sweeneyish Posted March 23, 2022 Posted March 23, 2022 I have pretty strictly used spreads for reading Tarot up until now, and I love collecting new ones and testing them out. Since getting the Mildred Payne oracles, which are really suited to intuitive reading (and Lenormand style spreads - thank you Katrinka and Flaxen!) I have this desire to go a little wild and just pull 5 cards in a row with Tarot, spreadless, and see where it goes (or maybe read Lenormand style). Has anyone played with spreadless spreads before and have any tips or advice? Does anyone love or hate reading this way? Would love to hear your opinions!
stephanelli Posted March 23, 2022 Posted March 23, 2022 28 minutes ago, sweeneyish said: I have pretty strictly used spreads for reading Tarot up until now, and I love collecting new ones and testing them out. Since getting the Mildred Payne oracles, which are really suited to intuitive reading (and Lenormand style spreads - thank you Katrinka and Flaxen!) I have this desire to go a little wild and just pull 5 cards in a row with Tarot, spreadless, and see where it goes (or maybe read Lenormand style). Has anyone played with spreadless spreads before and have any tips or advice? Does anyone love or hate reading this way? Would love to hear your opinions! Yep! I do 'spreadless spreads' a lot. I usually shuffle while thinking about my question and then pull a pre-determined number of cards. Personally I like to draw 3 cards, but it doesn't really matter. I lay them face-down and position them on the table in whatever feels most intuitive. Often this is a line, but sometimes I made shapes if it felt right. I can't really explain how it feels right, it just did. Then I turn the cards over one by one and interpret each card on its own in relation to the question before seeing the spread as whole and seeing what connects where, who is looking at who and such like. Its a nice way to read.
sweeneyish Posted March 23, 2022 Author Posted March 23, 2022 6 minutes ago, stephanelli said: Yep! I do 'spreadless spreads' a lot. I usually shuffle while thinking about my question and then pull a pre-determined number of cards. Personally I like to draw 3 cards, but it doesn't really matter. I lay them face-down and position them on the table in whatever feels most intuitive. Often this is a line, but sometimes I made shapes if it felt right. I can't really explain how it feels right, it just did. Then I turn the cards over one by one and interpret each card on its own in relation to the question before seeing the spread as whole and seeing what connects where, who is looking at who and such like. Its a nice way to read. This is great, Stephanelli - Thank you so much for sharing this process with me. I'm going to try it out! I had been playing around with a similar method, but I had been putting the cards down face up, and I think what you suggested here is a game changer. When they're all face-up it's a little harder to focus and really see the story that's unfolding, but one at a time I can see how the reading would unfold quite organically. And I love the idea of playing with the card placement too. Thank you! 🙏
DanielJUK Posted March 23, 2022 Posted March 23, 2022 I nearly always do tarot readings for myself with just 3 cards, freehand. It works great for me. I read each card and combine like @stephanelli does. But spreads with positions can also be really helpful at times. I got into a phase of just 3 card readings and it can be unhelpful to just use one method. If you need insight on a complicated issue or if you are confused, I strongly recommend positions. Sometimes you need a structured spread for clarity. I notice with reading for others, that love readings especially need positions. Both methods have a place in our usage 🙂
Raggydoll Posted March 23, 2022 Posted March 23, 2022 A line of cards is my favorite way of reading! I think it has so much potential. Sometimes I decide to draw a specific number of cards but other times I keep pulling cards until I feel the reading is complete. That’s a method i would mostly recommend to intermediate/advanced readers though, because I think fewer cards are better when a person is starting out. I was once given a very good piece of advice “Don’t ask ‘I wonder what would happen if..’ - unless it’s something bad or dangerous, just try it!!” So I do recommend you to simply dive in and have fun with it! 😀
stephanelli Posted March 23, 2022 Posted March 23, 2022 32 minutes ago, sweeneyish said: This is great, Stephanelli - Thank you so much for sharing this process with me. I'm going to try it out! I had been playing around with a similar method, but I had been putting the cards down face up, and I think what you suggested here is a game changer. When they're all face-up it's a little harder to focus and really see the story that's unfolding, but one at a time I can see how the reading would unfold quite organically. And I love the idea of playing with the card placement too. Thank you! 🙏 You're welcome, glad it was helpful! Yep, that's why I do the cards face-down. Its the way I generally read spreads, even ones with positions so I get less overwhelmed.
sweeneyish Posted March 23, 2022 Author Posted March 23, 2022 33 minutes ago, DanielJUK said: I nearly always do tarot readings for myself with just 3 cards, freehand. It works great for me. I read each card and combine like @stephanelli does. But spreads with positions can also be really helpful at times. I got into a phase of just 3 card readings and it can be unhelpful to just use one method. If you need insight on a complicated issue or if you are confused, I strongly recommend positions. Sometimes you need a structured spread for clarity. I notice with reading for others, that love readings especially need positions. Both methods have a place in our usage 🙂 This is really great advice, thank you @DanielJUK. The Middle Path and being flexible makes a lot of sense to me. And I can definitely see getting stuck in one method, because I've been down that road myself! That's great insight about the relationship readings as well, as those get pretty dicey pretty quickly! 47 minutes ago, Raggydoll said: A line of cards is my favorite way of reading! I think it has so much potential. Sometimes I decide to draw a specific number of cards but other times I keep pulling cards until I feel the reading is complete. That’s a method i would mostly recommend to intermediate/advanced readers though, because I think fewer cards are better when a person is starting out. I was once given a very good piece of advice “Don’t ask ‘I wonder what would happen if..’ - unless it’s something bad or dangerous, just try it!!” So I do recommend you to simply dive in and have fun with it! 😀 I love everything about this! Sometimes I can be a little stuck in the 'rules' of things, when it comes to Tarot, but also my own spiritual journey aside from Tarot, my life, whatever - and I think a huge part of my growing is learning to trust my intuition and my 'inner guru' and trying things with a light and curious heart. And it's super reassuring to hear how much you love reading this way! It's funny @stephanelli - I started reading with all cards face-up for no reason other than that's what I thought to do, and I've never even tried reading with the cards face down to start. It will be fun to experiment!
Flaxen Posted March 23, 2022 Posted March 23, 2022 My go-to for myself is often a simple line of cards with no positional meanings. It’s my preferred way of reading. I make a note of where people are facing, what their gaze is directed at, where the ‘story’ seems to come to end, any colours or symbols which are repeated and then weave that all into the reading.
sweeneyish Posted March 23, 2022 Author Posted March 23, 2022 1 hour ago, Flaxen said: My go-to for myself is often a simple line of cards with no positional meanings. It’s my preferred way of reading. I make a note of where people are facing, what their gaze is directed at, where the ‘story’ seems to come to end, any colours or symbols which are repeated and then weave that all into the reading. I love this Flaxen, especially the point about where the story seems to end - That's a cool point I hadn't thought of and I'm going to look for. And as a side note, thanks for providing the inspiration to read this way with your support in reading Mildred Payne! And I think the Deviant Moon will really lend itself to this kind of reading - seeing all the characters lined up, where they're looking, what suits are there, colours, etc. It really does read like a storybook. You all are such an amazing community - so encouraging and helpful. It's taking all my self-control to not go and run to my decks and do a bunch of readings in this style right now.
Jenn0120 Posted March 27, 2022 Posted March 27, 2022 Do you draw a certain number of cards to put in a line?
BlueMoth Posted March 27, 2022 Posted March 27, 2022 When I'm tired of using spreads, I draw nine cards to find the overall narrative. It is more general but it tells me many things that I seemed to have overlooked when I followed spreads. Sometimes after drawing nine random cards, I select a 'centrepiece' card - which essentially signifies the overarching theme of the reading and it has been helpful. For example, when I did a relationship reading (how does an ex feel about getting back together), and my centrepiece is two of pentacles reversed, it generally means he has no idea and/or still struggling to make a choice.
Giana222 Posted March 27, 2022 Posted March 27, 2022 I also use just a line of five cards rather than an actual spread. For me it tells a story and unfolds like a sequence of events, rather than using a spread that has past, present, future etc. it’s worked for me 🙂
sweeneyish Posted March 29, 2022 Author Posted March 29, 2022 On 3/26/2022 at 11:12 PM, Jenn0120 said: Do you draw a certain number of cards to put in a line? As I’ve been playing with this, I’ve been doing 3 for a shorter read and 5 for a longer one. In this thread it looks like some people follow a set number and some let their intuition guide them. On 3/27/2022 at 9:36 AM, BlueMoth said: When I'm tired of using spreads, I draw nine cards to find the overall narrative. It is more general but it tells me many things that I seemed to have overlooked when I followed spreads. Sometimes after drawing nine random cards, I select a 'centrepiece' card - which essentially signifies the overarching theme of the reading and it has been helpful. For example, when I did a relationship reading (how does an ex feel about getting back together), and my centrepiece is two of pentacles reversed, it generally means he has no idea and/or still struggling to make a choice. I like this - it reminds me of the centre card in the Leonormand lines. On 3/27/2022 at 5:16 PM, Giana222 said: I also use just a line of five cards rather than an actual spread. For me it tells a story and unfolds like a sequence of events, rather than using a spread that has past, present, future etc. it’s worked for me 🙂 Nice! So far I’m finding that sometimes the line reads well, and sometimes I’ve rearranged the cards afterwards into a narrative or into different themes. Fun to play in the sandbox!
ShauneeMP Posted May 3, 2022 Posted May 3, 2022 Ive done this at times. I just just put down a card. study it good and contemplate all parts of it. Then I would just keep pulling cards for more insight. Somehow someway I knew when to stop. I would get to the last card and see it was not for my current question and knew it was over.
AnomalyTempest Posted May 3, 2022 Posted May 3, 2022 (edited) I do something similar, but it's more like a conversation. I generally start the conversation as I'm shuffling thinking something along the lines of, "This is where I'm at right now, what do you think about it?" and flip a card. Then I talk/write about it as though just hanging out with a friend. If some other question comes up or I feel the conversation is ongoing, I flip another card. I don't recommend doing this in hurry, even though a lot of times I find I don't need more than one card. I have to admit I have been blessed with an overabundance of imagination and have a very vivid inner life. 😛I use this style most often when I don't really have anything to read about but want to play/connect with or get to know my decks. Edited May 3, 2022 by AnomalyTempest
Eric13 Posted May 3, 2022 Posted May 3, 2022 I'm evolving into just using a three card line. It seems to be more direct with an answer, let alone keeping it all simple.
euripides Posted May 4, 2022 Posted May 4, 2022 I'm another who does quite often draw - three is a good number, I find - there are a lot of patterns that fit this number, and it gives you some relationships between cards without being overwhelming. The downside to no positions is that it can sometimes be hard to read - I don't do reversals, so the position tends to tell me whether it's a negative (warning, obstacle) or positive (action, opportunity), so if I'm not too clear on what I'm asking, I will try to think about positions/intent more before drawing.
euripides Posted May 4, 2022 Posted May 4, 2022 10 hours ago, AnomalyTempest said: I do something similar, but it's more like a conversation. I generally start the conversation as I'm shuffling thinking something along the lines of, "This is where I'm at right now, what do you think about it?" and flip a card. Then I talk/write about it as though just hanging out with a friend. oh this is a really lovely idea, thanks for sharing. I'll try this. I have a couple of decks that do very much feel like old friends - very well worn!
Rosebud Posted May 10, 2022 Posted May 10, 2022 On 5/3/2022 at 8:50 AM, ShauneeMP said: Ive done this at times. I just just put down a card. study it good and contemplate all parts of it. Then I would just keep pulling cards for more insight. Somehow someway I knew when to stop. I would get to the last card and see it was not for my current question and knew it was over. I do this sometimes, too. Usually I pull one card a day to get some inspiration or motivation, or to reflect on the cards regarding the current situation. But now I try to spice things up by pulling 2 cards to see a "card combinations" or "interactions". I find it quite interesting to see the meanings!
Yalda Posted May 15, 2022 Posted May 15, 2022 Honestly I mostly read without any spreads. I'm not an expert in any way but for questions that are short, I usually just lay three cards. That's it. No specific position. And then I just read them. For me personally it works as long as I read all cards to the context and what I'm asking.
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