How to interpret readings without positions?

[Saturn Celeste]

http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=162377

by Tarot Fairy

 

When I visit the "your readings" section here I see a lot readings done with 3 cards without postions. I always try to understand how to read them but I just can't. How do you know what they mean; there are soooo many different possibilities?

[HOLMES]

as a person who learned by doing celtic cross after celtic cross.. for my first tarot years life..

before branching out into other spreads (they weren't the celtic cross no way) .

before deciding to try it without positions..

the beauty of how i started is ,, the first card was the basis for the second card,, which lead to the third card.

alas for newbies to the tarot..

 

i think ideally they should try differnt three cards spreads.. but if they find it hard to do that..

 

the key thing is the second card may be in conflict wit the first card..

example.

yay the lovers,, what the death card ? and omg the sun well how do we read this ?  and no reversals (i forgot to write them in )

 

forme

looking at it superfical

the lovers talks about following one heart,, yet the death card talks about embracing change and endings..

so the death card could in theory be talking about the the ending of the lovers..

but it could also means the lovers have to let their past die so they can grow together old without obstacles in their heart..

so the sun card here talks about the creator loves for them,, if they allow it..

 

let us say reversals, court card,  minor

 

page of wands reversed,  6 of cups upright , king of swords

 

for me the pages are youths,, course they could be messengers in some tarot systems but i hardly use it for i couldn't find a good menaing for knights, queens, and kings following that system.

 

so thepage of wands for me talks about a spiritual youth , or youth who has high social morals, but since it is reversed means he is doubting or she  is ..

 

the 6 ofcups would mean that the page of wands reversed should then be seeking freinds to help him heal his beliefs.. (though since it is cups ,, he is looking to heal his heart)..

the king of swords could means he is should find a teacher to look at.. one who will help him sharpen his mind.

 

"yes that is all well and good holmes but i just asked about my business plan, and there is no children involved. "

 

it would mean that you should delay your business plans for there are some social aspects to be considered..

you should seek to find good workers,, or perhaps good forman..

for the king of swords could be harvest for you ..

if you go forward now,, you may be missing many opportunies.

 

example  location location

 

the place is excellent location but no one comes.. it is because based on the social page reversed, the community is against what you are doing.. so you should seek out why (that would be based on doing a prestudy look at the place where one is going to do the business plan ).

 

course that is all just in my head,,  ehhe.

 

 

 

 

 

[Starlight]

I don't often reading without positions, but I've always been fascinated by the Gestalt way of reading, which is more based on what you see, feel, etc. and using that to interpret the cards.

 

Or storytelling - although I find that more difficult.

 

What I usually do - if for example I have a 9-card spread (again, I do not do this often and can't rem the last time I did it) - I'll work with the understanding that the first column is the past, the second/middle column is the present, and the third column is the future. And then I'll read the cards as if they are all telling a story for that column, with each card leading to the other cards in the same row.

 

It's fun, great practice, and you never quite know what you'll get. But definitely the more you practice, the easier it gets.

 

I really admire those readers who can look at a layout without positions and see the story shining through. Those readers are amazing!

 

I think, on the one hand, what really affects someone's ability to read a spread without positions is the familiarity and experience they have with Tarot. The more time passes by, the more you can look at instances in your life, or the lives of people around you, and find a correlating Tarot card. The more you can relate Tarot to your own experiences, the easier it is to see the connections between cards and how one affects the next.

[Grizabella]

I think the three-card "puddle spreads" of cards without named positions is often used by beginners with the idea they'll get real answers to whatever their concern is. They don't form a pointed, concise question, they just plunk down three cards, no position names and no specific, pointed question. Then when they can't find the message, they draw "clarifiers" that muddy the water more, not less.

 

A better idea for the "puddles" is to use them as a way to practice. Instead of a concise question about your situation or that of your friends, just look at the three cards and make up a story based on those three cards. Don't use them for you or your friends, just do it for practice and learning how to meld the cards instead of reading them as "this card means this" and "that card means that".

[2dogs]

A card each from several different decks can be very interesting, but only one Tarot and the rest  Oracles. It's like getting multiple opinions on the same question.