The Layouts of a Reading

A tarot spread is the fixed layout into which the cards of a reading are dealt, each position carrying a defined question or role, the situation, the obstacle, the past, the likely outcome. The spread turns a handful of cards into a structured answer by giving each a place and a meaning.

Spreads range from a single card to elaborate patterns of a dozen or more. Some are old and widely used, the Celtic Cross, popularised by A. E. Waite, is the best known, while a great many are the invention of individual readers, designed for particular questions.