Acerca de
Types of spreads
How many types of spreads are there? Well, we have the basic PAST - PRESENT - FUTURE spread, the famous CELTIC CROSS (10 cards) and so on... a million more types of spreads that the tarot reader can choose from, depending on the questions you have.
The good news is that you don't have to worry about choosing the best type of spread - that's the consultant's job.
Everyone has a different approach when it comes to tarot readings. Based on the questions you ask, the reader may choose to do a single, complex spread (the most common method) or to do several smaller ones. The reader may answer a single question with one spread, or they may try to gain different perspectives through multiple spreads, for a bigger picture. Spreads are simply a means of getting that “top-down” perspective on the situation you are asking about. Therefore, depending on the complexity of the question and the answer, the reader may go from a single card spread to up to 20 cards per spread.
The decision is based solely on how the reader assesses the complexity of the question and the type of answer needed.
During my sessions, I process a maximum of 4 questions, with one spread for each. If I feel there is more to explore in a single answer, I usually do (additional) clarifying spreads to get a complete view of the situation.
The type of spread I choose depends on the question, but I also let my intuition guide me.
To give you an idea of what the spreads look like, I will give you some examples below.
Here is what the Past – Present – Future spread looks like:
Past – Present – Future can also have a number of variations. Here are some other examples of similar 3-card spreads:
What I always like to remind my clients is that the future is not set in stone. There are different potentialities that lie within us, and we play an important role in manifesting them in our lives.
There is no single potential outcome. To illustrate this, I sometimes use the “ALTERNATIVE FUTURE” spread. This shows the present, the future passive (what is likely to happen), the future active, and the mystery (something the client does not see or know about the situation at hand).
When I want to have a complete view of the dynamics of a relationship, I do a CURRENT ENERGIES display, which shows me how each person feels about the other, how this is reflected in their behavior, what are the shared feelings that the two are currently experiencing, what is the client's blind spot regarding the other person, and what are the most likely next steps in the interaction.
If I want to see the blockages, strengths, external opinions, variables you are not aware of, and possible outcomes of a situation, I can use the "CELTIC CROSS" layout.
A simpler approach is the “SWOT” spread. What are the strengths we bring to the table? What are the weaknesses? What is best to do in this specific situation? For these types of questions, the SWOT spread is usually a very good choice.
If the client wants to see major events or points of interest throughout the year, I use the "MAJOR ARCANA 12" spread – one Major Arcana card for each month.
If I want to see a pattern that is impacting the client's present and where they can make a change (internally and externally) to change the outcome, I use the L-layout. This shows a moment in the past (the trigger), its impact, the current challenge, the lesson to be learned, and the action to be taken.
Tarot can also be used for psychological dream interpretation.
A simple spread would look like this:
Card #1 is the desire, #2 is the problem, #3 is the reaction, #4 is the advice, and card #5 is the solution.
Sometimes it’s easier to escape into dream scenarios or come up with our own reality, but we’re only disconnecting from the truth. When I sense that certain clients are running away from obvious answers, I use the “WHAT ARE YOU AVOIDING?” spread. It shows:
-
The story you’re telling yourself
-
The reason you created the story
-
The ending you imagine
-
The reality
-
What you avoided
-
The worst-case scenario
-
The likely ending
Tarot can be used for more than just seeing the obstacles in our path. It can show us the things we should be grateful for and how to heal emotionally. We have all been through painful experiences, breakups, the loss of something (a job, a home, an opportunity) important to us or someone we loved. The question is: how do we move through pain? Here I like to use the “PAST BLESSINGS” spread. This shows me why that experience was actually a gift for the client, what they learned from it, what they can change so they don’t repeat the same mistakes, and how they can move forward.
