One of the most basic ways to learn to read Tarot is to pull a card every day and journal about what its symbolism means to you. When you are ready to begin more advanced analysis, you will combine these card meanings with the card placement in a larger reading, called a “spread.”
The most common Tarot spread, and a good foray into intermediate reading, is a past, present, future spread. See an example pictured below.
I conduct past, present, future readings for clients often and have found them to be immensely useful in divining answers to quandaries and life questions, no matter how complicated. A ton of information is packed into these three-card readings.
However, there are readings that include even more cards, which I use to help clients get a fuller picture of the journey ahead of them. Pictured below is a Celtic Cross spread, which uses anywhere from 14 to 20+ cards to tell a story.
Past, present, future and Celtic Cross spreads are widely known and practiced. The real fun comes in when you create your own spread, which is exactly what I began doing in 2019. In an effort to complement the symbolism of a deck I love, the Motherpeace deck, I began reading for family and friends using a maiden, mother, crone spread, pictured below. This spread is intended for queries framed more abstractly. While you may ask a past, present, future question like “Will I get a new job?” you would ask a maiden, mother, crone question like “What is keeping me from finding a new job?”
What is your favorite spread? Have you ever created your own? I would love to hear stories from Tarot students of all levels!