Tarot Spreads

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 …

Here is another new spread based on an historical model: the Celtic triskelion. It also uses a traditional convention that I borrowed from the "quintessence" calculation of the tirage en croix, or French Cross, spread. When there aren't four card preceding it, I call it the "numerical essence." AUTHOR’S NOTE: Here is a concise spread that is aimed at exploring the general characteristics, consequences and dynamics of a new human contact or other opportunity that has recently entered (or is about to enter) the seeker’s life. (If it addresses a situation rather than a specific individual, those attributes will reflect the querent’s own experience of the occurrence.…

Here is one of my more recent creations based on the ten-card tetractys spread that can be used in two ways: to get a straightforward "do it/don't do it/think about it" answer, read only the top six cards concluding in a three-card line; for the more philosophical "rest of the story," add the bottom four lines. I tend to be thorough in my approach to divination, so when reading the cards “on the clock” in a professional setting I often have insufficient time to address more than the high points of the scenario and answer a few parting questions. This is the “tip of the iceberg” effect that disappears when operating remotely (for which I prefer email) because in t…

Hi all. I spent $20 USD for a love/soulmate reading and I got a reading that focused more on feelings. It felt very basic to me. I was wondering what your interpretations would be of these cards? (I had to ask for the cards). I can post the reading if anyone asks.

Welcome to your New World! The Solstice is a powerful time for transformation whether you are moving into light or dark. Shall we pause and honor this in between time as we shift from one cycle to the next. This reading can be part of honoring this marker of change. What lessons can we harvest? What bounty can we celebrate? What can we release? What do we wish to call in?

Hi, I am really stressed at my current job. Management changes in past 6 months have lead to it becoming more unstable and toxic by the minute. I applied/interviewed for another job and awaiting interview results (very anxiously to say the least). Is there a small career/finances related Spread (smaller the better) anyone recommends? I only read for myself and look for guidance from cards. Obviously, interview is already done and I could simply wait for the results in next week or so which (waiting without feeling on the edge/anxious) is really hard to do 😄 Thanks! ❤️

I have been searching Aeclectic up and down for a spread that I can´t find again. It was made of all 78 cards and spread out on the floor in the shape of a person. Two pictures was taken, one on the upper part of the "person" and one on the lower part. Is there anyone of you "old" Aeclectic members that remember this spread or at least have seen it?