EXPERIMENTS WITH TAROT: reading without spreads

mahimaisme

silvercloudedwolf!

ED's....hmm. i love them., i add some dimension of it to every reading i do and i find it lends invaluable input...specially for gather general level on tension or movement in a reading, to get a feel of the entire situation...etc. also to compare between important parts of the reading, like :what do you think you are? what does the other person think you are?
 

tink27

Same here!

SilverCloudedWolf said:
When I first started reading the tarot I did nothing but use spreads (I never knew you couldn't) but I always had trouble with one or two cards in a reading not making sense with respect to their position in the spread. I persevered with reading, assuming it was as problem with me, but it never got any better.

Then one day, when I first joined AT, I was looking through the spreads forum and someone had mentioned that they never used spreads so I tried reading without one and it worked! I just asked questions and pulled cards in response and read them as individual points or a story depending on if I could see a story/theme or not. I've only once used a spread since (and even that worked) and my readings have got a whole lot clearer. Thinking back on it, it's probably a life lesson.

I'd like to start using the elemental dignities, I have had a play with it but nothing too serious yet.

Silver
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I started experimenting with the cards by shuffling and pulling a card for the day. By observing the emotions and events around me, I watched how this card came alive and spoke of trivial as well as important meanings and events. When a card stand on its own, every symbol, every thought, every feeling, 'everything' is a clue.

tink
 

SilverCloudedWolf

mahimaisme said:
ED's....hmm. i love them., i add some dimension of it to every reading i do and i find it lends invaluable input...specially for gather general level on tension or movement in a reading, to get a feel of the entire situation...etc. also to compare between important parts of the reading, like :what do you think you are? what does the other person think you are?
Click to expand...

The first time I came across them I thought "oooh" and wanted to try them but they were a bit past me then and I had noone to ask when I needed help but I'm ready to give it another go. At least now I know where to come with questions!


tink27 said:
I started experimenting with the cards by shuffling and pulling a card for the day. By observing the emotions and events around me, I watched how this card came alive and spoke of trivial as well as important meanings and events. When a card stand on its own, every symbol, every thought, every feeling, 'everything' is a clue.
tink
Click to expand...

Oddly, this is something I've never done, I've never wanted to do a reading for each day before but now I think it might help me with a deck I've not clicked with yet, I can't seem to understand this deck. Thanks.


Silver
 

Alta

I like the idea of working with a single card, especially as a way of getting right into the symbolism of a new or little used deck.

I got the idea from Place's book: "The Tarot: History, Sybolism and Divination" but have modified it. What you can do is add 'bridge' cards.

For example you have two (separated in thought or space) people, or a querent and an outcome, or one situation and another but getting from point A to point B seems difficult. Then you lay out a card or two for the end points or people and draw an odd number of cards to represent a bridge between them.

Could be the cards nearer each end represent that end changing and the central card(s) represents either what the end result would look like or the culmination of the changes.
 

MercyMe

Marion said:
I got the idea from Place's book: "The Tarot: History, Sybolism and Divination" but have modified it. What you can do is add 'bridge' cards.

For example you have two (separated in thought or space) people, or a querent and an outcome, or one situation and another but getting from point A to point B seems difficult. Then you lay out a card or two for the end points or people and draw an odd number of cards to represent a bridge between them.

Could be the cards nearer each end represent that end changing and the central card(s) represents either what the end result would look like or the culmination of the changes.
Click to expand...

Interesting! I've been using this idea, thought it was my own, lol! I developed it while reading online for clients. I would place 2 cards on either side of the spread for each person, kind of overlapping each other. The first card for each represents their underlying motivation and the upper card represents their current "face" or attitude they are showing the world. Then, I place 3 cards between the couple that describe the dynamics between them and what is about to happen. Sometimes the 3 cards show advice, other times they simply show what is. I then draw additional cards to clarify or ask further advice about any of what is revealed, if desired. For example, if one or the other party come up as feeling blocked I might ask, "What is preventing him/her from moving forward?" and draw a card or three.

Often I end up with a mess of cards on the table, lol, but it works!
 

mahimaisme

one card readings are my favourite.
i analyse them for their inmagery as it strikes me as i read. i alsop mentally compare them to other iamges of the same card from various decks. the, i use several additions like "blurring the lines" (see adding depth to readings thread) to add more to the interpretation of the card.
 

Yora

Hmm.. Mahi, i was wondering!! I used your layout spread recently, but i don't know how i should call it when putting it in Your Readings to show! :D

Yora.
 

catlin

When I use no spread at all, I prefer to read the cards that jump out while shuffling (ok, sometimes this needs quite a lot of shuffling ;) ).

Another way is to use either the top or the bottom cards and to read them just in a single file one after the other.
 

mahimaisme

yora!
the layout!
um... lol. i never thought to name it! :D
i think just draw the layout you did (like we do in tarot spreads) and explain which card from which deck inspired the layout so people who have the deck can relate...and um.. after that you're on your own. :D lol.
nah..just list the cards ansd any positions you gave them while you laid out the cards...i'll have a look at your post and reply as soon as you post so people will get more of an idea about the crazy "spread" you used and how to go about "reading" it. lol..
mahi.
 

mahimaisme

catlin said:
When I use no spread at all, I prefer to read the cards that jump out while shuffling (ok, sometimes this needs quite a lot of shuffling ;) ).
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well not for me!! i have TINY hands and i invariably have SEVERAL jumpers- and that's on a good day! :D
 
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