As with any new deck, you should always check the guidebooks for specific spreads and layouts that coincide with your oracle or tarot deck. These spreads are included so the user can receive the best out of their individual deck including specialty readings. 

However, suggested oracle and tarot spreads for readings are not fixed for certain cards and different layouts can be used across a broad spectrum of themed cards for different purposes. 

Here are my suggestions on spreads and layouts for my first oracle deck Sacred Power Reading Cards, so you can get the most out of your deck.

One Card Readings are excellent for simple questions. They can be used to summarize the question or identify a thematic issue or feeling for the recipient.

​Use this method when you need a brief summary of an issue. Here are some simple questions to get you started.

​Card 1 Issue – What is this issue? How has this happened to me? This card will assist you in uncovering the cause of the issue on a deep level.
Card 2 Influence – What is influencing my life right now? Look at the energies surrounding your present state of being. How is this affecting your life right now?
Card 3 Outcome – How can I rectify this issue in the future? What suggestions can be made to bring empowerment and inspiration to make this outcome positive? 

Card 1 – The primary emotional block or issue from the past limiting self-growth
Card 2 – How this emotional block affected relationships with others in the past
Card 3 – How this emotional block is affecting relationships with others in the present
Card 4 – The lessons that can be learned from this emotional block
Card 5 – The steps that need to be taken to encourage self-healing
Card 6 – The guiding spiritual force to be followed in the future for self-healing. 

Do you have a special way you like to read Sacred Power? Let me know in the comments or send me an email HERE. 

For the beginner, reading oracle cards can feel a bit overwhelming! From which deck to use, how to shuffle, what questions to ask, how to use the guidebook or not to use the guidebook, how to translate the meanings and put them in context and most importantly....does it really work? Is it going to mean something to the person being read?

Beginning to work with an oracle does not need to be complicated. More often then not it is our own insecurity that gets in the way of a great card reading. Usually in every oracle deck you will receive a guidebook. With Sacred Power Reading Cards and Sacred Spirit Reading Cards, I designed the deck to be universal in nature. You can do single card readings to the far more elaborate, but...it is not essential to complete a reading. The images selected and created for each deck are there to assist your own intuition. Symbols, colours and astrological influences are multilayered within them so your intuition is automatically 'triggered' to a sense of feeling or knowing.

Here are my 7 Tips on how to give a great Reading with the Sacred Spirit and Sacred Power Reading Cards to clients, family, friends or your self.

​1. CLEAR AND CONNECT TO YOUR DECK
It is really important that when you receive or buy a deck you connect to it properly. The easiest way to do this is to 'smudge' them with sage or juniper (you may have have other smudging herbs that you like to use eg.mugwort). Once smudged let them rest a while. Place them over your heart and create the intention of what you wish to use them for. Imagine or visualise a link, an extension from you to your cards. You can always 'knock' your cards by 3 on your reading table or knock them in your palm. 

2. CREATE SACRED SPACE
It is essential that when you dedicate a time to read your oracle cards that you create a sacred space. This is about clearing the space you wish to read from and the energy you would like to reside in your space. Some of the ways you can encourage a high vibrational space to work in are;

• Lighting white candles
• Using essential oils such as Rose, Sage, Lily or Bergamot
• Clean your dedication space or reading room
• Use Crystal Grids with high vibe and grounding stones such as White Selenite, Amethyst, Moldavite, Black Obsidian or Tourmaline.
• Clearing your space using any smudging technique you prefer. I always recommend a combination of them to be used while working with any energy. Here are some suggestions. 
  • singing bowls
  • burning herbal white sage or mugwort
  • bells
  • ​himalayan salt lamps
  • reiki music
  • prayer or mantras
  • energy clearing room spray (for residual energy)
  • a good quality resin or incense

3. REMOVE YOUR EXPECTATIONS
When beginning a reading it is important to acknowledge personal bias. How we think an answer should be or what we would like to hear through a reading. One of the keys to an excellent reading is removing your expectations around a specific result. Often people encounter problems or what seems to be an 'incorrect' or 'confusing' reading, when they complete personal readings or read for friends and family. Using Oracle Cards for personal readings can be tricky when we are emotionally attached. Discernment plays a powerful role here. When you become the observer or the facilitator. You will achieve the best results.
 
4. BE CLEAR WITH QUESTIONS
Before beginning a reading, asking the recipient what they would like answered helps to narrow down specific details. Yes or No answers are great, however some oracles can be challenging to read if you are just a beginner. With Sacred Power and Sacred Spirit it is suggested to read them in a way where you may ask questions such as  'What is limiting my progress in this situation?' 'What direction or action is required for me to move forward in life?' What areas in my life require the most attention right now?'. The more specific you are with a question, the more specific your guidance will be.

5. TRUST YOUR CARD DRAWINGS
If you have read Tarot before, you will understand the phrase 'It always comes out in the cards'. Regardless of what cards you choose to complete a reading from. Trusting in the process doesn't need to be difficult. The law of attraction will always make you 'choose' the 'right' card as your intention draws it to you. This card may even fly or drop from the deck while shuffling, nevertheless the card you choose to turn over will be exactly what is required. 

6. GO WITH YOUR INITIAL INSTINCT
Once you have drawn the cards from the deck, note any first impressions you may have about the cards in relation to the question being asked. Do the images on the cards trigger an automatic feeling or a knowing? Does the card title resonate with the reader or the recipient? If you pull the cards and the initial feeling eludes you DON'T WORRY! That's why there is a guidebook included within Sacred Power and Sacred Spirit. Read through and familiarise yourself with each cards meaning and place it context. Remembering this card has a purpose...what is its relevance?

7. DEVELOP GRATITUDE IN BEING AN OBSERVER
It is really important that when we read cards for others that we are really just an observer, interpreting the energy and messages of the cards to an individual. We must remember to do so with respect and gratitude that this person or persons has asked you to be their translator. The more gratitude and respect you share with your deck, the messages you receive will begin to come more clearly, your intuition will continue to develop and your sense of 'knowing' from the cards will be more immediate. 

You can apply these steps as a guide while using any deck. Remembering these steps will continue to support you as an intuitive guide to others and more importantly yourself. Improving your intuition happens over time, so be patient. It's up to you on how far you wish to develop it. All skills take time to develop. So take your time, have patience and be gentle on yourself during the learning process. 

With love and gratitude,
Anna Stark

Want to start your oracle card journey? Check out my Oracle cards here.
Visit www.annastark.com.au to find out more about Anna.