Spirit reading with cards

[Raggydoll]

First off, I put this thread in Tarot talk & technique because I would like to discuss our favorite tarot techniques, decks and spreads for spirit readings, not spirit work in general. So I hope the thread is permitted to stay in this area, since I think it will be seen by more people and it won’t push this type of tarot practice into a specialized corner. It is my opinion that lots of valuable tarot lessons and techniques are born from this type of work. We shall see if anyone else agrees 😊
 

Secondly, when I say spirit readings, I refer to any type of reading where the individual(s) are not alive. This includes ancestral readings, mediumship readings, spirit guide readings, past life readings etc. So even if you mainly just pull a couple of cards as a message from your guides or ancestors, that’s considered a spirit reading by me. 

 

Now, let’s get to the actual questions 😊

(Feel free to only respond to the ones you feel like writing about, I mainly just wanted to offer some suggestions to get the discussion going!) 

 

- What are your favorite decks for this type of work? (I will allow both tarot and other types of decks, because it’s not feasible to have a separate discussion in every deck-type sub forum)

Pictures are very welcome! 

- Is there a type of deck that works especially well for you?
- Are there any decks/types of decks that do not work for you or that you wouldn’t use? 

- What are your experiences with combining different decks and/or systems? Pros/cons? Any favorite combos ? 

- Are there any specific type of spreads that you like to use? Do share if you like! 

- If you create your own spreads, tell us a little bit about what you think is important to include or to keep in mind. 
- Do you prefer bigger or smaller spreads? 
 

- Are there any general card reading techniques that you find particularly useful? 
- Do you use the same techniques for spirit readings as you do for other type of readings, or are there any differences? 
 

- Did you develop your reading techniques on your own or did you learn from a teacher or a book? If you have a favorite book or resource on the topic, do share!
 

If you feel like telling us a bit about your journey with spirit readings then go ahead 😀
 

I hope people will want to participate in this discussion, it’s something that is near and dear to me and I don’t hear it talked about as much. I will also answer these questions myself, a little later 🙂

 

[Arania]

I personally don't work with ancestors but for other entities Tarot or oracles work fine. Not done it often, simply because I don't seem to think of it a lot.

 

I would obviously not use an angel themed deck for "demons" or vice versa,  and if I ever was to talk to what is commonly called ghosts I'd probably use a ghost themed deck.

 

I don't differ between readings for humans or other entities unless it needs a specific spread and then I can just make one up. And it is usually smaller spreads when asking something of the gods or spirit guides as they make themselves very clear or not at all, and medium sized spreads (no more than 7 cards) for other things.

 

There are probably decks I'd not use, but then with the 100s of decks in this house, some hardly get used at all. So I am not really sure, except that I would probably not use the RWS or obvious clones for it but something more elaborate. The images are more important to me than symbolism.

 

 

[Natural Mystic Guide]

All of my Tarot card readings are ‘Spirit Readings’.  I call in my Spiritual Guidance Team and they are walking with me and working through me from when I first awaken even through my Dream Time.  They are very much alive.  They do not have corporeal bodies.

 

I’m not interested in, and I do not think that my family, friends, and clients are interested in what Juna knows or what Juna's opinion is.   We are interested in receiving information that is channeled from the highest levels of the Spiritual World — which is where my Spiritual Guidance Team resides.  That is why I do Tarot card readings.  That is why others come to me for Tarot card readings.

 

My favorite decks are those, that because of their art, are very high vibration.  They carry beautiful, uplifting, and positive imagery.  There are no images that are inherently ‘negative’ or ‘scary’.  My current favorites are :  The Illuminated Tarot (Starlight Rainbows edition hand painted by Carol Herzer); and the New Aeon Aura Soma deck.

 

Here we are sharing images from these two decks with cards that are sometimes portrayed as 'negative' or 'scary':  The Three of Swords; The Ten of Swords' and the Ten of Wands.

[Raggydoll]

My favorite types of decks for spirit readings  tend to be photo collage decks. Particularly the ones with vintage photographs. I like the stretch tarot and I also like the inner compass Oracle. I like to combine decks, I feel that it gives a more fuller message. 
 

One technique that I like is for testing the way a new deck communicates and how on point it is. So I’ll use it alongside a deck that I know well, and I will pull the same amount of cards and ask them to describe the same event/person. I’ll use a deceased person or a past event that I am familiar with, and this way I can focus on how the cards portray this.

 

To give a visual example:

 

 

The situation that it speaks of is a diseased individual who was in a relationship with someone that treated them more like a child than an adult and who kept a tight budget (probably for some good reasons, but that’s beside the point here). This led to this individual feeling powerless (hanged man) and it also led them to start telling lies and going behind the partners back. Here we have the moon and the mask reflecting the deception, and the Maternity and the Miser reflects the uneven relationship. So both decks do tell the same story, and together they give even more details. 
 

I wouldn’t use pip decks for spirit work or for psychic readings since I’m a very visual person. 
 

I will create my own spreads and I’ll either have rows of cards or a more elaborate design with specified positions. I’ll often use a larger amount of cards for these type of readings, so I get a better idea of the scenario/person. Especially when I lay cards in a row, then more cards are like getting long sentences instead of individual words. 
 

I have developed my own style and my own process for these readings. Much of it is tailored to my strengths or the way I receive my psychic input. Since I’m visual (I’m both triggered by images and will receive visions), that’s something I take into consideration. I don’t rely on traditional tarot keywords for psychic/spirit readings. What I have found is that I’ll often receive messages that go beyond the traditional understanding of the cards, but it won’t contradict it. And I have also found that there is no point in writing down these messages as keywords for the cards, because it’s all context related. 
 

I believe I once read a book on intuitive tarot reading, but my method is not based on books. I’ve had to find my own way, and I’ve also been guided by spirits. Some of the techniques I use as part of the tarot readings are shamanic in nature, but I think that goes beyond the topic of this particular thread. 

 

[FindYourSovereignty]

On 9/23/2023 at 11:57 PM, Raggydoll said:

- What are your favorite decks for this type of work? (I will allow both tarot and other types of decks, because it’s not feasible to have a separate discussion in every deck-type sub forum)

 

I use Ancestral Path Tarot, Gaian Tarot, Wise Woman Tarot (personal not for others) and recently purchased The Relative Tarot, but haven’t tried it yet. I also have several oracle decks dedicated to past life and ancestors.

 

On 9/23/2023 at 11:57 PM, Raggydoll said:

Pictures are very welcome! 

- Is there a type of deck that works especially well for you?

 

The Ancestral Path works very well for me.

 

On 9/23/2023 at 11:57 PM, Raggydoll said:

- Are there any decks/types of decks that do not work for you or that you wouldn’t use? 

 

Modern decks, pip decks, and abstract decks do not work well for me for spirit readings. Like you, I am visual and I use the visual content to receive the message or information being shared.

 

On 9/23/2023 at 11:57 PM, Raggydoll said:

- What are your experiences with combining different decks and/or systems? Pros/cons? Any favorite combos ? 

I will either use a tarot and an oracle or just a tarot. 

 

On 9/23/2023 at 11:57 PM, Raggydoll said:

- Are there any specific type of spreads that you like to use? Do share if you like! 

 

I’ve taken four courses on this and do have spreads I learned during those courses that I like using.

 

On 9/23/2023 at 11:57 PM, Raggydoll said:

- If you create your own spreads, tell us a little bit about what you think is important to include or to keep in mind. 

 

I do not.

 

On 9/23/2023 at 11:57 PM, Raggydoll said:

- Do you prefer bigger or smaller spreads? 

It depends on the question or intent, but usually no less than three cards, preferably between 5-12.

 

On 9/23/2023 at 11:57 PM, Raggydoll said:

- Are there any general card reading techniques that you find particularly useful? 
- Do you use the same techniques for spirit readings as you do for other type of readings, or are there any differences? 

No difference in techniques for me.

 

On 9/23/2023 at 11:57 PM, Raggydoll said:

- Did you develop your reading techniques on your own or did you learn from a teacher or a book? If you have a favorite book or resource on the topic, do share!

I learned from both. I enjoyed learning from the classes most because I was able to apply the techniques in practice with others right away where the books I only could try for myself.

 

 

 

Edited September 25, 2023 by FindYourSovereignty
Add images

[Raggydoll]

I love the visuals, thanks for showing us those pictures @FindYourSovereignty! 

[Tanga]

On 9/24/2023 at 4:57 AM, Raggydoll said:

 

...when I say spirit readings, I refer to any type of reading where the individual(s) are not alive. This includes ancestral readings, mediumship readings, spirit guide readings, past life readings etc. So even if you mainly just pull a couple of cards as a message from your guides or ancestors, that’s considered a spirit reading by me. 

 

- What are your favorite decks for this type of work? (I will allow both tarot and other types of decks, because it’s not feasible to have a separate discussion in every deck-type sub forum)

Pictures are very welcome! 

- Is there a type of deck that works especially well for you?
- Are there any decks/types of decks that do not work for you or that you wouldn’t use? 

- What are your experiences with combining different decks and/or systems? Pros/cons? Any favorite combos ? 

- Are there any specific type of spreads that you like to use? Do share if you like! 

- If you create your own spreads, tell us a little bit about what you think is important to include or to keep in mind. 
- Do you prefer bigger or smaller spreads? 
 

- Are there any general card reading techniques that you find particularly useful? 
- Do you use the same techniques for spirit readings as you do for other type of readings, or are there any differences? 
 

- Did you develop your reading techniques on your own or did you learn from a teacher or a book? If you have a favorite book or resource on the topic, do share!
 

 

 

As far as dead people and ancestors are concerned, for other people - I am spirit blind. I don't see/intuit/connect with them and therefore do not do readings related to them... so far. (you've just reminded me about the Relative Tarot and other such decks...Whoops...).

 

For myself - I do use cards to communicate with my Spirit guides (interestingly, these are not any of my dead relatives).

I use 2 different decks for this - and don't use these decks to read for others:

The Textured Tarot, and the Silhouettes Tarot.  The deck must be illustrated & in colour - I am very visual.

 

Usually it's a simple one card draw as the comment/input from each of my 5 guides. I also associate them with the 5 western elements Earth, Air, Fire, Water and Spirit (the top spread is those elements in a Pentacle shape, each card crowning a point on the Pentacle). 

The layering of the element on each guide, reflects more context/meaning onto each comment (so I get more ideas about what area they may be yammering on about). I may draw more cards onto each position very occasionally.

 

I had a book once... didn't seem to connect with that either - never read it... I think it went in a charity box now...

(The 5 element configuration is one that I may use to read for others).

[FindYourSovereignty]

13 hours ago, Tanga said:

Usually it's a simple one card draw as the comment/input from each of my 5 guides. I also associate them with the 5 western elements Earth, Air, Fire, Water and Spirit (the top spread is those elements in a Pentacle shape, each card crowning a point on the Pentacle). 

The layering of the element on each guide, reflects more context/meaning onto each comment (so I get more ideas about what area they may be yammering on about). I may draw more cards onto each position very occasionally.

 

I really like this spread. And the Silhouettes Tarot deck is lovely. Thank you for sharing.

 

[KiMo]

Apologies for not really adding to the conversation as such, but for a while now I've been considering doing a reading on a past life experience because I believe it plays a part in some personal issues in this life. I'd love to know, are there any past life exploration spreads that people have found especially helpful?

[MichaelH]

In December/January I did a project using the book Ancestral Tarot by Nancy Hendrickson which I found really fascinating, because I don't have a strong connection to my family's past (my parents both emigrated from Ireland so family was always something distant). Now that I have moved to Ireland myself I was wanting to reconnect to the history I have here and this book really helped with that. There are a number of spreads and techniques in this book ranging from our immediate ancestors and relations to the very distant past, and what she calls 'ancestors of place'. I can recommend this book unreservedly, and I plan to go back and do more work on this later on.

 

The deck I used for this was the Baroque deck by LaMuci designs. https://lamucidesign.com/baroque-tarot-deck/ It's very arty and lovely, and I got a lot out of using it for this project. I'm not sure what other deck I might try if I repeated some of this work - I might just use the same one as I got some very insightful readings out of it and I was able to heal some trauma and look at my family in a different light.

[Laurelverse]

On 9/24/2023 at 10:26 AM, Raggydoll said:

I wouldn’t use pip decks for spirit work or for psychic readings since I’m a very visual person. 

Same.  It has been a while since I've done much spirit work but nowadays I would very much chose decks that thematically fit the kind of spirit (ancestors, angels, animal guides, deceased love ones) that I was wanting to commune with.  

The very best deck of in my younger years for doing general spirit work was the Vertigo tarot 
http://dh.elsewhere.org/tarot/vertigo/  but there are so many options now that weren't there in the mid 1990s.  

 

[Chariot]

On 9/24/2023 at 6:26 PM, Raggydoll said:

 

 I’ll use a deceased person or a past event that I am familiar with, and this way I can focus on how the cards portray this.

 

I am very interested in this topic, but have never tried it myself.  What motivates you to delve into ancestral lives like this?  Are you just curious about these particular people and their lives, or is there something else that makes you want to contact them or learn from them?  In other words, what is the purpose of ancestral readings?  Are you searching for connection to the place and people you came from?  Are you wondering if they are guiding you now?  Are you wanting to ask them for advice or insight?  Do you want to connect to them directly, or do you just want to find out more about them?

Edited October 27, 2023 by Chariot

[Raggydoll]

1 hour ago, Chariot said:

I am very interested in this topic, but have never tried it myself.  What motivates you to delve into ancestral lives like this?  Are you just curious about these particular people and their lives, or is there something else that makes you want to contact them or learn from them?  In other words, what is the purpose of ancestral readings?  Are you searching for connection to the place and people you came from?  Are you wondering if they are guiding you now?  Are you wanting to ask them for advice or insight?  Do you want to connect to them directly, or do you just want to find out more about them?

That’s a good question! More or less my entire spiritual practice is based on ancestor work. My culture (I am Swedish and call myself a Norse heathen) is also very tied to ancestral veneration. Here there is an overlap of deities, ancestors and other spirit beings, and it is not only important to venerate them, but I also work with them magically. I would classify my magic as Bloodline magic, and it also ties into the concept of Fylgja. A fylgja is a protective entity that is tied to a bloodline. It can be experienced as an animal or a human. In my case, I experience it as one of my ancestors. 
 

I have had almost daily communication with ancestral spirits for many years and it has been important for me to identify them and understand their stories. This is not only part of respecting them but it helps me understand them and it makes it easier to work with them. I receive a lot of help and guidance from ancestor spirits, both the more recently deceased and people that lives many hundred years ago. They have pointed out to me the importance of this bloodline connection, and it is clear that they seek me out because of it. So it’s not a one sided thing, I see it as a ‘give and take’ relationship. 

 

I do have an interest in genealogy and I have done family research as well as DNA tests. This has added to my understanding of my history and it makes me appreciate it even more. It also strengthens my connection with the land that I live in. I am ancestrally a Scandinavian and my mother line is the Haplogroup V. This means that we have been in the northern parts of Scandinavia since the last ice age. That really means something to me and it explains why I feel so connected to this land. I have never lived anywhere else and have never felt compelled to move. It’s the same for my husband, he is also from this region. So it strengthens my sense of identity and my sense of belonging. 
 

Whenever I do magic, I tap into the power of the land and of my ancestors. That is why this means everything to me! 
 

I hope that answered your questions! 

[Chariot]

@Raggydoll -  Thank you!  Yes you did very much answer my question. And I am envious of your groundedness, both in the place you and your ancestors have always lived, as well as your connection to your actual ancestors and the spirits of the place.

If I can frame some sort of approach to this issue for myself, I will do so.  I come from a very mixed northern-European heritage, and have lived literally half of my life 3,338 miles from where I was born.  So on the one hand it's a scattered situation; on the other hand it would be great to establish more connections.  I do have a well-developed family history going back to the 1830s, and I do feel a certain pull towards a few of my antecedents, so it's a place to start.

Thanks again for your perspective on the issue. 

[Nemia]

I worked through Hendrickson's book as well and found it absolutely fascinating. I have always been interested in family history and my grandmother did some serious research, uncovering our roots until the 1600s. I knew a lot already, names, dates and places, but not much about personalities and feelings. Working with the tarot filled in some of that information. 

 

I used the Stretch Tarot, Tarot of Mysterious Moments and Anna K. 

 

 

I also did Christine Gaudet's ancestral reading. I found it on Youtube and it was also very important. 

 

 

I journaled the whole process. I feel like I understand myself better now that I know more about the patterns in my family. 

 

For me, the result was that I was surrounded by love and still am,with all the problems. It empowered me. 

 

 

[Raggydoll]

1 hour ago, Chariot said:

@Raggydoll -  Thank you!  Yes you did very much answer my question. And I am envious of your groundedness, both in the place you and your ancestors have always lived, as well as your connection to your actual ancestors and the spirits of the place.

If I can frame some sort of approach to this issue for myself, I will do so.  I come from a very mixed northern-European heritage, and have lived literally half of my life 3,338 miles from where I was born.  So on the one hand it's a scattered situation; on the other hand it would be great to establish more connections.  I do have a well-developed family history going back to the 1830s, and I do feel a certain pull towards a few of my antecedents, so it's a place to start.

Thanks again for your perspective on the issue. 

I think it is absolutely possible to work with ancestors that didn’t live where you yourself live. One of my main guides is a Danish ancestor, and it has been no problem at all to connect. The only thing that has been important was to begin communicate visually or wordlessly. Old Danish is quite different from contemporary Swedish, but the two languages are still closely related. Now that we have communicated for a long time, she will teach me chants and words of power that are Danish. It fascinates me. I can’t speak Danish myself but I can read it and I understand it fairly well when it’s spoken. Some words differ a lot in our languages and the pronunciation is different too.  I’ve found it really nourishing to lean into this side of the family. 

[Sadewa]

On 9/25/2023 at 1:26 AM, Raggydoll said:

My favorite types of decks for spirit readings  tend to be photo collage decks. Particularly the ones with vintage photographs. I like the stretch tarot and I also like the inner compass Oracle. I like to combine decks, I feel that it gives a more fuller message. 
 

One technique that I like is for testing the way a new deck communicates and how on point it is. So I’ll use it alongside a deck that I know well, and I will pull the same amount of cards and ask them to describe the same event/person. I’ll use a deceased person or a past event that I am familiar with, and this way I can focus on how the cards portray this.

 

To give a visual example:

 

Those are such cool decks! The black-and-white cards above give me an old-time fortune telling vibe.

 

I personally haven't done so much ancestral readings/ past life readings per se. What I did do was trying to determine whether a house was haunted or not (does this qualify as a spirit reading?) To me the methodology of asking a series of questions matter more that the deck/ spread used. I mostly use only one classical lenormand and lines of 3 or 5 to answer questions. 

There were several occasions where I was consulted by trusting friends who wanted to know whether their house was haunted. The procedure that I have developed is as follows:

 

Before actually reading the cards, we talk a bit and I get to know why their inquiry emerges. Usually there would be some disturbances at home that they could not explain. Talking helps relieve their stress, also enabling me insight what I'm getting myself into.

 

Then I shuffle the cards and ask whether the domestic disturbance of concern is due to unnatural/ spiritual problems. A three card yes/no quickie will do.

 

If the question is yes, then we move on to detailed description of the entity, what it wants, etc. I don't really have many particular card associations, most interpretations are made on site based on their traditional core meanings. Tower (in lenormand, not tarot), for example, once showed me the presence of an earth-bound spirit in a reading, with its core meaning suggesting something standing still for a long time. Tree+Lily once steered my reading towards ancestral connections. 

 

After that I sometimes draw cards for advice. I do feel that having some reading in literature concerning spiritual disturbances and spiritual protection& cleansing helps, though. Again the readings are based on application of core meanings to specific contexts.

 

The problem that I've encountered is that one can't really expect such readings to be fully validated. Once a friend called about suspected spirits in their apartment. They went to a pet psychic for fun and was told that there was a spirit of an old lady in their living room. They connected this reading with some strange occurrences in their home and personal life, and asked me for validation. My cards showed not one, but two spirits. Based on the cards and the occurrences they told me, I advised seeking out a spiritual professional, since I can't evaluate the situation on site due to distance constraints, and I lack spiritual strength and training to deal with those type of situations. 

 

The professionals they sought out partly validated my reading (the existence of 2 spirits), but their evaluation contradicted my friend's personal experience and also the pet psychic's reading. In the end, my friend concluded that the professional consulted was a fraud and started to pray to Guan yin at home (Buddhism is quite popular where I live). 

 

The interesting thing was, however, that in my reading I told them that the spiritual disturbances were aimed at their partner. They got into fights when trying to solve the issue, and eventually broke up. The apartment did resume peace. This does not validate my insight, but does leave me with an eerie feeling though.  

[Raggydoll]

4 hours ago, Sadewa said:

What I did do was trying to determine whether a house was haunted or not (does this qualify as a spirit reading?

Yes!!

 

Thanks for sharing your experiences, that’s really interesting! 

[yelloworacle]

When I am doing readings for crime cases or missing persons, I think that’s when spirit comes through the strongest. 
I have a true crime and conspiracy deck and I have been in the process of making my own. 
there will be times I will be focused on a question directly at someone who is passed and a card will almost immediately pop out answering my question. 

[Ix Chel]

I never do readings connected to spirits. I have a Dutch Tarot book which is connected to communicate with the other side. I am afraid to do this kind of readings, because I am scared to attract dark energys.

 

@yelloworacle I have used Tarot to find out how a police investigation would go after they found new DNA evidence from a murdered person from a 20 year old cold case. The cards said they would catch the killer very soon. They had found the murderer within a week abroad. This case got a lot of media attention in my country, and the police asked for help to find the murderer. The cards also said that the truth about what had happened would not be revealed. The family still has no answers.

Edited August 9, 2024 by Ix Chel

[yelloworacle]

@Ix Chel I’ve done so many. Especially with all the cases going on these days. I feel like it’s every other day I’m doing a new case. I also love doing court trials. 
For each witness on the stand, I’ll pull some cards. Very insightful. 

[Ix Chel]

12 minutes ago, yelloworacle said:

@Ix Chel I’ve done so many. Especially with all the cases going on these days. I feel like it’s every other day I’m doing a new case. I also love doing court trials. 
For each witness on the stand, I’ll pull some cards. Very insightful. 

 

You should look into forensic astrology, to look at true crime cases. Look on YouTube for Val Evans and Kirsty Mcintosh. They also have written books about true crime connected to astrology.

 

 

[yelloworacle]

I do watch them!! I love Val. I do natal charts but I haven’t looked into how to do crime charts yet. 

[DanielJUK]

The original intention of this thread was really about spirit reading in relation to messages with cards from guides and ancestors as the discussion topic, spirit messages from our ancestors or guides for us.

I think the true crime, murders and missing people readings discussion are taking this off-topic.

 

Why not start a new thread about true crimes, missing persons as an interesting discussion? That would be a better way to continue the discussion 🙂 

[Natural Mystic Guide]

All of my readings are 'Spirit readings'.  I invoke my Spiritual Guides first thing in the morning and certainly before every reading -- and at the beginning of Dream Time.  I live with the presence of my Spiritual Guides 27/7.  I think that this is something that distinguishes me as a Tarot card reader.  I say nothing and do nothing without the confirmation of Guidance.  It is the presence of my Spiritual Guides that allows me to be a conduit for the Divine.  I am very clear that people are not coming to me to get my opinion (I certainly have many of my own opinions).  They come to me because I create the conditions to be a channel.