What Is Your 'Go To' Spread?

[Grizabella]

I usually start with 7 cards to begin with. I sometimes divide those into three sections, with one section having three cards and only two in the other two segments. Within that spread, I may use section one as past, section two as present, section three as future, putting the extra card into whichever spot the sitter is most interested in to make three cards in that spot. I add cards, though, sort of like a Scrabble board as the sitter asks for more information here or there. 

 

Then there's the "what if I do/what if I don't" spread. I use that one for obvious reasons---to find out the probable consequences of taking a certain action vs. not taking that action. Three cards for each position. As a suggestion to a new reader, it will probably help if you give positional meanings to each of the three cards in each spot if your question allows for that.

 

When I'm reading for a client, I sometimes find the cards want to "keep talking", meaning the information just keeps obviously coming on the spread as I draw more cards. In one case, I've gone through as many as 30 cards before the common thread stopped. It's one of those things that's difficult to explain, but since I draw more cards as I'm reading, it's obvious which cards are pertinent and meant to be part of the reading vs. when the stream stops. It's a very obvious "stop" and it can't be mistaken.

 

When I was new, I really worried over having to learn all the card meanings and then on top of that, having to learn spreads by heart, too.  Silly me----I didn't realize it was okay to just make my own spreads and wing it. Now I just make my own as I go along for the most part. Other than past, present, future and maybe a Celtic Cross, I really haven't ever memorized any specific  spreads. 

 

I feel it's very important for new people to have precise questions and named positions because that does help so much in finding out what the cards have to say. Other than that, though, it's really perfectly fine to make one's own spreads. What could be better than crafting your own spread so you get your questions asked in the most pointed way possible?

 

 

[MissJones]

I most often use a 'top 'n tail' kind of reading, because I'm most often reading for myself, so something quick and simple will do. After I cut the deck, I read the top card as the obvious, direct answer, and for clarification I then read the bottom card for the things I am maybe not aware of, the things bubbling under the surface, and which are driving the issues/ situations. It's a good clarifier without getting drawn into an extended reading 🙂

[xTheHermitx]

I really like the top and tail type of reading!   Also am thinking it would be cool to pull from the middle to see what is "centering" the deck/draw.

 

Like some on here, I used to do a Celtic Cross reading, but feel like that many cards sometimes distracts my thought process. I usually do a 3 or 4 card spread now, and, depending on the query, usually don't read them "in order", but as a whole. I feel like now, the interpretation flows more sensibly when I don't see it in an ordered event kind of way. 

 

Years ago I came up with a spread for runes  that I called "The Compass Spread". It is a 5 card/rune spread based on the cardinal compass points, and also was representative of the suns path through the day - east to west, and its position during the different times of the year here in the northern hemisphere - south or north. The 5th card/rune was always center. I only used it for when I was studying or thinking on a bigger concept. 

 

I attached my notes on this spread below. 

cmpssprd.pdf