The Three Card spread is one of the most simple and versatile Tarot spreads around (unless you

count its close

cousins, the Two Card spread and One Card spread!) It can be adapted to most questions, and its simplicity allows
the reader to interpret each card in depth. The basic format for this spread is:
image:Threecards.png
However, the spread positions themselves are variable depending on the reader's needs. The traditional version of
this spread is (1) Past - (2) Present - (3) Future. In this case, the first card details the past events that have had an
influence on the situation - as represented by the second card - and the final card indicates a possible outcome if
things continue as they are. This version of the Three Card spread allows the reader to see patterns in a current
event and assess it in more detail.
Other variations of this spread include:
Mind - Body - Spirit (different realms of one's life)
Thesis - Antithesis - Synthesis (for assessing an idea)
Background/the situation - Problem - Advice (when facing a problem or challenge)
Choice One - Considerations about the decision - Choice Two (when faced with more than one choice)
Choice One - Choice Two - Choice Three (when faced with more than one choice)
One Option - Another Option - A Balance Between Both (how to see the Middle Way)
Present - Future - Advice (similar to Past - Present - Future)
Idea - Manifestation - Process - Outcome (for the artists and inventors!)
Beginning - Middle - End (for writing a story, maybe?)
Often, a Three Card spread can be used without any assigned card positions at all: three cards laid out randomly
from the deck and read together in a general sense as applies to the question can tell the reader a lot about an
issue. In a spread like this the cards often interlink and their interpretations support, confirm, or flow from each
other. Sometimes they'll do the opposite and show differing sides of the question.
Whichever variation of this spread the reader chooses, it will prove a simple (especially recommended for
beginners), surprisingly in-depth, and flexible method of gaining insight into one's life.

24 card spread
THE YEAR IN MOTION: 24 CARD SPREAD
The Year may begin either on January 1, as a New Year projection, or used as a spread to coincide with a birthday or
other significant anniversary. Two cards are selected for each month and can be done either as a blind draw (face
down), or a conscious draw (intentionally selected). Both ways are powerful and bring powerful symbolism to the
spread.
We all have issues and crisis throughout our walk in life that need to be sorted out. This spread is directed at those
types of confusion, however, it can also be used to chart our journey with both ups and downs represented during
the year.
The cards are placed in a big circle, with the first card drawn representing the issues of that month, and the second
card as the solution. These symbols are not conclusive, they do not represent fortune-telling, but rather the
psychology of our subconscious minds.
In other words, we more than likely are aware of the issues, and have a strong sense of what we need to do about
the situations. The Tarot merely highlights our instinctual knowledge, brings the ideas to the forefront of our
thoughts, and gives us insight into our actions.
The spread just as often shows happier moments as the difficult ones, and also gives warning into the excesses that
we humans tend to lean toward. The spread is not to be taken as an absolute fact, but as an opportunity to work
through the complications in our lives.
About the Astrological Spread
The most typical variants of this spread use 12 cards laid out in a circle, each card representing either one house or
one sign of the zodiac.
[edit] General positional meanings for Astrological Houses Spread
[edit] position 1

Your identity, personality, disposition

[edit] position 2
Your values, finances, possessions
[edit] position 3
Communications or travel
[edit] position 4
Your home, family, heritage
[edit] position 5
Your creativity, children, romance
[edit] position 6
Your work and health
[edit] position 7
Your marriage or any other partnerships
[edit] position 8
Support from others, regeneration
[edit] position 9
Your education, religion, philosophy
[edit] position 10
Your profession / career, reputation, social status
[edit] position 11
Your friendships, aspirations
[edit] position 12
Your fears, sub-conscious, and secrets
[edit] General positional meanings for Astrological Signs Spread
[edit] position 1
Ares your leadership role
[edit] position 2
Taurus your domestic role
[edit] position 3
Gemini your expressiveness
[edit] position 4
Cancer your sympathetic or emotional nature
[edit] position 5
Leo your pride or self-assurance
[edit] position 6
Virgo your industrious nature
[edit] position 7
Libra your cooperative or diplomatic nature
[edit] position 8
Scorpio your motivation or determination
[edit] position 9
Sagittarius your philosophy or idealism
[edit] position 10
Capricorn your resourcefulness
[edit] position 11
Aquarius your intellect
[edit] position 12

Pisces your intuition

[edit] About the Celtic Cross

This spread appears to have arisen as a modification of spreads in the form of a cross used in Continental Europe.
Possibly the first published reference to this spread was in 1910 in the book The Pictorial Key to the Tarot by A.E.
Waite. (See Part III, Section 7 of that book: An Ancient Celtic Method of Divination.)
There are various versions of the Celtic Cross, yet each follow the pattern shown to the right, whether or not they
also include additional cards.
The order in which the cards are dealt also tends to vary with users, and the letters presented are for reference
rather then an indication as to ordered pattern.
[edit] General positional meanings
[edit] position A
Heart of the Matter, Present Environment (Outer), Present Environment (Inner), Primary Factor
[edit] position B
Obstacles, Opposing Factor, Factor for Change, Secondary Factor, Reinforcing Factor
[edit] position C
Root Cause, Unconscious Influence, Deeper Meaning, Unknown Factor
[edit] position D
Past, Receding Influence, Resolved Factor, Quality to Let Go
[edit] position E
Attitudes and Beliefs, Conscious Influence, Goal or Purpose, Alternate Future
[edit] position F

Future, Approaching Influence, Unresolved Factor, Quality to Embrace

[edit] position G
You as You Are, You as You Could Be, You as You Present Yourself, You as You See Yourself
[edit] position H
Outside Environment, Another's Point of View, Another's Expectations, You as Others See You
[edit] position I
Guidance, Key Factor, Hopes and Fears, Overlooked Factor
[edit] position J
Outcome (Overall), Outcome (Inner State), Outcome (Actions), Outcome (Effects)
[edit] Variations
There is a wide diversity among Tarot readers as to the placement of Positions C, D, E, and F. For example, a
common variation is to define them as follows:
C: Immediate Future
D: Root or unconscious cause
E: Recent Past
F: Attitudes, Conscious Influences, or Goals
(This is basically a quarter turn clockwise of the definitions as given above.)
In Waite's description of this spread (as referenced above) the placement of the Past and Future cards depends
upon the direction that the figure depicted on the Significator card faces. The Past card will be on the left, for
example, if the Significator faces right. (Presumably if the reader is not using a significator, then the direction that
the figure on the first card (Card A) is facing will serve this purpose.) Also, as Waite notes, "If the Significator ...
cannot be said to face either way, the Diviner must decide before beginning the operation which side he will take it
as facing."
Elemental spread
The Elemental spread is inspired by the theory that each element (Earth, Air, Fire, and Water) corresponds to an
intrinsically important area of human life. Just as the four elements are the building blocks of life, so the areas they
represent are the building blocks of human experience.
[edit] Four Card Version
The cards can be laid down in any order, though many people (especially neo-Pagans, for whom each element also
corresponds to a cardinal direction) like to place them so:
--------Earth--Water-------Air
---------Fire---Earth represents the querent's physical and material life - their home, family, health and mundane concerns. It is
useful to begin the reading with this card because it often tells the reader what the immediate situation of the
querent is, allowing the rest of the cards to show the causes and effects of this.
Water represents the querent's emotional life - their joys and sadnesses, their relationships with other friends and
lovers, and where their emotional bonds lie. It often indicates the state of the querent's emotions - whether they are
balanced and ticking along nicely, or if they are imbalanced and are having difficulty dealing with something.
Fire represents the querent's spirit, will, and ego. If the querent is mystically inclined this card often represents
their spiritual or magical life and where their mystical quest is currently taking them. For creative people this card
indicates what projects they desire to get done, where their inspiration is coming from, and the drive that pushes
them forward.
Air represents the querent's mind and mental processes. For academics and thinkers this is an especially
important card, since it rules over all issues of scholarly research and all endeavours of the mind. It can also tell the
reader about the querent's state of mental health, and can indicate issues caused by unconstructive mental
processes (e.g. over-anxiety, stresss.)
[edit] Five Card Version

A variation upon the basic Elemental spread is one that uses five cards, adding the 'element' of Spirit to the reading
alongside the four traditional ones. Once again, this spread can be laid down in any order and pattern desired,
though one suggestion is the pentagram:
-------Spirit-----Fire-------Water--Earth-----AirFire, Water, Earth, and Air have the associations mentioned above, whilst Spirit represents the synthesis of all four.
It shows how all four areas of the querent's life combine to form 'the bigger issue', and it often underlines the entire
reading and draws it all together.
This spread is also useful for finding out what areas of one's life are imbalanced. By using elements applied to each
suit of the Minor Arcana (e.g. Coins/Pentacles as Earth and Cups/Chalices as Water) one can see if there is (for
instance) too much Fire in the area of emotions (Water) and what effect this has upon the querent's life.
Either of the Elemental spreads can prove to be a very effective means of gaining insight into the querent's life from
all angles.
Horseshoe spread
(Redirected from Horse Shoe spread)
There are different versions of the Horseshoe Spread having different numbers of cards. This type of spread is
usually used where a single question might produce two different outcomes. An example of this might be; Should I
stay with the Devil I know, or go with the Devil I don't know? One side of the Horseshoe (pictured on end with the
ends of the shoe in the air) would be used to answer the first question, the other side for the other question.
However - in my usage the cards are spread out simultaneously across the arms, yet are read up the arms. So
although you will lay out the cards in this manner:
--- 5 ---- 6 --- Outcome
--- 3 ---- 4 --- Influences
---- 1 -- 2 ---- Status quo
You will read #1, #3, and #5 as the answer to the first question and then #2, #4, and #6 as the answer to the
second question.
[edit] Seven-card Variation
-1----------------2-----3-----------4--------5--6--7-Card 1: Past - the recent past events that have influenced the present situation
Card 2: Present - the present situation being addressed, influences, things that are affecting the querent now
Card 3: What is hidden - the things/influences/events the querent cannot see or that which has been overlooked by
the querent
Card 4: Obstacles/Challenges - what will block the querent in their path or present the most challenge for them; that
which must be overcome before progress can be made
Card 5: Surroundings - that which surrounds the querent, e.g. environment, people, influences , that is useful and
helpful to the querent
Card 6: Advice - best course of action to follow
Card 7: Outcome - what will happen if the advice in Card 6 is taken
Rainbow Spread

The Rainbow spread uses seven cards, each one corresponding to a colour of the rainbow (and I suppose you could
vary it to include infra-red and ultra-violet if you like!) Further, each colour of the rainbow (and therefore each card
position) is associated with an area of the querent's life or personality.
---------------4
---------3---------5
------2---------------6
1--------------------------7
Card 1: (Red) - Querent's will, desire, drive, and ambitions.
Card 2: (Orange) - Querent's social life, attitude towards self, the mask they show to the world.
Card 3: (Yellow) - Querent's energy, its direction and strength, their personal growth.
Card 4: (Green) - Querent's relation to the material world, attitude towards money, their prosperity and their
health.
Card 5: (Blue) - Querent's mind, intellect, thoughts, ideas, and communication with others.
Card 6: (Indigo) - Querent's spiritual/magical/religious life, inner processes of transformation, querent's quirks
that make them unique.
Card 7: (Violet) - Querent's inner self, guiding light, aspiration.
Used as in a general reading, the Rainbow spread gives the reader an overview of the querent's life, situation, or
being. It can also be used to examine the different areas of life that can relate to a situation or question the querent
has, and thus helps the reader see the varied influences, causes, and effects that are occurring.
[edit] Variations - Chakra Spread
The Rainbow spread's card positions can be altered to fit the reader and the querent's specific question, and not
everybody will agree on what each colour represents. Please vary the position meanings to better fit your ideas and
purposes.
It can also be varied, for those who are interested in the Vedic chakra system, by applying each card to a chakra
using the traditional colour associations, and in this case each card tells the reader if the chakras are in balance,
blocked, or need the querent to pay more attention to them. For instance, the Eight of Swords in Card 5 (Blue:
Throat chakra) may indicate that the querent is having problems communicating their ideas. For those unfamiliar
with the chakra system, here is a brief description in relation to the Rainbow spread:
Red: Base chakra - Connection with the physical body, ability to be nurtured, survival, relation to material world,
how the querent feels about being in their current physical state/material situation.
Orange: Root chakra - Connection with the sexual self, ability to see to one's needs and wants, the querent's
desires.
Yellow: Solar Plexus chakra - Connection with the ego, self confidence, power, energy levels, drive, selfperception.
Green: Heart chakra - Connection with the emotional self, compassion, relation to others, feelings, relationships.
Blue: Throat chakra - Connection to ideas, expression, communication, thought, asking for what you want,
creativity, manifestation.
Indigo: Third Eye chakra - Connection to the spiritual self, psychic awareness, spiritual views and ideas,
motivations, religious experience.
Violet: Crown chakra (also seen as White) - Connection to querent's God/ess/Higher Self/whoever they
worship/revere, ultimate aspirations, goals, true self, the part of the self that expresses Godhood.
Spheres of Life Spread
This spread is designed to give the querent a general overview of their life during a set time period (six months is
usually the furthest you can read with this, since a longer time period allows for more variables and future
predictions become more inaccurate.) It is not laid out in a specific shape, but instead can be placed anywhere the
reader wishes.
First, randomize the deck in any way you like (shuffling, for instance). Then fan out the cards and ask the querent to
choose three cards for each area of life they would like to look at for that time period. They can choose as many
areas to look at as they like, but most querents will not choose more than six or seven. Possible spheres of life
include:
Family
Love

Money/job/business
Health
Friends/social life
Conflicts
Travel
Sexuality
Spirituality/religion
Education
Projects/ideas
When the querent has chosen three cards for each sphere of life they wish to examine, ask them to choose three
final cards to indicate the general atmosphere that surrounds everything.
Yin/Yang spread
[edit] About the Yin/Yang Spread
The two-card Yin/Yang spread examines issues of duality in the context of the question for the reading.
[edit] Positional Meanings
The two positions in this spread may be defined by any dualistic pair. For example:
Pros vs. Cons
Spirituality vs. Materialism
Masculine vs. Feminine
What you know vs. What you don't know
What you should hold on to vs. What you should let go of
Inner aspects vs. Outer aspects
Strengths vs. Weaknesses
Virtue vs. Vice