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The Three Card Spread
(Courtesy of Shannon aka Shadowflameguardian)

This is a simple yet useful spread. Pick a tarot deck of your choice, shuffel the cards, focusing on a particular question. If you are doing this for another person either focus on them or let them shuffel the deck. Allow your higher self to draw the cards. Lay out three cards, face down.

1-------------------2----------------------3
Past or----------Present or------------- Future or
Context ----------- Focus--------------- Outcome

Problem Solving or Decision Making Approach
This spread will help you to learn to apply the tarot to figure out how to approach a problem or decision. This is easiest when you let your ego and conscious mind relax, and allow your Higher Self to speak to you through the cards you draw.

Left Card: The Context - This card reflects a general overview of the Querant's present situation.

Center Card: The Focus - This card reflects a new set of circumstances that are about to act upon the Querant, the forces that drive these may be positive or negative depending on the card and whether it is upright or inverse. This card is the general problem or the decision to be made.

Right Card: The Outcome - This card reflects the effect of the second focus card. It shows the outcome that comes with the new circumstances; the results of the problem solving and/or decision-making.


Timeline Approach
This spread will help you to learn to apply the tarot to help you to explore the forces that are influencing the Querant, by looking at the past, present and future energy around them.

Left Card: The Past - This card shows the Querant's past experiences, the ones that cast a light on the current situation.

Center Card: The Present - This card reveals what the Querant is feeling and experiencing at the moment.

Right Card: The Future - This card predicts the result of the course of action that the Querant will take, based on the first two cards.

Note: Post your spreads below

if its ok i'd like to pipe in one the picking your tarot deck thing. another trick to use is if you see a deck at a store and you think its a good one but you're not sure try this. dont buy it. spend about a week focusing everyday for like five minutes on your desire to have a tarot deck. then after a week of that go back to the same store. see if the deck is still there. if its not, then the universe is answering you by saying it wasnt your deck. if it is, pick it up and look at it again to see if it still fits you. if so then go for it. that works well with pretty much any magickal item from athames to wands to just normal crystals(though with crystals you can buy them sometimes just to complete a collection)