When reading cards in a spread, we identify what cards are in what position, and consider how the meanings of those cards relate to their position, and to each other. But before diving into those details, it’s a good idea to stop for a moment and take a quick overview to see if there are any obvious patterns that jump out.
Are there a whole lot of Major cards, or Court cards, or particular suits or numbers? If so, we’ll be wanting to look at those groups especially, or at least use them to feel out the theme of the reading, whatever the details might be.
For example … if within a Tarot spread, the majority of cards are Majors – I’d read that as a situation where bigger energies are playing out and that the person getting the reading might not be as in control of what’s happening as usual. Alternatively, if there are mostly Minor cards in the spread, it’s likely a situation where the querent is more in charge of what’s being described than not.
As another example, let’s say there’s bunch of Swords – or Cups, or Disks, or Wands … if one suit predominates, it’s the energy of that suit that’s playing out most within the spread.
Or maybe there’s a lot of Court Cards … are there a lot of people involved in the situation at hand? Or maybe the querent is acting with many different faces, or in many different roles?
Are there a lot of the same numbers repeating in the spread? How do they relate to the Major cards of that number?
Or, maybe most cards are bigger numbers, ie. 8s, 9s, or 10s, or the later cards in the Majors … is something about the situation ending? Or maybe there are lots of smaller numbers … is something just beginning?
You get the idea … we’re looking for patterns as much as we are the detailed meanings of the cards. The patterns let us see what the spread is talking about, while the individual cards each describe their own piece of that bigger picture.
