Reading Spreads

RESOURCES FOR READERS

WORKING WITH SPREADS

Once you have familiarized yourself with your deck, it may be time to put your knowledge to use and begin using the deck in readings. If you are new to cartomancy, this section will give you a good introduction into some popular spreads and some unique to Prisma Visions. Keep in mind the unique features of the deck you've chosen and carefully consider them when selecting a spread.

For example, the readings done with Runes involve fewer cards as the meanings of each rune are very clear and there are only thirty-three Runes in total. Doing a reading with the Celtic Cross wouldn’t make much sense with runes since it would use nearly a third of the Runes in a single reading.

Lenormand cards are read based on their proximity to each other. You can read cards in pairs or triplets or in groups. While each card in Lenormand has associated symbolism, no card can really be read by itself. This is very different from how we read Tarot, where each card can be read on its own.

Stringing cards together

As previously mentioned, certain practices like Lenormand or Runes work really well with more concise spreads since they have a limited number of cards overall and their meanings are so direct and simple. For decks like these, try starting by reading in pairs then by stringing 3 or 4 together. With this method, the cards do not need any predetermined context. Let the cards speak for themselves as individual words coming together to form a sentence, read from left to right. View the following pages for more insight on how to read strings of Runes or Lenormand cards.

How to Read Runes

How to Read Lenormand

THE VISION

The Vision (or the three card spread) is one of the oldest and most simple tarot spreads. It’s a great place to start for a beginner. The three cards can be used in a variety of different readings. Below you will find three such possibilities for what the cards can represent. These spreads are simple enough to use with any kind of deck, not just Tarot.

the past
the present
the future

OR

the situation
the action
the outcome

OR

current position
aspiration
the path to take

THE CELTIC CROSS

This is one of the classic tarot spreads and is very popular because it’s simple yet very thorough. This spread is comprised of two parts, the cross (or circle) and the staff. Below you will find one way to interpret this particular spread, though there are many ways to read the Celtic Cross.

1. you in this moment

2. your challenge

3. the past

4. the future

5. your current goals

6. your subconscious self

7. advice for yourself

8. external influences im.pacting you

9. your hopes and fears

10. what happens in the end

PAST LIFE SPREAD

Sometimes in order to understand that you are greater than yourself you need to look backwards. The past life spread connects you to one of your past lives. Your basic life map is laid out in the first eight cards. The final four cards are representative of how this past life can influence your current life.

1. gender identity

2. childhood

3. family life

4. relationships

5. obstacles

6. achievements

7. spirituality

8. death

9. lessons learned

10. karma brought forward

11. past life purpose

12. current life takeaway

mirror arc

The Mirror Arc is a spread you can do any deck but is especially useful for multi-deck readings, for example, using both Prisma Visions and Cosma Visions together.

Take each deck and shuffle separately. Keep Cosma Visions on the left and Prisma Visions on the right. Simultaneously draw cards from both decks, Prisma Visions in positions 1-3 and Cosma Visions in positions 4-6. This spread shows your actions (Prisma Visions) and the reflection or reasons behind them (Cosma Visions).