9 Card box spread for Tarot

[Pretzel]

Now that I've found you guys in this forum, I have so many questions 😂 Here's the first one.

Does anyone here use a 9 card box spread, like the Lenormand, but for tarot?  How do you find it works for you using tarot, and what's your favourite way to use it?
I've tried this out a few times and I feel it's an awesome alternative to the Celtic Cross and helps me get in more of a storytelling flow.

Here's what I've used so far:

Past  Present Future (dreams/weighing on the mind)

Past Present Future  (reality/practical) - middle card being the central theme (I don't use a significator)

Past Present Future (emotions/undercurrent)

Would love to hear your thoughts
 

 

Edited May 24, 2021 by Pretzel
typo and clarification

[katrinka]

I absolutely do use it with Tarot. I use a lot of what's considered "Lenormand" with Tarot - it's actually just standard cartomancy. Cards work best when they combine and interact with each other, and a lot of named position spreads tend to treat the cards as little islands unto themselves.

So most of what I use is lines, boxes and tableaus. I don't preselect anything. I haven't found reading the triplets as Past Present Future to be especially accurate for me, but I do read them. Additionally, the corner cards can be considered the boundaries of the spread, and the inner diamond "what will happen" - that works well for "future."

And then I usually stop. You can do reflection, etc. but it all tends to get redundant. Best not to belabor the cards. 😉

[Pretzel]

@katrinka thank you for all that! Yes I totally agree about the cards interacting. Initially I was reading the 9 box spread without positions, just like you said - and making a story out of it. But I kept flipping & flopping over positions vs no positions, wondering if I would give better readings if I used positions - I guess because of opinions I hear and read.

So what I do with that spread is still combine them e.g. Because of <past/mind>, this created <present/mind>, which would cause <future whatever>. And yes, I look at the corners, the diamond and L shape/knighting. I might do some more freeform 9 card box and see how that goes - I guess intuition will fill in the information a position would.

 

And lol at "best not to belabor the cards" - I hear you!