Tips for reading the story of a spread?

[greenribbon]

I'm enough of a novice that I mostly stick to one-card readings, but I realize this limits what the cards can tell me. However, when I pull multi-card spreads, I often struggle to assemble them into a cogent narrative the way more experienced readers do. It's partly that I still often have to reach for a reference book to remind myself of card meanings, but it's also that I'm often unclear on how the cards influence each other and thus alter each other's meanings. (Hopefully I'm explaining that clearly.) Does anyone have tips for strengthening my skills there?

[JoyousGirl]

You'll devise what works best for you over time, but some ideas:

 

1. The suit represented most in the reading. That could give you a theme for the reading.

 

For example, in a 5 card spread 3 cups cards may mean relationships are active, air might mean conflict/communications/mental focus.  Lots of Court cards might be other people are involved in the current life situations in some way; Major Arcana might mean something to do with the foundations and course of your life are being re-jigged in some way.

 

2. The focus for each position in the spread. 

 

For example, a 3 card past-present-future spread.  The overall question may be "why am I having problems relating to John at work."  The card in the past position tells you about what happened in the past that led to the problems, the card in the present position will tell you about what's currently going on, and the final card can tell you about the future and possibly give you some advice.

 

3.  You'll get deeper insight the longer you look at the cards. What are the images or themes that recur?

 

Each card has its own meaning, but they can overlap, too. When you lay a spread and journal about it, read what you've said and always remember not to doubt whatever comes to mind because you're focused on a book meaning. What are the lyrics, events from a TV show or your life that come to mind when you see the image and are writing about it? That's how you'll develop the story too.

 

Always remember to describe the card and what draws your eye at the beginning, too and ramble on with the train of thought. Get on that train, and don't get off until it stops.

 

I hope that helps a little.  

 

 

 

[DanielJUK]

5 hours ago, greenribbon said:

I'm enough of a novice that I mostly stick to one-card readings, but I realize this limits what the cards can tell me. However, when I pull multi-card spreads, I often struggle to assemble them into a cogent narrative the way more experienced readers do. It's partly that I still often have to reach for a reference book to remind myself of card meanings, but it's also that I'm often unclear on how the cards influence each other and thus alter each other's meanings. (Hopefully I'm explaining that clearly.) Does anyone have tips for strengthening my skills there?

 

I think there are two ways of doing this (and we all have different reading methods).....

 

1. If you are a more learn meanings from the books reader, let's say a "reference reader", then you just need to read the meanings of the cards in each position. It's really good to practice this by doing combination readings of cards, I learnt doing a lot of 3 card readings 🤣. In this method you need to think (or look up) the meaning of each card and then add them together like a sentence or phrase or find something in common / different when they are in different positions. Starting out, thinking of 3 keywords for each card in the combination might help with this or the main theme of each card.

 

2. If you are a more intuitive reader, than you can use the story method. You can use the learnt meanings as a base but it's about looking at the art. This is comparing and contrasting. What are the patterns? Some people do this method by mentally making a movie or a comic book, the character does this in card 1, and then does this in card 2 and then in card 3 (the beginning, middle and ending). The story of the reading doesn't work well for me that way but it does by looking at patterns, similarities and opposites. Also I tend to look at the symbols which draw my eye the most. Why is there a flower in all the cards? Why are they all Cups?

 

Both methods require analysis of the reading laid out between you, either from the meanings or the images or maybe a bit of both. It's compare and contrasting the different cards.

Learning combinations of cards is really daunting and I really wanted to memorise every combination at this time in my journey. I am so glad I didn't, it flows so much easier when you get more experience and can really understand each card. Finding the overall message or theme is definitely something that improves with time. Practising with them really improves multiple card readings 🙂 

 

Come and join us in the tarot reading circles one month (they start at the beginning of every month). The Newbies circle is very gentle and so when you feel you are ready, you can practice multi card readings with other members, in a safe and supportive environment.

 

 

[Ix Chel]

 

 

 

TarotOracle on youtube has a technique called movie spreads. If you see the cards as a part of a movie, it is mayby easier for you to read the cards. He also has a Tarot Course on his channel.

 

It is also important to play with your cards. Read the cards for your favorite television show soap. You know the story lines of the character. So you can connect better with the cards.

Edited November 17, 2024 by Ix Chel

[greenribbon]

Thank you all for the input so far! This is all very helpful. And @DanielJUK, I appreciate the invitation and I will check out the Newbies Circle.

[FindYourSovereignty]

TarotOracle also has a book out called Mastering Tarot Combinations I found helpful.  

[dancing_moon]

@Grizabella has written a brilliant blog post on the topic. I can only emphasize again that tying the cards together into a coherent story means they shouldn't contradict each other: in her example, the second card can't possibly mean "happily ever after" exactly because the first one says "he isn't interested", and the third card can only be read as "move on" because the first two say "he already has a significant other". And that's how cards alter each other's meanings to create a story that makes sense 🙂

Edited November 18, 2024 by dancing_moon

[GreyBug]

As others already said - there are so many ways to do this. Some things not mentioned yet:

• lean into your intuition when exploring a spread holistically - looking at 3/5/7 cards in a layout all in one go. Instead of focusing on every one in turn try to see if something just seems more important. Like JoyousGirl said about the suits hinting at a theme, but more broadly. Maybe that one Major Arcanum seems to be shouting for your attention, or there's an interesting layout where a line of all cards of the same number separates blocks of two different suits. These are all starting points that can prompt you into starting the story.
• I found some of the exercises in Dusty White's book "The easiest way to learn the tarot - ever!" really hit the spot. E.g. looking at two cards as consecutive panels of a comic strip, or a cut in a movie. What is the director trying to say? What must have happened in between, how did we get from card 1 to card 2? What are we supposed to understand? I think practicing this sort of "in between" thinking helps to build the "story making" muscles.
• old ways of reading the Marseille often meant being very visual and very literal. You can use the same techniques with a more scenic deck. Do the cards come together into a cohesive picture? Are people facing and talking to each other, interacting? Before analyzing each card separately and looking it up in a book, try to get a general lay of the land of how they relate to each other.