Tarot Spreads -- Get the Whole Story: Discover and create Tarot spreads for all occasions

This book is great and was required reading for an online tarot counseling course I'm taking with Katrina Wynne-- so glad she recommended it! I've already "test-drove" some techniques and approaches that I learned from this book, letting it inspire me in creating and trying new spreads. One of the most important aspects I've learned-- and this is a *big* one for me-- is the importance of being flexible in creating spreads that are more tailored to each person you're reading for. I frequently design spreads for myself or for friends, but had been too nervous to create spreads on-the-spot with paying clients because I didn't want to be fumbling to create a new spread when I was "on the clock." I can see that this rigid adherence to just a few tried-and-true spreads with clients has actually been holding me back! Section 2, which comprehensively covers how to create spreads, does a great job of explaining the steps for this. And actually, it reminds me of watching Rachel Pollack (one of my mentors) read for folks in classes-- she always just has a conversation at the beginning and writes down all the client's questions & statements, in order to determine the positions and how many cards. Similarly, James Rickleff describes collaborating with the querent to determine all the issues and questions. This is something, again, that I always do for myself or with friends, but I have been too stuck in my ways with reading for clients and not willing to be more spontaneous, so I've mostly used only a few predetermined spreads up until reading this book. So, while it may seem elementary, this is the biggest takeaway for me-- be more spontaneous in creating personalized spreads for each individual client and don't be afraid to not have a pre-chosen spread ahead of time! Collaborating with the querent to create a spread pushes my edge a bit-- that part of me that likes to plan ahead and know everything I'm going to do ahead of time. Tarot is not rigid like that, by its essential nature of mystery (not knowing what cards will be drawn) and so I'm going to try to lean more into that! Thanks to James for a fantastic contribution here-- I recommend every reader (esp pro readers) add this to their library.

When I first saw this book on the required reading list for a course I was taking, I thought, “well that will be tedious reading through a bunch of spreads”. Instead, I have enjoyed the book immensely. Ricklef has an engaging writing style and the format of the book is very instructive. I think the main thing I learned from this book was the variety of ways one can approach a spread. Ricklef did a wonderful job showing the kinds of thought processes that are helpful in breaking apart the question, then deciding the information to be portrayed with each card and finally designing the layout so that the association between the cards and their proximity to other cards adds a depth to the reading. The book wasn't a cookbook like so many spread layout books are. He really showed both the complexity and simplicity involved in assessing what spread to use and whether a tailored spread would be more beneficial. He also showed how flexible spreads can be and that we should be free in tweaking them to be more apt for individual readings. Wonderful book.

So what is not to like about a book that reads Tarot for Clark Gable and assists his decision to play Rhett Butler in Gone With The Wind??? There is a lot of inherent humor (Don Juan making New Year's resolutions) combined with compassion (The Failure's Alchemy Spread) in Ricklef's writing which made it a joy + education to read. It will be great to use this book to match a spread to what a client wants to learn about from their tarot reading. The author gives you confidence in using other cosmologies and belief systems to base a reading from (Middle Earth, yah!) or even creating your own spread. This book was assigned reading for a Tarot class but will continue to be a great resource for me long after the course is over. ~Janet Tapper

A brilliant Tarot spread book, which I highly recommend. James has such an engaging writing style, it's very difficult not to learn from his books. His approach is unique and offers great spreads, as well as tips for designing your own. He doesn't just give you a bunch of spreads - he does readings to go with them, to help you understand how the spread works. A must in your Tarot library.

As an intermediate reader about to 'go pro', this is the single most helpful source I have found for my current level of Tarot practice. Mr. Ricklef also wrote the second most helpful book I've come across, namely Tarot Reading Explained. I am eternally grateful for not only his Tarot gift but also for the clarity and entertaining quality with which he shares his knowledge.

Love this book. Beautiful spreads that will guide you to creating your own. Very intuitive and thoroughly explained. Can’t wait to make my own using her methodology.

A longer book on the mechanics and building blocks of tarot spreads. This is a good book to have to learn how to read and build spreads of your own.

Excellent book. Ricklef explains his process of designing spreads, not just giving sample readings but explaining how he gathered information from the spread. Even experienced readers will find this book interesting .

Some authors expound on a whole load of theory and symbolism, which is great, but can get a bit ...yawn. Not James. He shows you a spread, and then, crucially, ILUSTRATES IT with an EXAMPLE, which brings the spread to life and allows you to really see its possibilities. Furthermore, because the examples are based on characters from well known books and world myths, they're easy to understand and relate to, since they all contain that archetypal quality that we tarot enthusiasts LOVE so dearly. This is simply the best tarot book I've ever read for understanding spreads, so I've just purchased his other book, Tarot tells the tale, cannot wait to read that one too!

Great book very helpful