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The Process by Dan Pellitier
Chapter 6: The Skeptic from the upcoming audio book by Dan Pelletier read by the author.
The woman stepped over to the booth where I was sitting; she was well dressed and coiffed, and carried a look of concern.
Linda, the bartender told me to talk to you. She said you read cards. Can you read mine?”
“It would be an honor.”
“I don’t believe in this psychic stuff, you know… the only reason I’m talking to you is because Linda spoke so highly of you. She said if anybody could help me find answers, you could.” She slid into the booth.
Most people believe that as Tarot readers, we are all “psychics.” Few are aware that there are different styles of reading. There is (for lack of better terms) the ’standard reading’, whereby meanings are ascribed to each card, and to each position where a card is placed. The memorized meanings are translated into a’ reading’. Archetypes provide a venue into which the sitter is able to see their life and experiences.
The intuitive (or psychic) reading uses the cards as a focal point – information comes to the reader from “out there” (different folks have diverse theories on where the knowledge comes from).
Both styles, and you may disagree with me and that is fine, are valid. When I read, it may be either type or both, and my regular clients not only cannot tell, but do not know …
Dan Pelletier
Dan Pelletier lives north of Seattle Washington with his wife of 22 years, Jan, his two cats, Spook and Pookha, and 32 rosebushes. He has been reading Tarot for himself and others for over thirty years.
Dan is also co-owner of The Tarot Garden, a highly respected resource for tarot decks and related information on the Internet. He has written articles appearing on the Tarot for Life website newsletter, Seeker’s Journey, and Tarot Passages; and has published interviews with deck creators on the tarotgarden.com website library.
Hermit’s Journey with Bonnie Cehovet – Tarot Spreads
Welcome to the Hermit’s Journey. This is Bonnie Cehovet, and today I will be discussing Tarot spreads … their purpose and how to develop them for yourself. I love using different spreads, and am very grateful to those in the Tarot world that are willing to share their own creative endeavors. I really enjoy the act of creating spreads … something that I began doing primarily to enhance my client readings, but discovered that it also allowed me to view my decks from a fresh perspective.
What do you get out of designing your own spreads?
- The right sized spread for you … whether that is three cards or thirty-three cards.
- Spreads that provide options, rather than outcomes.
- Spreads that represent your own thought process.
- Spreads that are tailor-made for the Seeker, and the Seeker’s issues.
- The ability to modify existing spreads.
- The ability to work sequentially with several smaller spreads.
- Spreads tailored for use with specific decks, or geared towards special times, such as holidays.
There are probably as many ways to design a Tarot spread as there are people designing them. Each person is going to develop their own individual process … one that works for them, and their clients. The process that I am going to discuss is one that I have developed over a period of time, and one that works for me.
Whether I am reading for myself, for a friend, or for a client, the first thing that I want to know is what area of life the question is addressing. It can be romance, relationship, finances, career, decision making, spirituality … whatever it is, once I know the area that the question is in, I can determine what kind of answer the Seeker is looking for. (I use the term Seeker for the person being read for, as the term Querant … just makes me cringe, and is a term that I never, ever use!) Soooo …is the Seeker looking for insight into a specific issue or problem? Are they looking for actions to take? Are they looking for tools to work with? What the Seeker is looking for helps me determine how the questions should be worded.
Your question may be very general (as in “Is this the right time to make a move?”), or it may be quite specific (as in “Is it in my best interest to move to Florida next month?”). Work with the Seeker until both of you are satisfied with the question. As Teresa Michelson notes in “Designing Your Own Tarot Spreads”, one of the first things that you want to decide when formatting a question is the nature of the question: do you want it to be predictive, or empowering. A predictive question would be: “When is my house going to sell?” An empowering version of the same question would be: “What can I do to make my house more salable?” Go over this with the Seeker (or yourself, if the reading is for you) until both of you are sure what you want. Clear as mud doesn’t get it!
The next thing that you want to do is word the question so that the answer will be as specific as possible, and give as much information as possible. If the question that the Seeker is asking crosses ethical boundaries (i.e. legal, medical or financial, or personal boundaries in that they are asking about a third party) speak up. Either suggest a rewording of the question, or refuse to read for it, and explain why to the Seeker. If the question that the Seeker is asking is either vague, or very general, and this is what they want to ask, then work with a general spread, rather than one that is specifically created for the question. From my personal experience, a general spread puts this type of client in their comfort zone, and some truly empowering questions can come out of it.
Rather than asking a straightforward question, sometimes the Seeker will essentially tell you a story about their situation, and then ask you what they should do, or what they should know. Michelson points out that in such a case, make the different parts of their situation positions within the spread. Another thing that you can do here is to do several smaller spreads, collating the information into one flowing story once the individual readings have been completed.
Questions that I really hate run something like this: “Will I get the promotion, and if I do, will I get the salary that I want?” Here there are a couple of options: Break the questions down into separate questions, and/or separate the questions and reword them to be more empowering, something along the ones of: “What do I need to know about applying for this promotion.”, and “How can I best present myself to get the salary that I want?”
Tarot of the iPod
There are issues using the shuffle setting on some iPods if the file are ‘podcasts’. I’ve created this download archive: symbolism.zip
It has all of the files from the first edition Symbolism of the Tarot. The other reason you might want this copy is that the Artist shows who read the card. The iTunes feed removes this information. I will create an archive of the Pictorial Key to the Tarot when it is complete.
Music Credits
- Opening Music: The Oracle Speaks by William Wilde Zeitler from Elegy for Atlantis
- Transition Music: Serpent’s Kiss by Solace from Nagari (Magnatune)
- Hermits Journey Music: Dark Moon by Suzanne Teng from Enchanted Wind (www.magnatune.com)
- Closing Music: Sorrow & Veil by Solace from Nagari (Magnatune)
Play or Download the Episode
Amy Lamash is a passionate Tarot enthusiast who has been discovering Tarot for the past 5 years and loving every minute of it! She has 2 websites, 
