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The way I read Tarot cards for other people is a somewhat flexible process.
I set the space, if necessary, and shuffle the deck a couple times, flipping half the deck over, to make sure the reversals vary, and to clear the previous reading. Then I hand the deck to the querant to shuffle a few more times while they focus on their question. I cut the deck, and then instruct them to place however many cards seem necessary (or, if I'm doing this for a party, I'll give them an appropriate number), wherever they feel moved to place them, as long as they are face down and remember that the reading should be facing me. I then turn the cards over myself, sideways to preserve reversals.
I have noticed a few things about this:
Folks who have never had a reading before at all are rather variable. If they're brave they'll take me at my word and put the cards wherever they feel like it. If they're concerned about "doing it right" they'll lay out cards in a roughly Celtic Cross layout pattern because they've seen pictures of it, and think that's "about right".
Folks who are learning the Tarot themselves, but don't feel competent yet tend to put down either a three card layout or a proper Celtic Cross. If they do so, I ask them if they want me to read the cards according to a Celtic Cross layout, or according to the method I usually use. Most of them shrug and say I'm the reader and may do as I see fit.
Folks who know plenty about the Tarot tend to put the cards down wherever seems appropriate, but not touching eachother, and always straight to the grid. They may put a card sideways, or put one card across another, but they almost never go diagonally, or overlap, or anything like that unless their eyes are closed.
Folks who know divination, but not the Tarot - especially if they know Runes - tend to close their eyes and put cards wherever feels right, at any angle, overlapping or not, whatever.
Folks who think they know all there is to know about the Tarot, and want to test me do deliberately weird shit like place a card halfway across the room.
It's those last two categories that have forced me to expand my understanding of this free-form layout system I originally learned from my parents.
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The system itself:
The original system is simply this. Time is the horizontal axis. Most folks read left-to-right. I read right-to-left. I don't know why, but I've always thought about time backwards to most folks I know. Number lines gave me trouble at first for the same reason. *shrugs* Distance from the center signifies how long. I discourage folks from placing cards all the way across the room by pointing out that 200 years from now isn't exactly relevant to their question.
The vertical axis was originally taught to me simply as Subconcious below Concious. I have expanded it into 5 layers. Top down: Spiritual, Mental, Physical/Practical, Emotional, Instinctual. You may notice that both Spiritual and Instinctual are intuitive states that sort of wrap around. Most readings are 3-4 levels at most.
Any crossed card should be treated as a Signifier.
For diagonal cards direction of tilt indicates relationships with cards they are "pointing" towards.
Touching cards are related to the same specific moment/aspect of the issue being discussed.
Cards stacked on top of eachother show depth of perception. The topmost card shows the surface appearance, and so on down for motivations hidden from outside observers, down into motivations hidden from the self, and other underlying factors.
As usual, clarification can be added to any reading by placing extra cards near or on top of cards that aren't making sense. Often I will clarify the connection between two cards by placing another card sideways or diagonally between them.
As for reading the cards themselves:
Court cards always refer to actual people, though not necessarily humans. The querant is a person, so court cards may refer to whatever is significant about the querant in the context of the reading.
I do read reversals. They often add a negative spin, but more often indicate that something isn't quite what it seems to be (the usual upright meaning of the card being how things seem), or else a twist - possibly ironic - on the usual meaning of the card. Diagonal cards may be given reversals according to which way is more downward. Horizontal cards are never given reverse meanings.
Lots of Trumps indicate that a reading is either about a major period of change (presumably in the Querants life, but possibly in the subject), or that the question is on a Spiritual topic. I make a point of NOT asking what the question was until after I've read through the cards once.
I think that's everything...
--Ember-- |
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