Reader · 14 min
Designing your own spread
How to turn a question into three to five positions of your own, which draft positions to avoid, and how to test a new spread before you trust it.
In this lesson you will
- Turn a question into three to five positions, each phrased as a question.
- Rewrite positions that ask for verdicts, other people's minds or only good news.
- Test a new spread with a hard card and a bright one, then review it after using it.
You want to read about starting a small business of your own, and none of the spreads you know quite fits: three cards feel too thin, the Celtic Cross too general. You can design your own. A good homemade spread is short, asks real questions and can hold any card.
From question to positions
A spread is a set of questions in a fixed order. To design one, start from your question and ask what you would need to know to act on it. Each answer becomes a position, and three to five are enough for most questions.
- Start with an open question you can act on, as in Asking good questions.
- List what you need to know, then turn each item into a position phrased as a question.
- Include yourself and an action: at least one position about your part, and one about what to do.
- Fix the order and the layout before you shuffle, and write them down.
This lesson is part of Plus
Plus opens every lesson of the Practitioner, Reader and Advanced tiers, with practice that explains every answer.
What the lesson covers
- Positions to rewrite
- Test it before you trust it
- Your turn
- Practice
Foundations and the first lesson of every course are free.