious as to how other readers handle these kinds of readings. When you use a 3-Card General Reading/Single Question Spread, do you deal the first card on the middle position, the second on the left, and the third on the right (like a 2-1-3 spread)? Or do you proceed from left to right: first on the left, second on the middle, and third on the right (1-2-3).

Also, how do you interpret them? Do you treat the middle card as the main focal point that provides the heart of the answer to the question, with the other two only there to provide some supporting details? Or do you read it linearly like a story book, from left to right, with all the cards of equal weight?

Or do you mix styles as you see fit? Thanks!
 

Hemera

I usually pull just one or two cards for a single question.

If I feel like pulling three cards for one question I'd have one as the main card at the top and the two as clarification cards at the bottom like this:
--1--
2--3
 

EmpyreanKnight

I usually pull just one or two cards for a single question.

If I feel like pulling three cards for one question I'd have one as the main card at the top and the two as clarification cards at the bottom like this:
--1--
2--3

OK, that gave me an idea. Thanks Hemera!
 

Luxa

I pull 3 card spreads quite often. I place them left to right 1-2-3. I read them depending on what cards I pull, whatever order makes sense for them.
 

EmpyreanKnight

I pull 3 card spreads quite often. I place them left to right 1-2-3. I read them depending on what cards I pull, whatever order makes sense for them.

Oh, so you read the cards as a whole tapestry and not in any order. So you can sometimes start your interpretation with the rightmost card, then the leftmost, and finally the middle card if that makes the most sense to you, am I right?
 

Barleywine

In order of preference/frequency of use:

Deal and read left-to-right as a story progression

Deal left-to-right and read the center card as the focus, flanking cards as modifiers

Deal left-to-right and read the most prominent card as the focus

Deal in a circular layout, starting at lower left, and read the top card as the focus, similar to Hemera

Deal in a circular layout and read as a situational continuum, with no beginning-to-end progression

In the last case, here's something I created that puts a slight twist on the three-card spread as an "action-reaction-resolution" scenario. (The fourth post has the final version.)

http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=255684
 

EmpyreanKnight

In order of preference/frequency of use:

Deal and read left-to-right as a story progression

Deal left-to-right and read the center card as the focus, flanking cards as modifiers

Deal left-to-right and read the most prominent card as the focus

Deal in a circular layout, starting at lower left, and read the top card as the focus, similar to Hemera

Deal in a circular layout and read as a situational continuum, with no beginning-to-end progression

In the last case, here's something I created that puts a slight twist on the three-card spread as an "action-reaction-resolution" scenario. (The fourth post has the final version.)

http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=255684

That's a lot of spreads. Thanks!

Btw how do you choose which one to use for a particular reading? Is it like a feel of the gut thing, like if a querent asks you a question youd 'just go "Hmmm I'm just going to use Spread 4 for this"? Or do you use certain spreads for certain types of questions like e.g. the story progression for relationship queries, Hemera's spread for career ones, etc.?
 

Barleywine

That's a lot of spreads. Thanks!

Btw how do you choose which one to use for a particular reading? Is it like a feel of the gut thing, like if a querent asks you a question youd 'just go "Hmmm I'm just going to use Spread 4 for this"? Or do you use certain spreads for certain types of questions like e.g. the story progression for relationship queries, Hemera's spread for career ones, etc.?

I usually create spreads for special topics, but very few of them are that small. For the general three-carders, I typically start with the left-to-right line and see what cards come up, then decide whether to change the angle of attack at that point. It isn't a case of using a single technique either, since every perspective adds something different. For clients, I read without knowing the question in advance (although it may come out to some extent during the dialogue), so I always use a general-purpose spread, the Celtic Cross or one of my own making.
 

EmpyreanKnight

I usually create spreads for special topics, but very few of them are that small. For the general three-carders, I typically start with the left-to-right line and see what cards come up, then decide whether to change the angle of attack at that point. It isn't a case of using a single technique either, since every perspective adds something different. For clients, I read without knowing the question in advance (although it may come out to some extent during the dialogue), so I always use a general-purpose spread, the Celtic Cross or one of my own making.

This is just so helpful. I'd be sure to incorporate some of these in my practice. Thanks!