When I do serious readings, first I like to enter a different space spiritually. That usually means lighting a few candles and maybe some incense, and making sure that wherever you are doing the reading is neat and tidy and there is plenty of room to shuffle and lay out the cards. Sometimes I also change into loose-fitting, comfortable clothing, put on a special necklace, or paint my nails with glittery nail polish. Finally, I take some time to clear my thoughts, focus on breathing, and just relax.

I also believe that the most appropriate way to begin a reading is by making some kind of offering. I keep a small box near my cards, and before doing a reading I'll put a dollar in the box. Periodically, after I've accumulated a fair sum, I'll give the contents of the box to charity, such as a local food shelf or a homeless shelter. I think this is important to help remind us of our connection to others, and to ground our search for wisdom in a willingness to give of ourselves.

A few basic rules I follow when handling the cards... I do not believe it is necessary to keep other people from touching the cards. In fact, when I do a reading for someone else, I encourage them to touch and look at the deck, and perhaps even help with the shuffling by cutting the deck for me, so that the cards receive their energy as well as mine. There's no particular way you need to shuffle the cards, so long as you shuffle them throroughly and make sure that they are as completely randomized as possible. When I pick the first card, I turn it over bottom to top. If the first card is inverted, I set it down on the table upright, and then I draw the rest of the cards side to side. If the first card is upright, I draw the rest of the cards bottom to top like the first one. In this way, the first card in every reading is always upright, and the rest of the cards are drawn from the pile in the same orientation as the first card.

I usually prefer a simple seven-card spread, with free form interpretation of the cards.

1	2	3	4	5	6	7

For daily readings, I like a three card spread.

3 The Opportunity	2 The Task	1 The Environment

The Grace Spread.

	(Pick at random from deck before dealing, set aside face down, and turn over after all other cards have been dealt. The "grace" card is never inverted.)
null card The grace of God
1 What I want	2 What I don't want	3 What I don't expect	4 What controls my destiny	5 Why I will lose	6 What I love	7 Why I will win	8 How justice would be served	9 The end	10 The new beginning

The Dark Side Spread.

2 Magic mirror	5 Fatal flaw	10 Blind luck	11 Betrayals	12 Losses	13 Death	15 The Devil	16 Hell
14 An escape	1, 3-4, 6-9 (set aside)

The Heavenly Light Spread.

15 The devil to be defeated	16 The Hell to be overthrown	17 The hope that guides us	18 Crossroads	19 The light that transforms us	20 The final justice	21 What the new order will look like
1-14 (set aside)