Tarot spreads are an incredibly effective tool in unlocking hidden wisdom and understanding unconscious processes within ourselves. Using a spread, the cards paint a story that can provide insight into our lives and helps us answer pressing questions. Of course, the way we approach a reading can greatly affect the outcome. Begin the exercise of reading your cards in a relaxed and receptive state of mind. It’s best to avoid an analytical mindset and instead open ourselves to spiritual messages that may come in irrational forms. This is why meditation or ritual can be helpful in achieving the right state of mind for tarot.
Tarot spreads can be used to reveal hidden factors about a situation. They can be tailored to specific questions or decisions. The symbolism in each card holds spiritual significance that, by reading the context of the other cards, can speak to you on a deep level. The following list of tarot spreads is a GPS for those looking to explore the universal consciousness. These layouts were developed by different experts over time and deliver accurate, pragmatic readings. While the descriptions below were written for tarot spreads, they can also be used for other oracle layouts. A tarot spread is a template that a reader uses to arrange the cards. Each tarot card is interpreted normally plus by its layout position, including the way the influence of this card may bleed into the meaning of each card adjacent to it.
Understanding Tarot Spreads
When you hear the word ‘spread,’ what do you think? Butter, a bed, or something else? Well, in Tarot, spreads are sets or patterns of cards laid from the cards of a tarot deck during a tarot reading or daily tarot practice. A tarot spread is formed after the cards are shuffled and cut in a deck, and each different card pattern has its own meaning. You can imagine, with 78 cards in a deck, that there are thousands of different card combinations. The spreads can be any size or pattern and can contain one card or more cards. Most tarot spreads however contain between 3 and 15 cards. This range is small enough to keep it manageable and large enough to cover a topic more in-depth.
Not only the spread itself but also each position of the card within the spread has a unique meaning that will affect the interpretation of the card that falls in that spot. To make it even more complicated, certain combinations of cards in a spread can affect each other’s meanings. And this is where it’s getting exciting! If you combine the meanings, you can develop a storyline with different characters, plots, and themes. This might take some time and practice. Each position in a spread has specific meaning, helping readers interpret how individual cards relate to the overall question. Choose spreads based on the complexity of your question and your experience level.
The Structure of the Tarot Deck
The Tarot is a deck of 78 cards, each with its own imagery, symbolism and story. The 22 Major Arcana cards represent life's karmic and spiritual lessons. They represent a path to spiritual self-awareness and depict the various stages we encounter as we search for greater meaning and understanding. In this way, the Major Arcana cards hold deeply meaningful lessons on a soul level.
The 56 Minor Arcana cards reflect the trials and tribulations that we experience on a daily basis. These Tarot cards highlight the more practical aspects of life and can refer to current issues that have a temporary or minor influence. Within the Minor Arcana cards, there are 16 Tarot Court Cards each representing 16 different personality characteristics we may choose to express at any given time. There are also the 40 numbered cards organised into 4 Suits – Cups, Pentacles, Swords and Wands – each with 10 cards, representing various situations that we encounter day-to-day.
Some may say that Tarot cards are simply ink on paper. However, what I have discovered from reading the Tarot cards daily for over twenty years is this: Tarot is the storybook of our life, the mirror to our soul, and the key to our inner wisdom. Every spiritual lesson we meet in our lives can be found in the seventy-eight Tarot cards. And when we consult the Tarot, we’ll get shown the exact lessons we need to learn and master to live an inspired life.
Approaches to Tarot Reading
Tarot is a powerful divination system using a deck of 78 illustrated cards to provide insight, guidance, and self-reflection. Unlike fortune telling, tarot focuses on exploring possibilities, understanding current situations, and gaining clarity about life's challenges. Each card contains rich symbolism and archetymal imagery that speaks to universal human experiences. Modern tarot serves as a tool for personal development, decision-making, and spiritual growth. Readers interpret card combinations within specific layouts called spreads to address questions about relationships, career, spirituality, and personal transformation. The practice combines learned knowledge of traditional card meanings with intuitive interpretation.
Begin by choosing a quiet space and shuffling your deck while focusing on your question. Cut the deck and draw cards according to your chosen spread. Examine each card's imagery, noting symbols, colors, and emotional responses. Consider the traditional meaning alongside your intuitive impressions. Look for patterns: repeated suits, numbers, or themes across multiple cards. Notice the overall energy—are most cards upright or reversed? Do they suggest action or contemplation? Connect individual card meanings to create a cohesive narrative. Practice regularly with simple spreads before attempting complex layouts. Keep a journal to track your progress and insights.
Advanced readers develop techniques beyond basic card meanings. Elemental dignities examine how neighboring cards' elements interact—Fire and Air support each other, while Water and Fire create tension. Card combinations reveal deeper meanings when specific cards appear together, like The Empress and Three of Cups suggesting celebration and fertility. Timing techniques use suits and numbers to predict when events might occur.
Elemental Dignities and Reversals
With tarot decks on this site that do not use reversals, the traditional occult method of determining elemental dignities can be used to determine whether each card is well-dignified or ill-dignified. The dignity of each tarot card is based on how the adjacent cards relate to it. Each tarot card is interpreted one at a time to determine its dignity, meaning how it is affected by its neighbours. Adjacent cards of the same suit strengthen a card’s dignity, providing a sort of power boost to the card’s appeal. Tarot cards of directly opposite suits reverse each other’s positive charge, causing ill-dignification. For example, if a cups card had a wands card next to it, this would rub the cups card the wrong way and cause it to become ill-dignified. (Wands are the opposite of cups, and swords are the opposite of pentacles.) Cards that are not of the opposite or the same suit are considered neutral and have no effect (such as a wand next to a sword or a sword next to a cup).
Reversed tarot cards often indicate blocked energy, internal challenges, or the need for introspection. They can also represent the shadow aspect of a card's meaning or suggest that you're resisting the card's spiritual lesson and guidance.
Quick Tarot Elements Reference
Understanding the four elements (Fire, Water, Air, Earth) and their associated suits helps deepen your readings. The suits correspond as follows:
- Cups (Water) = Emotions & Love
- Wands (Fire) = Energy & Passion
- Swords (Air) = Intellect & Truth
- Pentacles (Earth) = Material & Prosperity
Specific Card Interpretations for Common Questions
What tarot cards represent love?
The Lovers, Two of Cups, and Ten of Cups are primary love cards in tarot readings. The Empress represents nurturing love and fertility, while the High Priestess indicates intuitive connection. All Cup cards (Water element) generally relate to emotions, feelings, and relationships.
What tarot cards indicate career success?
The Magician, Three of Pentacles, and Ten of Pentacles represent career achievement and success. The Chariot shows determination and willpower, while the World indicates completion and accomplishment. The Pentacles suit (Earth element) generally relates to work, material matters, and financial prosperity.
Historical Context of Tarot
Tarot originated in 15th-century Italy as playing cards for a game called tarocchi. The earliest surviving decks, like the Visconti-Sforza cards, were commissioned by noble families and featured elaborate artwork. These early cards had no divinatory purpose—they were simply entertainment for the wealthy. The transition to divination began in the 18th century when French occultists like Antoine Court de Gébelin connected tarot to ancient Egyptian mysteries and Hermetic traditions.
Conclusion
The practice of tarot reading offers a structured yet intuitive approach to exploring life's questions and spiritual lessons. Through the use of spreads, readers can arrange the 78 cards in patterns that reveal hidden factors about situations and provide insight into unconscious processes. The deck's structure—comprising Major Arcana for soul-level lessons and Minor Arcana for daily practical matters—allows for comprehensive analysis across all areas of life.
Key to effective tarot practice is understanding the elemental relationships between cards and how adjacent cards influence each other through dignities. The four suits represent fundamental aspects of human experience: emotions (Cups), passion (Wands), intellect (Swords), and material concerns (Pentacles). Specific cards hold particular significance for common questions about love and career, offering guidance that focuses on possibilities rather than fixed predictions.
Successful tarot reading requires a receptive state of mind, often achieved through meditation or ritual. The practice combines knowledge of traditional meanings with intuitive interpretation, looking for patterns and creating cohesive narratives from card combinations. Whether using simple three-card spreads or more complex layouts, consistent practice and journaling help develop proficiency.
Historically rooted in 15th-century Italian playing cards, tarot evolved through the 18th century into a tool for divination and spiritual exploration. Today, it serves as a mirror to the soul and a key to inner wisdom, helping individuals recognize and master the spiritual lessons present in their lives.