Alright folks, grab a cuppa, today I’m spillin’ the beans on my own messy journey figuring out spirit guide tarot spreads as a total newbie. Tried to jump in headfirst and boy, did I faceplant.
The Overwhelm Phase (Pretty Much Immediately)
First off, cracked open this beautiful new tarot deck. Those cards felt nice, real nice. Then I tried reading the little white book that came with it. Big mistake. Felt like my brain was about to explode. Terms I’d never heard of, meanings that seemed to contradict each other depending on where I looked online. Spirit guides? Spreads? Which cards? Ugh. Tried to remember all the card meanings at once. Yeah, that lasted maybe 10 seconds. My brain basically said “Nope.”
The “Let’s Just Wing It” Disaster
Frustrated, I decided to just pull some cards for a “spirit guide message.” Figured, how hard could it be? Shuffled, pulled three cards at random: The Tower, Five of Swords, and reversed Ten of Pentacles. Stared at them. Blinked. Had absolutely zero clue what any of that was supposed to tell me about spirit guides. Felt like I was trying to read ancient hieroglyphs without a decoder ring. Total mess. Gave me more anxiety than insight. Deleted the photo I took in shame. Realized I needed, like, actual structure.
Stumbling on the Simplest Spread
After that epic fail, I literally googled “easiest tarot spread for beginners spirit guide.” Found tons of complicated ones, naturally. Then finally saw one that was literally just three cards:
- Card 1: What message does my spirit guide want me to know right now?
- Card 2: What obstacle is blocking me from hearing/feeling them?
- Card 3: What action can I take to connect better?
This clicked. Simple questions. I could handle this!
Actually Trying the Simple Spread
Took a deep breath. Cleared my little coffee table corner. Held my cards, trying hard to push out the memory of the Tower disaster. Focused on just being open. Didn’t try to force any “spirit guide presence” feeling – figured if it happened, cool, if not, whatever. Shuffled while kinda whispering the questions to myself. Felt less silly the more I did it. Pulled the cards one by one:
- Card 1 (Message): Page of Cups. Okay, curiosity, new feelings.
- Card 2 (Obstacle): Eight of Wands reversed. Slowness? Impatience? Me trying to rush things?
- Card 3 (Action): Ace of Swords. New thoughts? Clarity? Being honest with myself?
Didn’t instantly know the message, but looking at them together… it kinda felt like my “guides” (if they’re out there) were maybe nudging me to chill out, stop being so impatient for a big booming voice, and just be open to little intuitive nudges or thoughts that pop up. The reversed Eight of Wands felt dead on – me wanting answers NOW was the problem! And the Ace of Swords… maybe just starting to trust those first clear thoughts? It made more sense than the Tower, anyway! Grabed my notebook and scribbled it all down, messy thoughts and all.
My Big, Obvious (Now) Takeaway for Newbies
Look, forget trying big, fancy spreads. Seriously. Start so small it feels almost stupidly simple. One card. Three cards max with clear, simple questions like “what do I need to know?” “what’s blocking me?” “what should I focus on?”. Don’t sweat memorizing all 78 cards day one. Pull one, look up the meaning if you need to, see how it feels. Your gut reaction is worth a lot. And connecting with spirit guides? It ain’t like the movies. My experience suggests it might just feel like a quiet ‘aha’ moment or a gentle nudge in your thinking. Keep it simple, be patient, and ditch the pressure. My first ‘successful’ try was messy, uncertain, and definitely didn’t involve glowing lights – but it felt real, because it was simple. Still got a long way to go, but at least now I know which direction to walk.
