The pictorial images of the tarot are the soul of any reading; however, tarot spreads are the skeleton. Spreads provide structure, sequence, and context for card interpretation. Tarot spreads can range from just using one card to using all seventy-eight cards in the deck. Each position in a tarot spread will define and focus what the imagery of the card is pertaining to. Spread positions in a reading set definitive perimeters for how a card’s symbolism should be viewed. For example, a card that appears in the “past” position in a spread will tell you that the card’s imagery should be interpreted through the lens of past actions or events that have already happened.
The human brain naturally organizes data and is geared toward identifying patterns. This serves to make the information clearer and easier to process. Tarot spreads serve to organize the imagery of the cards into a structure that makes interpretation simple and effective.
The following spreads can be utilized to structure your card interpretation and can relegate meanings to specific areas of concern. Although the following spreads are ones that I have found to be most effective, you can always experiment and invent new tarot spreads for yourself.
When designing your own spread, you can organize each position to represent time (past, present, future) or to illuminate an area of concern (love, money, career opportunities, etc.). Each reader eventually comes to find a system of spreads that work best for them. Many tarot readers adjust existing spreads with their own preferences. Feel free to make your own adjustments to the following tarot spreads I’ve provided. The important thing is that you define what a card in a particular position pertains to before the cards are laid out.
The Card of the Day
A Card of the Day spread consists of only one card. For this spread, no significator is needed. This method of interpretation is an easy way to begin learning tarot over time. The card selected will highlight where your energy is best focused for the day ahead. It will also provide valuable insight into what issues you are presently working through in your life. The Card of the Day can highlight where you are growing and what may need more attention or healing. Many readers pick a Card of the Day before they begin their day to see what’s in store. It can be fascinating to look back at the end of your day at the card you chose in the morning. Hindsight will reveal how the symbolism contained within that card worked its way through your day.
Card of the Day
To select a Card of the Day, find a sliver of time when you can relax, focus, and breathe. When you are ready, hold your deck of cards and center yourself. I find that taking three deep breaths allows me to calm my mind enough to read tarot symbolism effectively.
Slowly inhale through your nose over an eight-second count. Hold your inhalation for another eight seconds. Purse your lips into the shape you make when drinking out of a straw. Exhale through this resistance over another eight counts. Repeat this process twice more. Try not to rush or skip the breathing process. You will likely get more insight into the card if you approach your reading calm and centered.
Begin shuffling your tarot deck. While shuffling, you can ask, “What does my best self want me to see today?” Or, “What do I need to keep in mind to improve my life’s direction?” While shuffling, try to release your expectations about what you hope to see. Resist the temptation to judge some cards as good and others as bad. Every card in the deck holds great magic and healing potential. When you are ready, let your intuition guide your hand to select the right card. Your inner knowing will not make a mistake. When you turn over the card and view it for the first time, simply say, “Thank you. I accept what you are showing me.”
The card you choose will have a strong significance today; however, you may need to look deeper into the imagery to receive its real message. Just because you pick a brightly colored, happy-looking card, that does not mean the day will transpire without a hitch. Conversely, receiving a card that you perceive as negative does not mean that your day will be horrible or that you should just stay under the covers at home.
Take a moment to look at the picture on the card before looking up someone else’s definition. Is there something that really catches your eye in the image? What does that symbol make you feel? How could this card relate to your greatest concerns lately?
The imagery of the Card of the Day does not necessarily reveal how your day will go, but rather what your intuition wishes you to see about what you are learning. If you are completely stumped about the card’s meaning, feel free to look it up in this book. If a certain sentence jumps out while reading the chapter, that is your message!
The Three-Card spread is an easy way to receive a quick view of the past, present, and likely future. As with the previous spread, receiving a “dark” card to symbolize your present or future does not indicate doom or failure. Rather, this card could indicate an obstacle you need to overcome, or something that you need to make peace with, before you can proceed.
To begin the Three-Card spread, quiet your mind and take three deep breaths. Think about an area of concern in your life. Shuffle your cards, calmly keeping this question in mind. When you are ready, lay three cards out in a row to gain insight into the question at hand. Try not to judge the cards you receive at face value, even if they startle you. Use the definitions provided in this book to aid you when confronting symbolism that makes you uncomfortable. Many people shut down if they don’t see an image that reinforces what they want to see. Always with the tarot, you must look deeper. Read the cards through the lens of the situation you are asking about. How might the symbols that appear apply to your situation? Let your own intuition guide you to other observations you have. Try to apply the symbolism in a way that empowers you. I like to place all three cards facedown on the table before turning them over one at a time. This allows me to systematically read each card on its own merit, without being distracted by the imagery on the other cards. Stay open and nonresistant to the messages you receive. Once all three cards are revealed, try to identify what they have in common or if there is a pattern that seems to connect each card.
Simple Three-Card Spread
Card 1. The Past: What have I already learned about this situation?
This card reveals lessons you have learned and experiences you have successfully completed. This card will show the pathway you’ve already traveled concerning your question. Bright cards will reveal strengths that you have already developed to apply to your present concern. Darker cards will indicate trials or tribulations you have overcome or something that happened before that needs to be healed. The past card can also indicate what you need to let go of in order to proceed.
Card 2. The Present: What am I presently experiencing or learning?
This card reveals lessons you are presently learning or challenges you are overcoming. This image shows what your Inner Self wants you to pay attention to right now. Remember, the present is where your personal power resides. Understanding how this card’s imagery applies to the question at hand will empower you to make the best decision.
Card 3. The Likely Future: Where is this situation headed if I continue down this path?
The future is never predestined. It is constantly shifting based on the choices we presently make. The future card will reveal where the energy is flowing. This card will provide you with insight about where this situation is most likely heading. If this card depicts a challenge, there will be a hidden symbol on the card that will reveal how to avoid or overcome it.
Transcend Your Fears Spread
This five-card spread can assist you in transcending your fear, finding your courage, and hearing the voice of your inner wisdom. Begin by choosing a significator. It is important that the significator you choose resonates with you and exemplifies what is best about you. If you are having trouble picking a significator for this spread, go through all the cards faceup and select the card that embodies how you feel about yourself at your best. Once you have selected the perfect card, place it faceup on the table before you. Gaze at the image and take a deep breath. Relax, and say to yourself, “This is the real me.”
Take the remaining cards facedown and begin to shuffle them. Think about what has been giving you the most anxiety lately. What have you been obsessively worried about? What have you been internally struggling with? Breathe deeply, and when you are ready, begin to lay the cards out as follows:
Transcend Your Fears Spread
Card 1: What have I learned from my fear in the past?
This card will reveal what your fear has taught you in the past. This card highlights lessons learned and strength you may have already found through your life experiences.
Card 2: Where can I presently find my courage?
This card reveals where your courage is currently emerging. It can also reveal the vault within your heart where your hidden courage is sealed away.
Card 3: What expectations do I need to hold or release?
In the case of a positive card, you’ll want to hold this expectation close to your heart. In the case of a challenging card, this is an expectation that it’s time to let go of. What you carry with you will affect how you habitually feel.
Card 4: What am I learning to accept so that I no longer feel stuck?
This card reveals a truth you must come to terms with in order to progress. This is what you must fully integrate currently to transcend your inner saboteur.
Card 5: What advice is my inner wisdom giving me to transcend my fears?
This card represents what the deepest wisdom within you wants you to hear. Hearing this advice will allow you to make peace with yourself and move forward.
Bring Shadows to Light Spread
This spread can reveal what your inner shadow is holding on to at this time. It will also show what your Spirit is bringing to light. If you are feeling confused by amorphous feelings of discomfort or anxiety, this spread will help you identify what those feelings are connected to. This spread will also show you what part of your life desperately needs your love at this time. As with the previous spread, pick a significator. The significator you choose should exemplify what is best about you. If you are having trouble picking a significator for this spread, go through all the cards faceup and select the card that embodies how you feel about yourself at your best. Place your significator card in the center of the table before you.
Take several deep breaths and relax. Take the remaining cards facedown and begin shuffling them. Think about your inner life. Let your awareness slowly sink deep within your Spirit, into the sea of your unconscious thoughts. Know that you are protected and safe, feeling these primordial waters. When you are ready, lay out the cards as follows:
Bring Shadows to Light Spread
Card 1: What part of my life feels submerged in shadow?
This card represents what is affecting you unconsciously beneath the surface. This information wishes to be understood and brought to light.
Card 2: What part of my life is returning to the light?
This card reveals what is bubbling up from your Spirit to the surface. In the case of a challenging card, it is something your Spirit is releasing. In the case of an uplifting image, it is a sign of what you are becoming.
Card 3: What wisdom am I gaining from my present circumstance?
This card highlights the lesson you are learning from the external world.
Card 4: What currently needs to feel supported?
This card reveals where your energy needs to be strengthened and reinforced. It will also show what lesson has been neglected and needs to be accepted for progress to occur.
Card 5: What wisdom will I gain from listening to the voice within?
This card reveals the skills you will master if you listen to the wisdom from within.
Card 6: What opportunities are being presented to me?
This card shows what area of your life will show the most growth if you can heed the call of your inner wisdom.
Card 7: Where do I need to direct my love right now?
This card reveals where your love can be applied to bring about resolution.
The Celtic Cross Spread
The Celtic Cross has become the workhorse spread for many tarot readers over the last century. For many of us, this is the first tarot spread we encounter. There are many variations of this spread, and it is up to the reader to decide which version works best for them. The following variation of the Celtic Cross spread is my own. Sir Arthur Edward Waite describes this spread in his A Pictorial Key to the Tarot.28 If you would like to read his original approach to this spread, then I would advise reading his work. The following variation of this spread is the one I have been working with for many years with great success. I have altered some of the original card positions to make more sense chronologically. If you have been using this spread successfully in a different manner, then do what works best for you.
The Celtic Cross can be effectively utilized to gain insight into events that will be occurring in the coming months. The “outcome card” can give you a glimpse of major events that are still to come in roughly three to six months’ time.
To begin, select a significator card from the deck to represent the querent. Place it on the table in front of you. Have the querent shuffle the remaining seventy-seven cards. (If you are uncomfortable with another person touching your cards, then you will do the shuffling.) While shuffling, I ask my clients to relax and think about their life … think about everything that has been going on lately. When it intuitively feels like the cards are ready (or that the client is done shuffling), give the client the option of cutting the deck. After this, lay out the cards in the following manner:
Celtic Cross Spread
Card 1: The Present. What is currently happening in my life?
The first card is laid directly on top of the significator. It represents your general present situation. For me, the first card is the most important card in a reading. It sets the stage for all the cards that follow. It is a lens to view all the other cards through. This card will reveal challenges you are currently facing, lessons you are learning, or strengths you possess in the present moment. This card gives a general snapshot of your present life.
Card 2: What Crosses You. What is either helping or hindering me?
The second card is laid horizontally over the first card and significator (forming a cross). This card reveals difficulties that must be overcome or positive attributes that you now possess to meet your challenges. I like to read the first two cards as follows: “Card 1 reveals that ‘X ’ is happening, but Card 2 is coloring this situation in this way …” You can also read both the upright and reversed meanings for Card 2, since it falls on its side. This can add more nuance and meaning to the crossed card. Choose the meaning that seems to resonate with your instincts.
Card 3: What Is Currently on Your Mind. Where are my thoughts currently dwelling?
This card will reveal your current mental state. It will show either what you are thinking about or what currently needs your focus. This card does not reveal what is happening, but rather what is currently going on in your head.
Card 4: Your Current Foundation. How stable is my current foundation?
This card will reveal if your current path is stable or shaky. This card can also represent a situation that has just happened and may be affecting your current outlook. If a challenging card appears here, it may illuminate something that must be confronted to reestablish firm footing.
Card 5: The Past or Now Passing. What is in my past?
This card reveals what you’ve already experienced. It highlights significant past events that shaped who you are today. The past card can tell you what you must leave behind. It also reveals how the past is affecting your current behavior.
Card 6: The Very Near Future. What is happening in the next few weeks?
This card reveals what will most likely arise in the next few weeks. When forecasting the future, keep in mind that the future can be changed by altering your present choices. This card will also reveal your state of mind during events that will soon come to pass.
Card 7: The Next Few Months. What is happening in the next several months?
This card reveals how the next several months are likely to go. It will also highlight major challenges or opportunities that will present themselves. The number that appears on this card can aid you in forecasting timing (a card numbered ten could indicate ten months from now … or the month of October). This card reveals what scenario is most likely to happen based on your current trajectory.
Card 8: Your Closest Relationships in the Future. What is occurring in my closest relationships?
This position highlights your closest relationships over the next year. This could include your family, best friends, or significant other. This card can also indicate the role you are playing for others and how they view you. It reveals who might need your attention or support. A darker card can highlight a relationship challenge or an issue you will help a loved one through in the coming months.
Card 9: Your Feelings in the Future. How will I be feeling in the coming months?
This position has also been called “Your Hopes and Fears.” It doesn’t reveal what will happen, but rather how you are feeling. A challenging card will reveal difficult emotions you are working through. This position always highlights experiences that are occurring internally. If asking about a relationship, this card will reveal the emotional condition of the relationship if it continues down its current path.
Card 10: The Final Outcome. In the end, what’s most likely to happen?
This card reveals how your current situation will most likely resolve. If a challenging card appears, it does not necessarily mean that you are doomed to a bad outcome. It could be offering you an insight into what you must confront before enjoying a positive outcome. Many of the tarot’s challenging cards provide mirrors into our own shadows, which need to be confronted and healed. The outcome card can also show what you will be working on next.
At this point of the reading, I usually ask the querent if they would like to ask some questions. They can ask for further clarification on something that resonated with them in the initial spread, or they can ask about something that wasn’t initially addressed in the reading. Either the reader or querent can choose extra cards to answer singular questions. I usually select three cards to answer a specific question. You can either read them as past, present, and future (see Three-Card Spread), or you can blend the symbolism of all three cards to get a more nuanced view of the situation they are asking about.
For example, you’ve just finished interpreting the Celtic Cross spread for someone, and they liked their reading. Now your querent wants more clarification about a relationship with a man she just met. She asks you, “Can you tell me more about this man I’ve just started seeing?” You select three cards. Let’s say they are the Page of Cups, the Tower, and the King of Pentacles. I would interpret this to mean that the man she is asking about is creative and passionate and expresses his feelings with ease. He may even have an artistic side. There is also a childlike quality to this man, and part of him will probably remain childlike forever (Page of Cups). The second card indicates a shaky time in his current life when he is confronting unavoidable realities and going through tremendous change (the Tower). However, the future holds good potential after the storm clears. He appears stable, patient, and nurturing (King of Pentacles). He will most likely be a financial success. I would then advise this client to enjoy her budding relationship, but to take care. The Tower card indicates a sense of instability presently. There are changes afoot for this man, and he may need some time to reestablish a sense of stability. When answering a person’s questions, try not to focus on the negative. Just because the Tower appeared, that does not mean the relationship is a total loss. Blend the messages from all the cards to accurately describe the relationship.
Please note, when asking questions of the tarot, avoid asking the same question twenty different ways in the hopes of getting an answer that matches up with your expectations. Nothing derails the energy of a positive reading more than desperation or obsession. I’ve found the tarot will not cooperate as an effective or accurate tool if you repeatedly ask questions like, “When’s he coming back?” after you’ve already received the answer ten times that he’s gone! Try to formulate your questions positively, such as, “What do I need to work on to attract better relationships?” “How can I be a better partner?” “What do I need to focus on to make progress in my financial life?” Formulate your questions to empower yourself. In the end, you are only in control of your responses to situations, not somebody else’s.
The Extended Celtic Cross Spread
The following spread is a variation of the Celtic Cross that I came up with many years ago. Although the original Celtic Cross was great for quick readings, I found that my sessions were ending too soon, and I was unable to glean enough information from just ten cards to really get an expansive perspective for the people I was reading. The Extended Celtic Cross uses twenty-eight cards (including the significator). It has been my workhorse spread for over twenty years. I find this spread to be very effective for a more nuanced view of not only what is happening in a client’s external life, but also the inner forces that are shaping their experiences.
If you know the Celtic Cross spread, then the extended version will be very easy to understand. Instead of just one card for each spread position, there are three. Positions 1 and 2 of the Celtic Cross spread (Present and What Crosses You) are combined into one position. When all the cards are laid out, there will be nine separate groups of three cards each. The first two cards in each pile of three are laid on top of each other vertically. The third card in each group is laid over the first two cards horizontally (each spread position has a crossing card). The crossing card (third card of each group) will reveal what is happening in the external world for the querent and what effect it has on the part of their life the spread position pertains to. The second card (middle card in each group) shows how the querent’s emotions are affected or what is just beneath the surface. The first card of each group (bottom of each pile) reveals the deeper lesson being learned or what their Spirit is whispering to them. This card reveals the situation at the deepest level. It highlights the unconscious attitudes that are helping or hindering the querent’s personal growth. Positive cards will show strengths and challenging cards will reveal obstacles that need to be overcome.
When interpreting the three cards in each position, think of them as three different ways of describing the same situation. Notice how the images blend through patterns and commonalities. Court cards that cross each spread position are likely referencing other people in the querent’s life. Court cards in the first two positions (under the crossing card) could be bringing up qualities or attributes the querent possesses that can aid them with what the spread position refers to. This spread is an excellent tool for learning how to blend tarot card meanings in relation to one another. With practice, this spread will increase your fluency with combining tarot imagery.
Extended Celtic Cross Spread
Present (Cards 1, 2, and 3): What is currently happening in my life?
These cards reveal challenges you are currently facing internally and externally. They also reveal how you are holding up to life presently. This card gives a general snapshot of your life as it is right now. Note that the What Crosses You position now appears in every grouping of cards.
What is currently on your mind (Cards 4, 5, and 6): Where are my thoughts currently dwelling?
These cards will reveal everything swirling around in your mind. They will highlight whether you are thinking positively or negatively. The crossing card will reveal external issues that you are thinking about. The cards in this position do not reveal what is happening to you, but rather what is presently going on in your head.
Your current foundation (Cards 7, 8, and 9): How stable is my current foundation?
These cards will reveal if your current path is stable or unstable. They can also represent a situation that has just happened and is affecting your current outlook. If challenging cards appear here, they may illuminate what needs to be confronted to reestablish firm footing. The crossing card will reveal how to overcome the obstacles currently on your path.
The past or now passing (Cards 10, 11, and 12): What is in my past?
These cards reveal what you’ve already experienced. They highlight significant past events that shaped who you are today. These cards can also tell you what you must surrender before moving forward. They will also show how the past is affecting your current behavior. The bottom of the first three cards can reveal pivotal moments that unconsciously affect you from the past. The middle card will show what your emotional experiences have been like. The crossing card can reveal past challenges or external influences that previously affected your life.
The near future (Cards 13, 14, and 15): What is happening in the next few weeks?
These cards reveal what will most likely arise in the next few weeks. When forecasting the future, keep in mind that the future can be changed through present choices. These cards can also indicate your state of mind during events that will soon come to pass. The crossing card will reveal what is happening in your external world over the next few weeks.
The next few months (Cards 16, 17, and 18): What is happening in the next several months?
These cards reveal how the next several months are likely to go. They will also highlight major challenges or opportunities that will present themselves within the next six months. The number that appears on the crossing card can aid you in forecasting timing. These cards reveal how the next few months will unfold if you continue down the same path. The crossing card will highlight external influences that you will be confronting. The two cards beneath the crossing card will reveal what you are experiencing internally.
Your closest relationships in the future (Cards 19, 20, and 21): What is happening with my closest relationships?
This position highlights your closest relationships in the coming months. This can include your family, colleagues, best friends, or significant other. This position can also indicate the role you are playing for others and how they view you. These cards can also reveal who might need your attention or support. The crossing card will always refer to someone else. Darker-looking cards can highlight relationship challenges. Court cards will always provide clues as to which of your loved ones this section is referring to.
Your feelings in the future (Cards 22, 23, and 24): How will I be feeling over the next few months?
This position in the spread can also be called “Your Hopes and Fears.” This position doesn’t reveal what will happen to you, but rather how you are feeling in the next several months. Challenging cards will reveal difficult emotions you are working through. Positive cards will show what you feel good about. This position always highlights experiences that are occurring internally. If asking about a relationship, these cards will reveal how you will end up feeling within that relationship if it continues down its current path.
The final outcome (Cards 25, 26, and 27): In the end, what’s most likely to happen?
These cards reveal how your current situation will most likely resolve. If challenging cards appear, it does not necessarily mean that you are doomed to a bad outcome. They could be offering you an insight into what is preventing you from enjoying a positive outcome. Card 25 will show what your Spirit is working on. Card 26 will reveal what emotions you are working through. Card 27 will show what you will be focusing on in the external world.
As with the Celtic Cross spread, this is the point of the reading when you can pull cards and ask further questions to gain more clarity.
If you are just learning tarot, it may be easier to begin learning spreads with fewer cards until you are comfortable reading them fluently. The Extended Celtic Cross spread can reveal infinite card combinations and possibilities to provide deeper insight into your inner and outer lives.
28. Waite, A Pictorial Key to the Tarot, 299–305.