Compendium of Tarot Cards
Written and Illustrated by:
LMorte
In this book we shall discuss each meaning of each 78 cards of the tarot. and each chapter will include the illustrations of the Major and Minor Arcana and express each of the card's mess...
After shuffling the cards then you need to lay the cards on the table or any flat surface which we call a spread.
What is a Tarot Spread
A tarot spread is how you position the cards on the table when reading or using the tarot for divination. Its a type of a system that determines the main message of the cards you draw from the pile or deck and those message varies depending on the position where you lay the cards on the table or on a flat surface.
When working with spreads you will be able to reflect upon the messages of the cards, you can also see the answers depending the aspect of each cards on their position within the spread and sometimes predict the future using the art of spreads.
Here are some Spreads that you can use for reading the tarot.
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The Three Card Spread
The three card spread is used for any situation, it is often used to do a quick reading. There are a few variations of this type of spread that depends on what type of question you sought to ask the tarot. I will mention two types of the three card spread variation and explain that each spreads provides different predictions.
Three Card Spread for Reflection
To do this spread you need to draw the first card and position it to the left, the second card in the middle, the third and final card on the right.
The order of the cards will be the main aspect of each cards.
1st card: The Current Situation
2nd card: The Obstacle or Challenges
3rd card: The Solution to the Current Situation
To further explain how this spread works I'll use the three cards that are shown above. The first card that is situated on the left is The Fool card, and in the Middle Three of Wands and the third The Magician Card.
The first card is the representation of the current situation of the person who's doing the reading. Since The Fool card is positioned on that plane the card tells us that he is trying to begin from a blank slate. Dreaming of an idea that he is passionate about.
The second card is the representation of the challenges or problems that he's facing. Since the Three of Wands was positioned there this card tells us that he is being blocked by pursuing this goal for he fears about the drastic changes that will happen once he continue his pursuit.
The third card represents the solution to his obstacle. As the Magician card appears in the reading this implies that in order to overcome his fear of those changes, He needs to prepare himself to culminate himself. He needs to learn the stakes of his goals and device a plan to gain assurance. Once all of the resources are all in his favor by mastering himself that's the time that he will achieve it.
The Past, Present, and Future Three Card Spread
This is another variation of the three card spread which focuses on three events which are the Past, Present, and the Future.
To do this you must position the first card from the pile and position it in the middle, the second to the left, and the third to the right. The order of the cards will be the aspect of the three events.
Left: The Past Event
Middle: The Current Situation
Right: The Future
In order to demonstrate how to use this type of spread variation, I'll use the same illustration above as reference.
The left card is about his past events, since the Fool card appears on the left this tells us that the person had dreams of achieving his goals before but has not pursued the goal for the odds were against his favor.
The middle card depicts his present, since the Three of wands are positioned there that tells us that changes currently affects him and slowly his aspirations has become quite feasible. Within the present he's making a strategic way to fulfill it and waiting for the right moment.
The right card where the Magician card is situated, tells us that in the future he will be able to achieve what he desires, the resources are within his hands, and his goal will come to fruition.
If you read the two types of spread variations, you'll notice that even though we have used similar cards the messages still varies because of the aspect of the different variations are different. the reflection variation of the three card spread focuses on what is the current problem, and the other spread focuses on events.
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The Celtic Cross Spread
This spread is widely used by tarot readers and Cartomancers. This spread is used for seeing the life events of the person you read for. It is one of the complex spreads that can be tricky to use because of the number of messages that you'll be reading. However, this spread can provide you answers in detail and precision once you master the use of this spread.
To do this spread you must draw the cards that will form like a cross.
To start the cross , draw the first card and lay it down on the table.
The second card should be laid on top of the first card and position the card horizontally.
The third card should be put below the first two cards.
The fourth card should be laid on the left of the first two cards.
The fifth should be laid above the two cards.
The sixth should be laid on the right of the first two cards.
The seventh card should be positioned to the right but position it below.
The eighth card must be positioned above the seventh card.
The ninth card must be above the eighth card.
The tenth and final card must be placed above the ninth card.
How to read the Spread
Once the cards are in place you're now ready to read the cards. These are the aspects of each card that was drawn and its order:
