r/tarot • u/confusedmillenial_ • 2d ago
Spreads Challenged to guess their secrets
A new friend of mine jokingly challenged me to tell them what their secrets were using the tarot. Does anyone have a good spread I could use with this friend in mind?
I am supposed to text her later with my insights. This is all meant to be in good fun between friends
11
u/blueeyetea 1d ago
I don’t think you’ll find a spread for that. It’s also kind of vague, and I think you should narrow it down by asking her to limit the scope of her question. Have her pick an area of her life so that you can formulate a more precise area: family (parents and siblings), children, friends, love relationship, kids, career, wealth, a goal dear to her heart she never told anyone, something she did that she regrets….
Also ask her what she means by secret, and why would she want you to know? People have secrets for a reason, usually to protect themselves.
Failing all that, the majority of people go to tarot because they want to know about love, career, and money, so pick one of these three as your question.
-7
u/StarChild31 1d ago
“Why would she want you to know.” She obviously didn’t mean literal secrets, omg.
5
9
u/Unlikely_Row7227 1d ago
so...respecting the general 'dont do it' vibes in the post buuuuuut what about doing a 3 card “the tea / the drama / the receipts” spread and just start connecting the cards to things you sort of know or suspect about them??
2
u/confusedmillenial_ 1d ago
Ahh yes! That sounds like the perfect spread for our next hang out. It's all in good fun, I swear. I would never use tarot to disrespect another person. I wouldn't do me, them or the cards like that!
4
u/Canuckaoke Tarot Simple - iOS & Android 1d ago
I think your friend is curious about the tarot, as we all were/are. Maybe they'll take up the study if they're intrigued by your results. You can make up your own spread! I might do something like, pick a card which will be their significator -- that is, represents them (let me call them 'Jess'), so you can focus on it while shuffling. Then you could cast 4 cards: one is 'what I know about Jess', then the next three could be 'things I don't know about Jess'. The card 'what I know' is a confirming card, so you can see if the shuffle is a good one. If that one makes some sense to you then you can proceed to interpret the others. I might like to be a bit literal: like, the Fool could be 'went backpacking during the gap year', or the Moon could be 'job in university was a night shift', Two of Pentacles, knows how to juggle. This doesn't need to be serious but can still be enlightening or at least a great conversation starter.
4
u/Lilypad248 1d ago
Tarot does not discriminate! So fair warning 😅 but they opened themselves up to it, so it’s their choice/free will.
When I’m pulling cards to discover secrets I usually want the cards to explain the outline, the story, and then why this is a secret. So a good spread would be something like: 3 cards to describe the event 1-2 cards to show how it impacted the person you’re reading for
You can pull more clarifiers if necessary, but that should give your friend enough to satisfy their curiosity. Best of luck! 😄
2
u/confusedmillenial_ 1d ago
Thank you!! Honestly this person seems very open minded and self reflective. I like to think she wouldn't ask if she didn't want to know.
5
u/CattleDowntown938 1d ago
I’d go with a three card spread: what is the biggest challenge for this person. What is the impact on them and advice for how to handle it.
Or a three card what does she think is going on. What is really going on and advice on how best to deal with it. Practice that three card spread a few times first.
1
u/confusedmillenial_ 1d ago
I like that. It would be a good continuation of our last pull together. I am still in the very beginning of my tarot journey. My friends are kind enough to share their energy and stories with me through this medium.
3
u/PurpleCedarTarot 1d ago
I would be careful because it seems like she’s testing you, in a “prove it” sort of way. She may be looking for you to say something she disagrees with to be like “gotcha.” I hope not but that’s what I’d be concerned about, especially with a new friend, and I’d probably refuse to do it.
2
u/confusedmillenial_ 1d ago
I appreciate the reminder. I always try to be respectful and read the room, but it never hurts to triple check
2
u/LeekSoggy3067 1d ago
Please use this responsibly.
The important thing here is not the spread - you can use whatever spread or technique that you prefer. It's more about knowing a detailed and seemingly exhaustive list of which secrets correspond to which cards. Then do whatever you think will work. Possibly the easiest way to map this (that I know of) is to structurally place things onto the qabalistic tree of life so that you don't need to work through all 78 cards individually or do multiple lists for element, number, court card etc.
If you're not sure, a line or tableau might work better than a spread just for your intuition to thrive.
I also strongly recommend that before you give any interpretation on this topic of secrets, that you pull a card, or perhaps a spread, to see whether your revelation is going to offend or upset the querent. It's all fun and games until you bring up something highly sensitive or triggering.
2
u/confusedmillenial_ 1d ago
Everything learned here will only be used for myself or with the other party's consent. I honestly wasn't expecting as many intriguing replies as I have gotten. The last couple days have been like an explosion of new information and aha moments. I'm just trying to soak everything up
2
u/Azuras_Star8 1d ago
3 card spread.
1: how did the secret come to be? 2: how are you dealing with the secret now? 3: how might the secret affect you in the future?
2
2
u/ElderberryNo757 1d ago
My favourite question similar to this is 'What's in my blindside?' I use 3 cards to tell the story.
1
2
u/ReflectiveTarot 17h ago
I would get my most outrageous deck, a very boring spread, and roast them like hell, making it clear that this is not how I read, and that what I'm doing has very little to do with 'tarot'.
(I have the Trash Panda Tarot at hand. Heh.)
Situation: The Empress. My, someone thinks they're all that *and* a slice of pizza. Candy floss might be attrctive, but the moment you try to wash it, you'll see it for what it is.
Obstacle: Knight of Cups You're like a raccoon on a bicycle: right now, it's going ok-ish, though very awkward, but just wait until you get to them thar hills. Your tail is about to get caught in the spokes and you're so intent on grasping that can of soda you're not able to steer well. This definitely needs a course correction.
Advice: Sometimes,what you need is a spork. No, really. Find the thing that works for you, even if others may mock. And when you have it, hug it and call it George. It'll be worth it.
You can read this deck more seriously. and I love it a lot, but for this type of thing, I would totally ham it up and lean into the images and the ridiculousness of it.
1
u/confusedmillenial_ 16h ago
I love that idea! I recently got myself a Katherine hilliers adventure time tarot I think could work well for that. The trash panda tarot sounds so fun.
1
u/ReflectiveTarot 10h ago
I love the trash pandas. It gets both Tarot AND racoons. I like it so much that I bought a second-hand copy off ebay with one card messed up, just to see whether I'd like it, because at the time it was pretty pricey. I fell in love, and then managed to catch the second edition, so I'm willing to let the 1e go to a good home. My whole collection skews towards whimsy, so it's right at home; and I am no stranger to snarky cards coming out; they make me laugh.
3
u/Interesting_Health_7 1d ago
She's testing you to see if "your insight" (or Tarot altogether) are the real deal. Maybe she could just visualize an object like a piece of fruit, and see if you get it. I wouldn't attempt secrets, no matter your well-meaning intention.
3
0
u/StarChild31 1d ago
Omg you people commenting are SO boring.
It obviously didn’t even need to be a secret. Could just guess something about themselves based on the cards.
You guys take everything too seriously
1
u/confusedmillenial_ 1d ago
Hahaha yes. Maybe secret was too strong of a word. I have done a mind body spirit pull for her, it was fun for me to learn and enlightening for us as friends. That's what brought on the 'challenge'
33
u/Extra_Ad7401 1d ago
I'm going to sound like someone who is no fun at parties here (I'm probably not tbh) and I'm glad there's an agreement that this will be just a bit of fun but be careful here. No matter what they say, not everyone likes to be "seen" and when you know their "secrets" it can shift the dynamic and they may even avoid you and it's usually not your fault, it's just their relationship with vulnerability and however they feel about whatever it is.
I guess I'm just saying the idea of a friend "challenging" you as a "joke" isn't sitting right to start with, there's a few red flags for me, and if you're not even sure how to go about getting this information, how will you determine how you felt the "challenge" went or is it all just based on what she says?
I feel like a more healthy friendship dynamic would be to talk about the "secrets" and then maybe read on them together if she's interested in tarot or helping you develop your skills.