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healthcare bureaucrat in philly, v adhd, orthodox jew, ect ect, im love my wife



Inumo
@Inumo

I'm working on finishing the rewrite of my guidebook for the Dimlit Tarot, but unsurprisingly I keep having to trim things down for space reasons. I like this too-long blurb I wrote for "how to invent a tarot spread," though, so I figured I'd post the unedited version here.

While the Celtic Cross and the [earlier-in-the-book] relationships spread will answer many questions, you will inevitably find that they don't answer certain questions well. For example, the Celtic Cross doesn't give clear information about a single decision a querent may be facing, nor is the relationships spread an ideal fit since it describes a current state more than potential outcomes. When these spreads fail you, I'm fond of developing new spreads on-the-fly that I'll use just for that reading.

When developing a new spread, start by deciding what information you want the spread to contain. It's generally good to start with a card or two to broadly describe the current situation, then add cards to give specific details. Remember that methods should be distinct from results, i.e. use separate cards to describe a specific outcome and the road to get there. The more specific you can get with what each card is supposed to mean, the easier it will be to interpret, but the higher the risk that you won't be able to interpret the card you place there; be careful to balance your specificity accordingly.

Once you know how many cards you need, start to organize them spatially. It may help to lay out a set of cards (unshuffled and face down) to make visualizing your spread easier. Connected cards should be close to each other, and organized in sequence if appropriate (e.g. current situation, method, result). Play with orientation if it helps, but be sure to know which direction is "upright," especially if you read with reversed cards.

The key to this process is intent. Hold the spread in your mind alongside your question as you shuffle, then lay out the cards exactly as you planned, even if it initially seems like a card doesn't make sense in context. If you need to, write the spread down in advance to hold yourself accountable. This ensures that you aren't manipulating the meanings of the cards, consciously or unconsciously, as you interpret the reading and provide the best answer you can. You may produce nonsense readings at first, typically because you were either too specific about a card's meaning or not specific enough, but with practice you'll develop the skill to get information out of your deck in its most useful form.


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