How to Read Tarot Cards Using Tarot Spreads (Plus Beginner Spreads)

You’re trying to figure out how to read tarot cards and one of the first things you come across is tarot spreads. The beautiful graphics, deep questions, and sheer number of them make them seem important to the journey of a tarot reader.

Maybe you need to know more about these spreads to read them too.

Every book, blog, and Pinterest board about tarot will throw a few tarot spreads at you. While they’re not essential to being a tarot reader, they are a big part of tarot. Using tarot spreads is a great way to give your readings structure. They tell you what to ask and where to put all the cards you pull, so they’re easy to interpret.

Once you start using tarot spreads, you might not ever stop!

Let’s dive into the world of tarot spreads so you can learn what they are and how to use them to read tarot.

What Is a Tarot Spread?

A tarot spread is a predetermined layout showing how to arrange the cards for a tarot reading. Spreads can range from a single tarot card to ten or more cards, depending on how many details you need to answer your question.

The most popular tarot spreads consist of three or five cards, but there is a wide variety of spreads to explore.

When you look at a tarot spread, you will see a title that tells you the general query. They get as generic as “relationship spread” to super-specific questions like “Is he the one for me spread” and everything in between.

Spreads have questions or phrases written for you to give your reading direction. Each placement in a tarot spread will have its focus answered when you pull a card to put in that spot.

For example, a basic spread might have a spot for a card representing the past, a card representing the present, and a card describing the future. Each of the cards is read independently from one another to frame whatever situation you’re asking about entirely.

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How to Do a Tarot Reading

Before you start looking for tarot spreads for all your burning questions, you need a basic knowledge of how to read tarot cards.

The longer you practice reading tarot, the more personal it becomes. You may find yourself drawn to different tarot decks than you imagined or discover a way to pull and lay the cards you’ve never seen before. You’ll find your flair with time!

Let’s stick to the basic steps that make up most tarot readings.

Step One: Choose Your Tarot Deck

Picking a tarot deck is intuitive. Whether choosing your first tarot deck or trying to pick between the decks you already own, different decks will give you different vibes. There are way more choices than your traditional Rider Waite deck these days.

Any tarot deck you use should speak to you in some way. Look at the art on the major arcana and minor arcana cards. Read the back of the box to find out what guide is included. Choose a theme you love, mythology, fairies, pastel colors, or animals. Hold the cards in your hands to see how they feel. Even decks of playing cards are contenders in tarot readings.

Don’t be discouraged if nothing jumps out at you right away. There are plenty of tarot decks out there for you to try!

One tarot deck may feel better for different tarot readings than others. You will intuitively know which decks to use for love readings, which ones work better for career readings, and which you prefer to keep for personal readings. While some tarot readers have many tarot decks, others only have one they use for all of their readings.

Once your tarot deck is picked out, you’re ready to start the reading.

Step Two: Create Space

Create a physical space big enough to perform your tarot reading and create the spiritual space necessary to read from a place of peace.

You don’t have to do anything fancy. If crystals and candles help you get in tune with your intuition, dress your space up as much as you need to. A tarot cloth won’t change what cards come out, but it looks nice and may help protect your tarot cards when you lay them down.

What’s important is that you have enough room to set up your spread so it’s easy to see and interpret the cards.

After you have a physical space to read, sit down with your cards, close your eyes, and take a few deep breaths to clear your mind. Do a short meditation if you need that calming energy. Cleanse your space with sound, smoke, or visualization.

Start reading at your own pace so you are ready to connect with the messages coming through.

Step Three: Shuffle the Cards

Shuffle the cards in whatever way works best for you and this reading.

Not sure how to shuffle tarot cards?

The most common techniques include overhand shuffling and pile shuffling (or cutting the cards). If you’re starting and are not very confident in your hands yet, give your tarot deck a good scramble shuffle all over the table. Even a classic riffle shuffle (the kind you usually see with playing cards) will work for tarot cards.

Get those cards good and mixed up. Shuffle until you feel it’s right to stop, whether after three rounds or when you know. Then pull as many cards as you need for your tarot spread.

Step Four: Pull and Lay Your Cards

Pulling tarot cards trips up a lot of new readers. But here’s the thing: there’s no secret particular way to pull cards that every tarot reader learns along the line. How you pull depends on what feels the most natural for you.

That means you can’t do it wrong!

Fan the entire deck out, and use your intuition to pick the cards you feel most drawn to. Cut the deck in half and pull cards from the middle of the deck. Shuffle until cards jump out on their own. Pull from the top of the deck when you’re done shuffling.

As you pull your cards, lay them down in the order they come out. Match each card to a space on your tarot spread, laying out the same design until it’s complete.

Step Five: Interpret the Cards

You’ve probably started learning the meanings of tarot cards. Remember to use your handy dandy deck guide to note what jumps out at you intuitively first. Your interpretations are as critical as the keywords on a cheat sheet, if not more so.

Your tarot spread will likely have a mix of major and minor arcana cards.

If more major arcana cards are in your spread, vital energies surround your situation. This is especially true if all the cards are major arcana. Things are less intense if your spread consists of mostly minor arcana cards, but that doesn’t make them less critical.

You can use the placement of significant and minor arcana cards to clue you into what details of your situation need immediate attention.

How to Choose a Spread for Your Tarot Reading

There are so many spreads out there it’s almost impossible not to find one to fit your question.

Search for your question followed by the word “spread.” Most things have been thoroughly covered, but that doesn’t mean you’ll find precisely what you want. If the “What does she think about when we pass each other on the elevator at work spread” doesn’t turn anything up, try to generalize your search slightly.

General terms are perfect for finding tarot card spreads and typically lead to lists of tarot spreads for love, career, finances, holidays, birthdays, moon phases, self-care, everyday life, and everything else under the sun.

You might not find a spread that contains all the details you want to ask about, but you’ll find something close. Choose a tarot spread that answers your question and maybe includes some of the answers you hadn’t considered.

And if you don’t know what you want to do reading about, pick a spread that helps you grow and learn about yourself. That’s one of the strengths of tarot, after all.

How to Read a Tarot Spread

Alright, you have your basics down, your tarot spread, and you’re ready to hit the ground running.

Tarot spreads are highly straightforward in their approach to tarot card reading. That’s what makes them so great. They provide you with direction, so you’re not left wondering what you’re looking at once the cards are on the table.

Here’s how you use a tarot spread:

1. Shuffle your tarot cards.
2. Pull a card and set it down in the spot on the spread that’s number one or card one.
3. Repeat step 2 for cards number two, three, four, etc., on your tarot spread until every spot is full.
4. Start at card one and interpret what the card represents about the question or phrase in that spot on the spread.
5. Move in order from one card to the next until you interpret the entire spread.

It’s hard to mess up a tarot spread. Even if you read the cards out of order, you still come up with the same meanings because they each represent a different space in the spread. However, many stretches are made to tell a story about your situation, so it’s best to read them in order.

Clarifying Cards

Are you having difficulty figuring out what a particular card in your spread is trying to tell you? Do you need a little more depth to the spots in your spread?

Enter clarifying cards!

Sometimes a single tarot card can’t tell you everything you need to know about your question. Maybe you still have trouble with court cards in your tarot spread. In that case, ask for a card to clarify the first. Or ask, “Why is the queen of wands in this reading?” or whatever card you need to explain.

This is also a perfect place to bring oracle cards into your tarot reading.

Clarifying cards bring a different perspective that can guide you intuitively to a meaning depending on the combination you end up with. But try not to overdo it. When you start laying down three or four clarifiers, you might have to accept that you aren’t ready for that knowledge yet and move on.

Tarot Card Spreads for Beginners

Now that you know everything you need about tarot spreads, you’ll need some spreads to try out! These spreads are perfect for beginners learning to read tarot and need something that isn’t too confusing.

One Card Spread

Okay, one-card spreads aren’t what we think of as a card. This is essentially a one-card answer to whatever question you have on your mind. They are great for guidance if you don’t have the time or energy to do an entire spread.

Here are a few useful one-card spreads:

• Yes or no
• What energy do I need to focus on today?
• What will I experience today?
• A card to represent the coming week/month.
• A message that I need to hear.
• What strength will I need today?
• How can I help others today?
• How can I show more gratitude?
• What will I experience if I [thing you want to do]?
• What energy should I meditate on?
• Where am I in my spiritual journey?
• What challenges am I currently facing?

One card is more than enough to give you the answers you need. Make sure you journal your questions and solutions so you can refer to them later!

Three-Card Spread

Three-card spreads are incredibly popular. You will see them all over the place. As humans, we tend to find the number three aesthetically pleasing. If you need a spread, you’ll probably find the perfect one in a three-card format.

Some simple three-card spreads include:

• past/present/future
• situation/obstacle/advice
• situation/action/outcome
• option one / option two / how to decide
• mind/body/spirit
• stop/start/continue
• where you are now / where you want to be / how to get there
• what worked / what didn’t work / what you learned

These spreads have enough information to give you a well-formed answer to your question without overwhelming you. More cards aren’t always good when just starting, which is where three-card spreads shine.

Five-Card Spread

If you’re still looking for something more in-depth for your most pressing questions, a five-card spread can help you out. There’s still a limited number of cards that make it easy for a beginner to read, but you can ask for more information than in the previous spreads.

Use this five-card spread to expand on the past, present, and future:

1. Past
2. Present
3. Future
4. What’s holding you back
5. How to move forward

This spread will give you insight into any situation:

1. Influences from the past
2. The current situation
3. Hidden obstacles
4. The best way forward
5. Outcome

This spread will tell you a little bit about your life right now:

1. Your love life
2. Your career
3. Your spirituality
4. Something positive
5. Something negative

When you need something more, using five cards is the way to get it. Once you’re comfortable with these, you can move on to more advanced spreads like the Celtic Cross, elemental spreads, zodiac spreads, and anything with many cards.

Tarot Spreads for Specific Questions

All of the spreads above are made to give you general information. But often, you need to get down to brass tacks on something much more specific. Whether that’s a relationship, a career, a family matter, or a personal issue, being vague just won’t cut it.

There are dozens of tarot spreads out there for all of these categories. But here are a few quick three-card spreads you can use as a beginner to tackle some of the biggest questions.

Spreads for Love

Relationship spreads give you a way to look deeper at your relationships with others, what to expect from those relationships, and what needs your attention. You’re sure to love these easy-to-use spreads.

• You / Them / Your relationship
• What you want / What they want / Where this relationship is going
• Positive / Negative / What to work on
• Person 1 / Person 2 / What you need to know to make a decision
• You / Them / Your Child

Spreads for Career

Career spreads are great for any questions you have about your job. You might want to know what you bring to the workplace or how you can level up to the position of your dreams. Try these spreads to take a closer look at your most extensive opportunities.

• Where you’re successful / What holds you back / How to make the most of this
• Your current career / Your dream career / How you can get there
• Your hobby / Possible career development / First steps to take
• Job 1 / Job 2 / What you need to know to make a decision
• Ultimate goal / Pros / Cons

Spreads for Guidance

All tarot spreads provide guidance, but these examples are just for you now. You might learn a little something about yourself with one of these spreads.

• Embrace / Accept / Let Go
• Your dream life / Your current life / The fear holding you back
• Who you are / What you need / How to get it

Spreads for Spirituality

If you’re trying to get more in touch with your spiritual side or feeling a little stuck in your spiritual journey, these spreads will give you a nudge in the right direction.

• You / Your spirit guide / How to connect
• My feminine energy / My masculine energy / How to balance them
• Where I am in my spiritual journey / Where I am heading / How to move forward
• Full moon energy / Blessings it brings / How to take advantage of it

This doesn’t even begin to touch the volume of tarot spreads at your disposal, but it’s a great place to start exploring everything tarot spreads offer.

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