At the beginning of a reading the Reader or the Seeker (or both) shuffles the deck, draws and places some cards face down on a flat surface (usually a table). These cards often form a pattern or a shape (e.g. cards can be laid out in a way that they form a cross or a pentacle shape). This lay-out of cards is called the spread; so in the classic Horseshoe Spread seven cards are used and laid out in a way that they form a horseshoe shape (like an inverted U).
Nowadays there are probably more spreads than there are Tarot Readers in the world and most Readers will probably have at least one of their own spreads that they designed and has proved to be effective or special in some ways for them.
The cards that make up a spread can be interpreted in a number of ways depending on the preferred method of the Reader. I personally like to assign each card to a specific position within the spread; e.g. the first card can represent the past (past influences that relate to the question), the second card can be the present (present influences related to the question), third card can stand for hidden influences that somehow relate to the question etc. Some Readers do not like to use spreads and instead just lay out some cards in a row and will interpret them together or they may design spreads on the spot tailored to the question asked by the Seeker. These are all fine methods as long as the Reader is comfortable with such methods.
After the cards were laid out on the table the Reader can turn over the cards one at a time and interpret them in a sequence or all the cards can be turned over at once and interpreted together. I use a mixture of both and for bigger spreads I will turn over one or a few cards at a time while for smaller spreads I will most likely look at all the cards together.
The interpretation process can be interactive when the Reader engages the Seeker in the process; or one-sided when the Reader first interprets the cards and then asks for feedback at the end of the reading. In some cases certain cards may elicit certain reactions from the Seeker and these may be significant and the Reader may pay more attention to them. In most cases the whole reading is a fluid process and it is best to just go with the flow.
The benefits of a genuine Tarot reading can be great and the Seeker will usually leave the reading feeling 'enlightened' and with a positive sense of self.
 |
| Happy Squirrel from Touchstone Tarot by Kat Black (2009) |
