How-to Guides · 12 min · 2026-07-18
The Complete Guide to Popular Tarot Spreads — A Practical Handbook
Explore over 50 tarot spreads, from simple one- and two-card draws to intricate twenty-two-card layouts. Learn how to arrange each spread, interpret positional meanings, and apply them to different questions and situations.
The Complete Guide to Popular Tarot Spreads — A Practical Handbook
Foundational Principles for Working with Spreads
Choosing the Right Spread
There are two main categories of spreads: - Twenty-two card spreads: Using only the Major Arcana - Seventy-eight card spreads: Using the entire deck
As your experience grows, you can absolutely create your own spreads based on your developing understanding of tarot's underlying principles.
Laying Out Your Cards
- Card order: There's no rigid rule about which card must go in which position. You can arrange them in the order you draw them, or place them as intuition guides you.
- Card orientation: When reading for yourself, it's conventional to rotate cards clockwise. When reading for another person, have them rotate the cards clockwise and determine orientation from their perspective.
- Reversed cards: Some traditions hold that a card's reversed position matters less than the card's intrinsic meaning.
Mental Preparation
Before shuffling, focus your thoughts on the question or situation you wish to explore. This is the most essential step.
Read deeper
Spreads Using Few Cards
The Single Card — Numerological Draw
Application: Finding the central issue at the heart of a matter How to perform it: 1. Arrange the 22 Major Arcana cards in order 2. From the top, take every third card: the 3rd, 6th, 9th, 12th, 15th, 18th, 21st 3. Add the numbers of all these cards together 4. If the sum exceeds 22, reduce by adding its digits: for example, 23 → 2+3 = 5 5. The final card (corresponding to that number) is your answer
Meaning: This card represents the essence of the situation you're facing.
Read deeper
The Three-Card Spread — Sacred Triangle ◎
Application: Exploring past → present → future How to perform it: - With 22 cards: Take the 7th, 14th, and 21st cards, placing them in positions 1, 2, and 3 respectively - With 78 cards: Draw 3 cards randomly
Position meanings: - Position 1 (Past): Root cause, foundation of the situation - Position 2 (Present): Current circumstances, context - Position 3 (Future): Likely outcome, direction of development
Note: The "Arrow of Time" spread is a variation of this layout.
Read deeper
The Four-Card Spread — Four Elements ◎
Application: Analyzing a situation from four different angles How to perform it: - With 22 cards: Take the 4th, 8th, 12th, and 16th cards - With 78 cards: Draw 4 cards randomly
Position meanings: - Position 1: Action, ideas, motivation - Position 2: Love, emotion, perception - Position 3: Communication, language, message - Position 4: Reality, matter, concrete outcome
Read deeper
The Four-Card Spread — Opening Diamond ◎
Application: Looking at past → present (two cards) → future How to perform it: Draw 4 cards randomly and lay them in sequence
Meaning: - Position 1: Past (root cause) - Positions 2 & 3: Present (circumstances) - Position 4: Future (possible development)
Note: This is an expanded version of the three-card triangle.
Read deeper
The Four-Card Spread — Love's Question
Application: Exploring the romantic connection between two people How to perform it: Draw 4 cards randomly
Meaning: - Position 1: Represents you - Position 2: Represents the other person - Position 3: The current relationship between you - Position 4: The relationship's potential future development
Read deeper
The Four-Card Spread — Self-Discovery (Version 1)
Application: Understanding yourself from multiple dimensions How to perform it: Draw 4 cards randomly
Meaning: - Position 1: Temperament, inner nature - Position 2: The rational mind, logic - Position 3: The emotional nature, intuition - Position 4: The spiritual dimension, soul
Read deeper
Spreads Using Five to Six Cards
The Five-Card Spread — Binary Choice ◎
Application: For those caught between two paths, unsure which to take How to perform it: Draw 5 cards randomly
Meaning: - Position 1: You and your current situation - Position 2: Circumstances if you choose option A (near future) - Position 3: Circumstances if you choose option B (near future) - Position 4: Developments following choice A - Position 5: Developments following choice B
Important note: Before shuffling, clearly define what option A and B are (for example: A = pursuing higher education, B = starting work) and hold this intention as you interact with the cards.
Read deeper
The Five-Card Spread — Catholic Cross ◎
Application: Understanding your current state and how to respond (in matters of love or general concerns) How to perform it: 1. From the top, take the 1st card (position 1) 2. Take the next 3 cards; the 4th and 5th become positions 2 and 3 3. Take the next 3 cards; the 4th, 5th, and 6th become positions 4, 5, and 6 4. Take the next 3 cards; the 4th becomes position 7
Meaning: - Position 1: Your inner thoughts, current emotions - Position 2: The other person's inner thoughts - Position 3: How you interact, the attitude you should adopt - Position 4: Surrounding circumstances, third parties, obstacles - Position 5: The ultimate outcome of the relationship
Read deeper
The Five-Card Spread — Three-Way Choice
Application: Resolving a decision with three possible paths How to perform it: Draw 5 cards randomly
Meaning: - Position 1: You and your current situation - Position 2: If you choose option A (near future) - Position 3: If you choose option B (near future) - Position 4: If you choose option C (near future) - Position 5: Overall outcome based on your choice
Read deeper
The Six-Card Spread — Friendship
Application: Exploring a friendship and what it means to both people How to perform it: Draw 6 cards randomly
Meaning: - Position 1: How you see your friend - Position 2: How they see you - Position 3: How you view the current friendship - Position 4: How they view the current friendship - Position 5: What you hope for the friendship's future - Position 6: What they hope for the friendship's future
Read deeper
The Six-Card Spread — Future Development
Application: Exploring various life dimensions in the time ahead How to perform it: Draw 6 cards randomly
Meaning: - Position 1: Your current state - Position 2: Love developments - Position 3: Work and career developments - Position 4: Financial and material developments - Position 5: Status and achievement in society - Position 6: The ultimate outcome
Read deeper
Spreads Using Seven Cards
The Seven-Card Spread — Six Rays
Application: Exploring the essence of a situation from six distinct angles How to perform it: - With 22 cards: Take the 7th, 8th, and 9th cards, then from the remaining deck take the 7th, 8th, 9th, and 10th - With 78 cards: Draw 7 cards randomly
Meaning: - Position 1: The past of the situation - Position 2: The present of the situation - Position 3: The future of the situation - Position 4: Strategy for resolution - Position 5: Surrounding circumstances, external factors - Position 6: Your attitude and thoughts (hopes or fears) - Position 7: Final outcome
Read deeper
The Seven-Card Spread — Horseshoe V ◎
Application: Grasping the situation and what action you should take How to perform it: Draw 7 cards randomly
Meaning: - Position 1: The past (roughly 18 months ago) - Position 2: The present (approximately 4 weeks before and after the reading) - Position 3: Near future (the next 3 months) - Position 4: If about a person, represents them; if about a situation, represents the answer - Position 5: Surrounding circumstances - Position 6: Your attitude and inner state - Position 7: Final outcome
Note: Positions 4 and 7 must be read together. Only if both are positive can you draw a clear conclusion. If either is negative, the result may be diminished or delayed.
Read deeper
The Seven-Card Spread — Seven Planets
Application: Viewing the overall circumstances of a person's life How to perform it: Draw 7 cards randomly
Meaning (corresponding to the seven classical planets): - Position 1 (Moon): Family, family circumstances - Position 2 (Saturn): Intellect, health, mental state - Position 3 (Venus): Love, emotion - Position 4 (Sun): Social magnetism, human relations - Position 5 (Mars): Competition, conflict with others - Position 6 (Jupiter): Material wealth, material benefit - Position 7 (Mercury): Commerce, work, study
Read deeper
The Seven-Card Spread — Marriage
Application: Exploring your marriage How to perform it: Draw 7 cards randomly
Meaning: - Position 1: Represents you - Position 2: The past of the marriage - Position 3: The present of the marriage - Position 4: Marriage challenges you face - Position 5: What you expect from marriage - Position 6: What you fear about marriage - Position 7: Development and final outcome
Read deeper
Spreads Using Eight to Ten Cards
The Eight-Card Spread — Horse's Loop
Application: Viewing past, present, future together with surrounding circumstances How to perform it: Draw 8 cards randomly
Meaning: - Position 1: Your state of mind - Position 2: Past circumstances - Position 3: Current circumstances - Position 4: Future circumstances - Position 5: The best choice available - Position 6: Influence of surrounding circumstances - Position 7: Problems and challenges - Position 8: Final outcome
Read deeper
The Eight-Card Spread — Pearl Chain ◎
Application: Revealing blind spots in love and how to navigate them How to perform it: Draw 8 cards randomly (beginning from position 0)
Meaning: - Position 0: Your focus (what matters most to you right now) - Position 1: Inner motivation - Position 2: The issue requiring resolution - Position 3: Insight into your blind spot (what you're not seeing) - Position 4: Action you should take - Position 5: The best way to handle this - Position 6: Guidance for long-term development - Position 7: The outcome
Read deeper
The Ten-Card Spread — The Celtic Cross ◎
Application: Deep analysis of a situation (the most widely used spread) How to perform it: - With 22 cards: Take the 7th card for position 1; take the 8th and rotate it 90° counter-clockwise, placing it over position 1 as position 2; then place the 9th–12th cards in positions 3–6. From the remaining cards, take the 7th for position 7, then the 8th–10th for positions 8–10. - With 78 cards: Draw 10 cards randomly and arrange them the same way
Meaning: - Position 1: The core issue - Position 2: The obstacle or challenge (rotated 90°, overlaying position 1) - Position 3: Distant goal, what you're moving toward - Position 4: Foundation, the past influencing this - Position 5: What you're consciously aware of - Position 6: What will come into play - Position 7: Your attitude - Position 8: Another person's attitude - Position 9: Hopes and fears - Position 10: Final outcome
Read deeper
The Ten-Card Spread — Tree of Life ◎
Application: When a question carries deep weight and spiritual dimensions matter How to perform it: Draw 10 cards randomly
Meaning (based on the Sephiroth structure in Kabbalah): - Position 1: Potential, the beginning - Position 2: Creation, imagination - Position 3: Love, compassion - Position 4: Strength, will - Position 5: Justice, balance - Position 6: Beauty, harmony - Position 7: Victory, success - Position 8: Splendor, vision - Position 9: The hidden, the subconscious - Position 10: The kingdom, manifestation into reality
Read deeper
Specialized Spreads
The Thirteen-Card Spread — Half Year (Birth House)
Application: Forecasting fate for the coming six months How to perform it: Draw 13 cards randomly
Meaning: Each card represents one month (with one card serving as the overall theme)
Read deeper
The Fourteen-Card Spread — A Week of Fate ◎
Application: Discovering what will unfold in the week ahead How to perform it: Draw 14 cards randomly, or count from 22 cards using a specific formula
Meaning: Each card represents a day of the week, from Monday through Sunday (with one or two additional cards providing broader context)
Read deeper
The Twenty-Two Card Spread — Star of Solomon
Application: For complex questions without a specific focus How to perform it: Use all 22 Major Arcana cards, shuffled and arranged according to the Solomon Star pattern (an 11-pointed or 6-pointed star, depending on tradition)
Meaning: The complex structure allows exploration of multiple layers of meaning within the question.
Read deeper
Notes for Reading Tarot
Psychological Preparation
- Choose a quiet space
- Focus on a specific question or situation
- Avoid reading when your mind is scattered or unsettled
Drawing Cards
- Shuffle with your non-dominant or dominant hand, whatever feels natural
- You may draw the cards yourself or have the person being read for draw them
- There's no need to maintain strict sequential order
Interpretation
- Meaning flows primarily from the card itself, not just its position
- Weave together the card's meaning, its position, and your intuitive sense
- A fortunate card doesn't always mean good; a difficult card doesn't always mean harm — context is everything
Read deeper
Closing Thoughts
Tarot is a tool for self-discovery and understanding. Try different spreads to find what resonates most with how you think. As experience accumulates, you'll feel confident creating your own spreads, grounded in the principles you've learned.
Reference: zhihu.com — Complete Guide to Tarot Spreads