Are You Using Too Many Tarot Spreads?

One of the main things I focus on when I’m reading and teaching tarot is the importance of the question:

What is the goal or the intention of the reading?

Early on, I was always taught to read tarot using spreads. So many guidebooks I came across recommended three-card spreads – such as past, present, future – or larger spreads like the Celtic Cross.

And as social media became a more common place for tarot lovers to share their passion for card reading, it’s easier than ever to access hundreds, if not thousands, of tarot spreads at this time, for all kinds of topics.

But when I started reading tarot for others, I often found tarot spreads to be too confining for the flow of conversation that often unfolded. For all of the spreads I’d studied, I didn’t feel adequately prepared for the wide range of questions that querents would pose.

The problem with spreads is that if you’re reading on a specific question, then the spread your using has to be able to support that question through each position. If it doesn’t, you might feel like you’re fumbling through the reading, trying to force together pieces of information that don’t quite fit the goal of the reading.

Don’t get me wrong: Spreads can be insightful and exciting to read from – and I find them especially helpful when I’m reading for a querent who doesn’t have a specific question, of if I’m exploring a general overview or forecast.

But readings can be spontaneous. You might read through a spread for someone and then they look at you and say, “That’s so interesting. Now can I ask about X, Y, and Z?” And if you’re not prepared to read about a question on the fly, you might feel stuck.

Spreads have a time and place, but sometimes I wonder if there’s too much focus these days on tarot spreads, and not enough time spent talking about how to hold space for specific questions and flow through different topics throughout the course of a tarot reading.

This is why, when I teach tarot, I spend so much time focusing on putting cards into the context of the question. If you can keep your answers relevant to the question at hand, your querents will feel heard, and you will be helping to provide clarity around a specific issue they’re facing.

You don’t have to learn how to answer every question out there – that would be impossible. Every querent brings a unique lens to their readings.

All you have to do is learn how to be flexible and fluent enough with your interpretations so that you’re able to address a range of questions, with or without a tarot spread.

Context and questions are just two of the key areas I’m available to help with in Tarot Study Hall. This new, exclusive online community is for tarot readers who are committed to building their skills through learning, practice, and community mentorship.

If you’re looking for an ongoing immersion into the art of tarot reading and want the benefits of support and guidance along the way, I’d love to see you in Tarot Study Hall.

Join now and enjoy the perks of being a founding member.

Until next time,

Liz