Greetings, salutations and all those good ‘hello’ things. I hope everyone is having a good time getting back into the swing of the things after their Holiday season. It was a bit hectic over here for me, but we carry on.

I received a Tarot deck for Yule – I had requested the Emily Carding deck, Tarot of the Sidhe, because I had seen it on a website and honestly felt so drawn to it; it needed to be mine. Lo’ and behold, it came to me and I have been working with it ever since. But because I have a new Tarot deck, I’ve been dibble-dabbling with different tarot spreads. Which one was going to be the best for me?

I’ve had Tarot readings before; different spreads each time. The one that I have seen done the most and have seen successfully created was the Celtic Cross Spread, and I believe that this is the most common. The Celtic Cross Spread seems to be a Tarot spread that I would consider not complicated, but not easy either. Relating to the immediate past, the present thoughts, and the near future; the spread seems to cover a fair amount of information. However, as I have read and seen on some other sites, it’s almost too common of a spread. But, if its common, it must be practised and done well. For me, I would prefer to learn this type of spread, as again, it doesn’t seem too hard but isn’t the easiest. And if I’m looking for more of an intuitive spread, I would recommend the Celtic Cross to any of my potential clients.

There are thousands of Tarot reading spreads – people are creating their own takes on different spreads every day. There are more basic spreads, such as the three-card Self Knowledge reading, as featured on Tarot.com as one of their more ‘traditional’ Tarot spreads. This spread looked interesting for me, as it was three cards and probably easier to learn how to actually READ the cards and get them to flow together. Using the first position as your Body – it focuses on you, influences that have made you who you are, etc. The second position is the Mind – more of who you are now, what makes you tick now; a very ‘in the present’ position. And the third position is Spirit – shows more of a broader perspective of things around you, guidance and intuition. I’ve seen different takes on this reading; the first card being you, as how you view yourself, the second card being the situation that surrounds you and the third card being the solution.

Spreads for Tarot can be complex or simplified, I think, by the reader. I had a Zodiac reading done by a so-called ‘talented’ reader, and it was quite possibly the most horrific reading of my life. She didn’t let the cards flow together and gave me no ‘guidance’ with the structure of the cards. I have seen the Zodiac reading done – a twelve-card reading that focuses on situations and different meanings per position. So for example, the first position is known as ‘House of Identity’ and it has to do with the way you view the world, and basically, your identity. This card, I would think, is the most influential of them all. And as you go through each position, it would be something that I would keep visiting and working with throughout the reading. It really doesn’t need to be a hard reading, but I have read that people are unimpressed with it. I think, if done right, the spread wouldn’t be that bad.

The most complicated of the Tarot spreads I have looked at to learn is definitely the Wheel of the Year. It consists of eight parts, and three cards per part.

………………………….Litha 1, 2, 3………………………….
……….Beltane 1, 2, 3……………Lughnassad 1, 2, 3……..
Ostara 1, 2, 3…………………………………Mabon, 1, 2, 3………….
……….Imbolc 1, 2, 3……………..Samhain 1, 2, 3…………….
………………………….Yule 1, 2, 3……………………………

Blessings, 1, 2, 3.
Definitely for the Witchy-types, and I thought I’d be able to handle it. The spread is by Kim Huggens, and it details an entire year of ideas, insights and feelings. For more information about this spread, please visit http://www.tarotpassages.com/Pages2/2004aprsprd.htm . I could go into every single aspect of each of the cards, but I think it’d be better presented by the one who wrote it. Not to mention, it could take up an entire blog.

For now, I am in search of a Dream Interpretation spread. Not because I need a Tarot spread to interpret dreams, but I like to see what the link between Tarot and Dreams could be. Obviously, a lot of dream interpretation and Tarot readings link together with intuition, but is there a deeper connection? I found a Dream Interpretation spread that I am not so sure about, but once I get more confident with my cards and reading them, I’ll let you know how it goes.

If I’m honest, I don’t know if any spread is particularly more complicated as the next. Anyone can bring in complexities and simplicities with whatever Tarot reading spread they offer. For a more thorough reading, don’t hesitate to ask your Tarot reader for more information. A Tarot reading is what you make it – and what the reader makes it for you. I believe if you have a confident and insightful reader, even a single card reading can be more fulfilling than a full out Celtic Cross spread. A confident reader can make anything into an amazing journey, despite how complex the card layout is or what cards are drawn.

Namaste, my friends! Keep well and wish me luck. The journey continues …

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