Why So Many Tarot Spreads? It's just confusing!

First let's answer the question "What is a Tarot Spread?"

A Tarot Spread is what Tarot Consultants commonly call the manner in which they lay out the cards. You can see one example in my guide -- One Way Of Reading The Celtic Cross. But there are so many other spreads to be utilized.

Why limit yourself to one?

Let's look at just a few of the spreads I have designed to answer that question.

Personally I prefer to use spreads that are customized to my client. For instance, if Jack is looking for love and Jill is in a new relationship, then the same relationship spread really won't be accurate for one or the other. I would discuss with them and make suggestions on which spreads I thought might be helpful for them.

For instance, Jack's needs might be best met by my Getting Ready For Love spread. It looks at what we need to do to prepare our selves for that special someone coming our way. Hints and clues about who it will be as well as tough insights into Jack's own way of dealing with things help prepare him for Ms or Mr Right.

As for Jill, she needs information about what is at hand right now so a Snapshot Relation Spread would be better. She will want to know what direction her relationship is taking and how her partner views her. This is a very good spread for relationships at all stages.

And what about Alex who has a relationship in trouble? The He Said/ She Said spread gives us both sides and that magical middle -- the real story. This particular spread doesn't take sides. Instead it seeks the truth that exists between the two people. This one is often not fun for either side to see, but does go along way to patching up things between people who truly want to make things better.

And what if you want to look at your life in a more general manner? Perhaps you have questions that fall into several of the big categories such as family, children, home, career, relationships, etc. Maybe the Bagua Spread would be your perfect answer. It uses the Feng Shui theory that everything is divided into 9 areas and applies two cards to each area.  I have found this spread to work very well for someone who isn't sure where they need information the most.

We all have so many questions. Doesn't it make sense that we would need answers to fit our needs? What sense does it make to squish the questions to fit the answers? :-)  I hope that this article has helped you see why some Tarot Consultants use different tarot spreads. And I invite you to ask me any other questions you might have.