Tarot: Get the Whole Story

by James Ricklef

A review by - Crystal Wind, CTR, CPTR, CTC

Create original spreads, find inspiration, define positions meanings, and understand the structure of a layout. Tarot : Get the Whole Story demonstrates that the process of creating a tarot spread is easy to learn. It illustrates the structure, meaning and use of each spread. A spread is described as a structure on which threads of individual card meanings are woven into a tapestry that tells a story. Spreads in this book are designed for what people want to know most: facing issues, finding or healing relationships, overcoming a specific problem, dealing with pain and sorrow, timing, understanding a puzzling problem more deeply and transforming your life.

Spreads throughout the book are described using historical and mythological figures' advice. They demonstrate the interrelationships of the cards in the spreads as seen in Ask Nighthawk columns. Specific problems call for specifically designed spreads.

You may ask where do ideas for spreads come from? To create a spread one needs to discern underlying issues, define positions for the questions, and associate meanings with the patterns. Some patterns would include a straight line, a cross, triangle, square, circle or star. The author gives many sources of inspiration for creating spreads, how to structure a layout and how to personalize or restructure and existing spread. The author suggests finding inspiration in a quote or a poem, from an intense experience, a beautiful painting, an evocative poem or profound quote, from which is drawn the Sorrow's Alchemy spread.

You can also design a spread from the symbols on a tarot card according to what they mean to you. More sources of ideas to create spreads are: classical art, ads in magazines -- any image that grabs your attention and sparks your imagination. It is possible to find new spreads within spreads such as the Celtic Cross.

No matter what level of a tarot reader you are, now that you have an idea of where the inspiration to create spreads comes from, hopefully you will be inspired to buy Tarot: Get the Whole Story. Look for shapes in nature, study a painting or piece of art work, think of the parts of an issue that needs attention and open this book for reference to help create or personalize a spread that you will use again and again.

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