I love creating my own spreads, and any occasion is an excuse. It’s a simple process, and here is the formula:
- Decide on the deck you wish to use for the occasion.
- Think about the shape of the spread.
- Choose an appropriate spread cloth or cut one out especially for the purpose.
- Lay out the cards on the cloth, and count many cards you can fit (reverse side up) onto it comfortably.
- Write down appropriate questions for each position. These are never yes/no questions, but rather are enquiries as to what the situation really is, and what I can do to improve it.
- Shuffle your intentions into the deck, and practise either on yourself or a good friend.
So, it’s Valentines now. I love Valentine’s. Not the commercialism, but the romance. I never buy things, and neither does my husband. We make things, and this is so much more special. He still has a card I made 15 years with an erotic story written inside and bound with ribbon. In actual fact, he liked it so much that he asked me to write a new chapter every year. Well, I could probably publish it now, but it’s our little secret! Anyway, we’re here to talk tarot…
So this year I have made him a spread. I don’t think he’ll be very surprised, since that is pretty much the theme of the year! I used an old read sheet and a crotchet cushion cover for the base, and found a piece of red paper from my mum’s craft supply from which I cut out a heart. I selected the Gummy Bear Tarot in a Tin because it’s small and colourful, and to be frank oozes fun and love. I managed to squeeze in six cards, and formulated the following questions:
1. What is at The Heart of the relationship?
2. What do I bring to the relationship?
3. What do they bring to the relationship?
4. How can I help myself?
5. How can I help them?
6. What is the expected outcome?
You’ll notice that none of the questions require Yes/No answers, but rather help to explore the issues around the questions I have asked. Yes/No questions are generally far too limiting for the cards… but I will write a page about how to use Yes/No questions in readings!
Meantime, we have a little more advice about how to best formulate questions here: How to Formulate Questions
[If you’d like to read about how I interpreted this spread, then the full blog post is here: Valentine Tarot Spread]