What are Tarot Card Spreads, and which tarot card spreads should I learn?

Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.

Tarot card spreads assist the tarot reader in determining one tarot cards relationship to another. Over time many tarot readers develop their own spreads or variations on more traditional spreads. They generally implement these variations in order to gain clarity on readings that may be ambiguous without additional cards to help define portions of the reading that may not be clear. Sometimes people you are giving readings to will not volunteer certain information, either because they do not feel comfortable sharing it or because they do not think it is important in the final outcome of the reading, however, these small details can sometimes change the flow of the entire reading. Additional clarity cards can sometimes help you push through these barriers.

Out of all of all of the tarot card spreads available, which should I choose to learn?

It is not a bad idea to learn to use a few different spreads that appeal to you. However, If you are planning on doing readings for other people, you may want to focus on a few of the more common spreads that your patrons will be more familiar with. The first spread I recommend learning is called the “next step tarot card spread.” Then I would suggest the “cross tarot spread,” and overtime build up mastery with the “Celtic cross tarot card spread.”

The Next step tarot card spread is a simple 4-card layout that helps the questioner obtain answers to his or her inquiries of what to do next in a particular situation. This type of reading is very concise, dealing with the specific situation in the present and helps to determine what the immediate reaction should be. This spread remains useful, even after you have mastered the more complex tarot card spreads because the askers follow up question to a more complex spread will often be something to the effect of, “well what do I do now”?

The cross tarot card spread is another simple 4-card arrangement, but its scope is a bit wider than the next step. The first card in this spread shows the focus of the questioner. The second card indicates the action the questioner should not take. The third card expresses the action the questioner should take. And the final card represents the outcome of the situation.

The Celtic cross tarot spread is probably the most commonly used spread and can be applied to any situation. Most people will be at least somewhat familiar with the spread and it will provide a great overview of the situation, where the situation came from and where it is going if circumstances stay as they are. I usually recommend that all new tarot readers make it their goal to master this spread.

Sometimes you will have people come to you who want to ask a question, but they have real trouble formulating a question or even telling you what the question is about. This can be challenging, but you can use the cards to assist the person you are reading in building their question. When I encounter this situation I will generally shuffle the deck and flip over a card. Identify what the theme of the card is then ask the person questions about that. For example, if the card is a heavily materialistic card I will ask the person if they are interested in finding out about their career or financial situation. If they say yes, I will continue to flip over cards and ask them questions until we have built a question for use in the reading. Once the greater questions has been established, I ask the person if they would like to revise the question in any way before we start the reading.

A good quick reference guide for all of the above tarot card spreads can be found Keywords for the Crowley Tarot, by Hajo Banzhalf and Brigitte Theler.