Tarot Spreads

We could probably all write a doctoral thesis about family relationships; we're all experts on that specific topis, and even people with complex, absent or alienated family histories know a lot about families and how they work. For my reading, I used the Tarot of Oppositions, a very special deck that depicts the light and shadow side of each cards. Obviously, you can use any deck that you like, and keep in mind to look at the reversed meaning of each card. Remember that within a family, others see our weak points, shadow, and some see ONLY the dark sides of their other family members. So look at every card, and reverse it. If it's reversed, turn it upright during the re…

Hi all, I have come across a series of short videos where a life situation is described, and then "there is a card for that!" (the_eternal_tarot on instagram, if you are here, I LOVE your videos!). This person has an interesting way of looking at her cards, and spins an entire situational story for them. Where is it coming from, what happened BEFORE this snapshot (present), and where will it continue to? This makes me wonder, could one conceivably then do a PPF reading with just one card?

The Grand Tarot Tableau Despite the number of cards dealt, it doesn't have to be a long reading unless you'd like it to be. There are several cards that I don't read in this type of spread. The cards are laid in rows as you would Lenormand, after first selecting card(s) that represents the subject(s) you want to focus on. You read the cards surrounding the pre-selected subject matter card and notice which cards are far away. That's the extent of overlap with Lenormand methods. I read the cards as I normally would for tarot. You could do this with a majors only deck if you're happy for a major to represent your focus. I like to use the majors, a minor (or multiple mino…

I recently got told to look back 4 generations into female ancestors on my mother's side (with me being generation 0). So I came up with the following: Using ONLY court cards, pull a card for you and for each of the ancestors you want to look into and define who they are. Read them according to characteristics like suits, position in court, details on the card, etc. Look for character insights or a common thread weaving through the generations. I found readings I did this way very illuminating! (for me those were, for example: 0 - me -1 - my mother -2 - her mother -3 - her grand-mother -4 - my mother's great-grand-mother I never met any of them beyond my grandmother …

I recently came across something that reminded me that we have three "brains" in our body: in our head (logical) in our heart (emotional) in our gut (intuitive) Which inspired me to use them as three facets to determine how we see / feel about someone (persons, in friendship settings, relationship settings, family, or at work or other circumstances ) or something (ideas, opportunities, jobs, news, etc) The idea is to pull a card for each of the brains and get a general picture on how the subject of the question is perceived. It could turn into a decision help, or help determining one's own priorities. I am aware that it might be similar to the "mind / body / spirit" …

Dear investigators, I just listened to the latest talk by Adam Elenbaas, a Hellenistic Astrologer on YT: The Secret Wisdom of Jupiter’s Opposition to Pluto. At the end he suggested three questions we could ask ourselves in order to work with the dynamic represented by this aspect. I immediately thought of turning these questions into a tarot spread. Maybe you'll find this idea interesting too. The opposition will be exact on 20 July. What deeper purpose and meaning that I haven't been able to see is revealing itself? What part of me is asked to mature so that a vision can be fulfilled? What must I give up or surrender to be what I'm meant to be? Wishing you goo…

Hi, I came across an interesting inner child spread (@ https://curiousthings.org/therapy-blog/tarot-as-therapy scroll down almost all the way), but it doesn't say, in which order the cards should be drawn. I mailed the author, but didn't yet hear from her yet, so I am asking here. Does it matter in which order the cards are drawn? Or is it simply more important to focus on the meaning of the position (for which the card is drawn)?

May 2026 offers a rare and sacred month-long container for profound personal transformation—a complete journey from depth to vision, from release to renewal. The Scorpio Gateway (May 1-5) This first full moon invites you into the underworld of your own psyche. It asks: What truth have you been avoiding? What needs to be seen, felt, and released? This is shadow work in its most potent form—not as punishment, but as reclamation. When you descend willingly into what’s been hidden or denied, you discover that what you feared holds power you can now integrate. Spiritually, this phase is about emotional alchemy—transforming old wounds into wi…

I've been reading Joan Bunning's "Learning Tarot Spreads", it's also part of her volume of all her books in one, "The Big Book of Tarot" and I really like this 3 card spread variant from the Celtic Cross. She published it on her website (which actually got a certificate and SSL last year, finally!) and so we can reproduce it, as it was published outside her book.... https://www.learntarot.com/quickinsight.htm 1____2___________3 From the CC Spread.... Card 1 = Position 1 - Heart of the Matter Card 2 = Position 2 - Opposing Factor (this is the middle cross of the spread) Card 3 = Position 9 - Guidance The…

For visual thinkers like me, mind mapping is a great way to visualise my thought processes, give structure to my ideas and map out a plan. Mind mapping allows you to keep track of the main idea or core challenge while giving attention to its different aspects, sub-challenges and even details - you see the forest AND the trees. The usual approach is a sun-like structure: the main idea in the middle, the different aspects branching out from it, and each of them again divided into more detail. (Image source) Of course, you don't have to follow the radial structure of the typical mind map - you can put two concepts next to ea…

I sometimes find myself pondering new tarot spreads. And perhaps this is inevitable? It seems like intuition and creativity go hand-in-hand, perhaps even build upon each other. If that is indeed the case, then I suspect I am not the only Tarot enthusiast who at least thinks about creating their own unique Tarot spreads, or even prefers using their own creations above spreads established by others. How about you? Are spreads established by others your typical go-to, or do you prefer relying on your own creative Tarot spreads?

Here's a new spread that I am playing with.

I have seen many interesting spreads here, thank you:) I am a counsellor IRL, and I am starting to consider to incorporate tarot into my sessions. The cards reflect different aspects of life and ourselves and I think sometimes pictures better connect with our subcounsciousness than words. There are some techniques used during the sessions that might involve cards. One of those is Johari Window, technique created by psychologists Joseph Luft and Harrington Ingham, it looks something like the diagram created by me, posted below. The green is an open area, what I know about myself and others know about me, e.g. What are my strenghts that others often recognise in…

This came from Shamans Market:

January is a good time to calculate your card of the year. Simply add the numbers of this year (2026) + your birth month + your birthday, and keep adding the numbers until the sum is smaller than 22. For me, it's 14, Temperance, which I can reduce further and get 5, the Hierophant. Now that's very nice since I'm a Taurus with a rising Sagittarius, so two of my strong astrological influences show up for me this year. Does anybody else do that? I'm not big into numbers, but a Card of the Year is good to know. It can give you a first whiff of what the year's about to bring. Temperance is always a good card for me, it means that things are moving at …

Sharing some of my favorite bookmarked spreads. https://www.tarotforum.net/threads/glass-owls-spreads.153391/ I didn't create these but GlassOwl posted them on AT back in the day. I especially love the 2 & 3 card spreads. Great for learning new decks. My fave spread for self-reading is the quick & dirty "Mary Poppins Spread".

Shared by Joanna Powell Colbert

These are my thoughts about making your own spreads using seven cards. Spreadcrafting is a useful tool when you have a specific question which is not covered by any spreads you may find on the Internet or in books. So you turn the question around in your mind and write down a number of questions. I found the number Seven especially useful; I found that quite often, when making up my own spreads, I landed on seven card positions. Seven-card layouts are great when you want to explore a situation in depth without getting lost in too many cards or details. Although I often prefer four-card readings, these compact little boxes of yes/yes, yes/no, no/yes and no/no,…

It's been another trip around the sun. Does anyone have a favorite birthday spread I could do tomorrow?

I just thought I'd share a deck randomizing technique I discovered tonight when using my Gold Foil deck. I don't know where to I'd had quite a long day because we have guests for the weekend. I was tired and I spilled some water on the floor. After cleaning the water up I went about my day for a couple more hours. Then----horror stricken---I noticed that the bag with my Star deck had been lying on the floor where I didn't see it and all the cards were totally saturated . I picked it up but it may not be salvageable. Good thing I have another one packed away. , Then I took out my Gold Foil deck and sat down to riffle the Gold Foil a few times, but when I di…

AUTHOR'S NOTE: When it comes to designing line spreads for tarot reading, about the only time I employ an even number of cards is in situations that require a choice between two options, or when invoking the four classical elements represented by the suits. One thing I learned from Lenormand reading is that an odd-numbered line will always have a "hinge card" or turning-point in the middle that can serve as a motivator pointing toward the outcome. Three-card and five-card lines both serve the purpose quite well. I think of the five-card line in terms of a wave: the matter begins, surges, crests, subsides and ends. The "crest" is where it is m…

I recently came across this spread whilst browsing the Labyrinthos app. Having a degree in psychology, this one was very interesting to me. The spread can be found here: https://labyrinthos.co/blogs/learn-tarot-with-labyrinthos-academy/maslow-s-hierarchy-of-needs-a-5-card-tarot-spread From that page: A 5 Card Tarot Spread on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs The spread itself is simple enough. Each card represents one of the levels of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, and can represent all of the following. Allow your intuition to make the connections between the card and the position. The particular nature of the need …

Here is one of my smaller spreads that has a less-sprawling narrative behind it. It was created a few of months ago during the last budget crisis, so the climate addressed by the example reading has changed some. I could see using it to vet news stories. AUTHOR'S NOTE: Whenever I see a post that purports to fact-check some controversial occurrence, I immediately become suspicious that the supposedly impartial investigator has a private agenda that is being served by facts specifically "groomed" to support the objective, a hunch that is usually borne out by the demonstrated bias of the platform on which the reporting appears. Here is an experimental spread that …