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Most people meet tarot through spreads. Past, present, future. Celtic Cross. Love spreads. Career spreads. Every card has a position, and every position has a job.
I learned that way too. I still love a good spread. I’ve got named spreads that properly earn their keep. Romance Autopsy for breakups. New Year’s Reboot for the year ahead. Career Reflection for when you’re staring at LinkedIn, wondering what the hell you’re doing.
At the same time, some of the strongest readings I’ve ever done haven’t used a fixed spread at all. No 10 card map. No positions. Just you, me, a deck, and 3 cards at a time.
This is how I read most of the time. It’s how my bog standard readings work, both in person and online. You book the time, not a fancy layout.
In this post, I want to show you how I read tarot without a spread, why I think it’s powerful, and how you can play with this style in your own practice without floating off into nonsense.
Because spreads are tools. They’re not your fucking boss.
Why I Sometimes Read Tarot Without A Spread
How Clients Actually Choose The Format
First important bit. I don’t sit there in every session saying, “Would you like a spread today?” It’s not that formal.
The container is chosen before we start.
If you walk into FLOW and say, “Can I have a tarot reading?” I’ll almost always do a spreadless reading. You’ve booked time with me, not a specific layout. We decide the focus together, and I pull in 3 card chunks.
If you book online through my site and choose a standard tarot reading, that’s spreadless too. Same deal. Time-based, conversation-led, cards in 3s.
If you book a specific spread, we use that spread. If you choose Romance Autopsy, we do Romance Autopsy. If you pick New Year’s Reboot, we stick with that layout for the whole session.
So yes, you do get a say. You either book a named spread or you book a spreadless reading. We don’t swap halfway through. Once the container’s set, we stay with it.
When A Spread Is The Best Tool
There are times when a formal spread is exactly what’s needed.
If you’re fresh from a breakup and want to pick the relationship apart, Romance Autopsy shines. It gives us clear positions. What happened? What did you bring to the relationship? What did they bring to the relationship? What needs to be grieved. Where do you go next?
If you want a structured year ahead, New Year’s Reboot is great. It walks through themes and seasons across 12 months in an ordered way.
If you’re stuck in your job and want to look at your role, your growth, and your options, a career spread can be really helpful. It forces us to look at angles you might dodge if we keep things too loose.
Spreads are perfect when there’s a clear goal, and you want to be sure you’ve hit all the key points.
When Spreads Start To Get In The Way
Then there are the messy sessions.
You sit down and say things like, “I feel stuck in everything.” Love is weird. Work’s draining. You’re exhausted. You know something has to change, but you can’t even name what you’re asking for.
In that space, a fixed spread can feel like trying to squeeze a whole life into 10 preset boxes. The layout keeps dragging you back to positions that aren’t actually where the energy is.
That’s when spreadless reading comes into its own. We can still have a focus. We still have time boundaries. We just let the cards and the conversation breathe.
How My Spreadless Readings Actually Work
Time-Based Sessions, Not Fixed Card Counts
My readings are booked by time. 15, 30, 45, or 60 minutes.
Behind the scenes, I’ve got a loose guide in my head for how many cards we might move through.
As a rough starting point:
- 15 minutes: usually 3 cards
- 30 minutes: 6 to 9 cards
- 45 minutes: 9 to 12 cards
- 60 minutes: 12 to 15 cards
This isn’t a strict rule. I’ve done 45-minute sessions where we only ever pulled 3 cards because those 3 cards had plenty to say. I’ve also had half-hour sessions where we comfortably moved through 9.
The container’s the clock, not the card count. We use the time you’ve booked to go as far as feels useful without rushing or padding.
Three Card Chunks As The Basic Unit
When I read without a spread, I almost always pull in groups of 3.
I’m not secretly thinking past, present, and future. I’m not assigning positions in my head. There are no labels.
Those 3 cards are 1 beat in the story. A snapshot of what’s going on right now around whatever you’ve brought into the reading.
The first 3 cards usually set the tone. They lay the foundation. We talk about those cards in depth, and they often become the anchor we keep circling back to.
After that, if it feels right, I pull another 3. Then maybe another 3. The cards naturally form a loose grid on the table, but I’m not treating it like a secret spread. I’m watching how each new set of 3 talks to what we already have.
Conversation First, Cards Second
In a spreadless reading, the conversation is as important as the cards.
I start by asking a simple question. Something like, “Is there a particular area of life you want to focus on today?” Work, love, burnout, big life direction, whatever.
I also ask what you want from the time. Clarity. Next steps. A reality check. Space to process something that’s already happened.
Then I’m clear about my job. I’ll say some version of, “I’m not here to tell you what you want to hear. I’m here to tell you what you need to hear.”
That matters more when there’s no spread. We don’t have positions to hide behind. If the cards drag us somewhere unexpected, we name that and sit with it.
Once we agree on the focus, I shuffle and pull the first 3 cards. We talk through those. I ask where they land for you. I point out patterns I can see. We let the story unfold together.
How I Decide When To Pull More Cards
Without a spread, you don’t get the comfort of “this layout has 10 positions, so I stop at 10”.
Instead, I keep an eye on a few things.
I watch the time so we don’t cram at the end. I pay attention to whether we’re still uncovering new things or if we’re just repeating the same message. I keep an eye on your body language and energy.
If 3 cards have already given you what you need, there’s no rule that says we have to pull more. If 9 cards are singing and you look mentally full, adding a 12th won’t help.
I also check in with you. I might ask, “Does this feel like enough, or would you like to see what another 3 cards have to say?” You get to say, “This is plenty.” You’re not just passively watching me fling cards around.
What we don’t do is change format mid reading. If you booked a spreadless reading, we stay with spreadless. If you booked a named spread, we stay with that.
Reading Patterns Instead Of Positions
Suits As A Quick Diagnostic
If you remove positions, you need something else to hold on to. For me, that’s patterns.
One of the quickest patterns is the suits.
If swords are everywhere, we know we’re in the realm of thought. Beliefs. Mental loops. Anxiety. Stories you’re telling yourself.
If there are loads of pentacles, we’re talking about practical building. Money. Work. Body. Routine. The slow, sometimes boring, work of changing your life on the ground.
If wands are dominant, then we’re looking at energy. Drive. Motivation. Anger. Passion. Where your life force is going, or not going.
If cups keep showing up, we’re in feelings. Attachment. Grief. Desire. Emotional blockages that need moving.
I’ll name that in the reading. Something like, “Have you noticed how many swords are here. This tells me so much of this is happening in your head, even though it feels external.” That simple observation already shifts the focus.
Majors, Minors, And Scale
I also pay close attention to the mix of major and minor arcana.
If there are lots of majors, I read that as big picture stuff. Identity. Turning points. Deep patterns. Season of life energy.
If it’s mostly minors, it can still be important, but it tends to be more about day-to-day choices. Habits. Behaviour. Practical decisions.
If there’s 1 major in a sea of minors, that card becomes a big spotlight. It often marks the thing we keep circling back to.
This sense of scale helps set expectations. I can say, “This looks like a time of major rethinking,” or, “This looks more like tweaking how you’re living, not burning your whole life down.” Both can be true, but they feel very different.
Echoes Across The Table
Because I pull in 3s, the table usually ends up with a loose grid. Row 1. Row 2. Row 3.
I look for echoes across that grid. Repeating numbers, like several 4s talking about foundation and stability, or a bunch of 7s bringing up risk and trust. Courts clustering around a theme or a relationship. Visual links between cards.
I might notice that the cards on the left all look inward while the cards on the right all look outward. Or that water shows up in every set of 3, which tells me emotions are running through every part of the situation.
In a strict spread, you can get so obsessed with positions that you miss those echoes. In a spreadless reading, pattern spotting is the whole skill.
Keeping Spreadless Readings Grounded And Ethical
Clear Intention At The Start
Just because there’s no spread doesn’t mean we wander everywhere.
I always anchor the session in a clear intention. Something like, “What do I most need to hear about how I’m relating to work right now,” or, “What do I need to know about moving through this breakup?”
Other topics might show up, but we keep tying them back to that focus. We’re not randomly jumping from money to romance to childhood in 1 reading just because we feel like it.
Letting The Cards Say What They Say
There’s always a temptation to keep pulling until you see a card you like. Or to twist meanings until they line up with the answer you wanted before you shuffled.
Part of my job is to fight that urge.
If the cards are pointing in an uncomfortable direction, I don’t ignore them. I say it, gently but plainly. I remind you that my job’s not to feed you what you want to hear. It’s to show you what’s actually showing up.
I also give you space to say, “That doesn’t quite land,” so we can explore why. Sometimes the message is ahead of where you are. Sometimes I’ve misread something. Sometimes the card is pressing on a blind spot. We’ll work that out together.
Intuition With Boundaries
People hear “intuitive reading” and assume it means anything goes.
That’s not how I work.
I trust my intuition. I follow images, phrases, and sensations that come up. But I keep it inside clear boundaries.
I don’t read about health. I don’t spy on other people who aren’t in the room. I don’t pretend to give exact dates or guarantee outcomes. I’m not here to replace therapy or medical care.
Those boundaries apply whether I’m using a spread or not. Intuition’s something you bring to the reading, not an excuse to switch your brain off.
Simple Ways To Practise Reading Without A Spread
If you’re reading this as someone who pulls cards for yourself or for friends, you might be wondering how to actually try this without frying your brain.
You don’t need a whole new system. You just need a slightly different way to use the cards you already know.
Three Card Check In For Yourself
Choose 1 area of life that’s loud for you right now. Work, love, burnout, creative stuff, whatever. Phrase it as, “What do I most need to hear about this right now?”
Pull 3 cards at once. Don’t give them positions. Don’t secretly decide which 1’s past and which 1’s future. Just lay them out.
Sit with them for a bit. Notice suits. Majors. Repeating numbers. Which card annoys you? Which card feels like relief?
If you feel genuinely stuck, you can pull another 3 as a second layer. Lay them where there’s space. Still no positions. You’re just letting more of the story show itself.
Stop when the message feels clear enough for today. Name 1 concrete thing you can do differently this week. That’s your outcome.
Practising On A Friend In Threes
If you’re reading for someone else, you can use the same structure.
Agree on a focus together. Ask what they want from the session. Clarity. A nudge. A reality check. A sense of next steps.
Pull 3 cards. Talk them through together. Ask questions like, “Where does this show up for you?” or, “What does this card remind you of?” Let them respond. Notice patterns between the cards.
When it feels like those 3 cards have done their job, you can ask, “Does it feel helpful to pull another 3, or does this already feel enough?” If they want more, pull another 3 on the same topic.
You might stop at 3. You might go to 6 or 9. The point is that you always pull in 3s, and you only add more if it deepens the story, not because you’re chasing a magic number.
End by asking what they’re taking away and what their next step might be. No extra spread needed.
Bringing Spreads And Freeform Reading Together
Reading tarot without a spread isn’t about throwing away everything you’ve learned. It’s about having more than 1 way to work with the same deck.
In my own practice, I usually default to a spreadless layout unless you book or ask for a specific spread. If you want Romance Autopsy, New Year’s Reboot, or a career spread, you can choose that when you book. If you don’t, we work with 3-card chunks and let the grid grow as the conversation unfolds.
If you read for yourself, you can steal this. Start with 3 cards on a clear focus. Look for patterns instead of clinging to positions. Only add more cards in 3s if it actually helps.
And if you want to experience this style held for you, you can always book a tarot reading with me and choose a spreadless session, or join Simply Tarot when you’re ready to explore reading for others with more flow and confidence.
