Classical Layouts
Tarot Spreads — How to Read Each Layout
A tarot spread is the pattern in which cards are laid out — each position carrying its own meaning. Four classical spreads, each with step-by-step rituals and position explanations.
The Celtic Cross
A 10-card spread for deep, multi-layered reflection.
The Celtic Cross is the most widely-taught tarot spread — a 10-card layout that surveys the full shape of a situation: the heart of the matter, the obstacle, the distant and recent past, possible futures, your own position, the hopes and fears around you, and the final outcome. It is the spread tarot readers reach for when a situation feels tangled and a single card is not enough. Allow a quiet 15–20 minutes; the Celtic Cross rewards slow reading.
Read how to lay the spread
Love Spread
A 3-card spread for clarity on relationships and the heart.
The Love Spread is a focused three-card reading for matters of the heart — whether about an existing relationship, a new connection, or your own capacity for love. The positions speak to you, the other person, and the shared field between you. It is a compassionate spread, not a predictive one: it asks what is alive in this bond right now, not what will happen next week.
Read how to lay the spread
Career Spread
A 3-card spread for work, calling, and next steps.
The Career Spread is a three-card reading for your working life — the job you are in, the path you are on, the one you are considering. Unlike love readings, career questions benefit from being specific. The spread answers best when you name the exact decision: 'Should I take the offer from X?' 'Is this role right for the next year?' 'What is the next move if I stay on this path?' It is practical tarot — map-making, not mysticism.
Read how to lay the spread
Yes or No Spread
A single card for direct, binary questions.
The Yes/No Spread is the simplest tarot reading: one question, one card. Used well, it is a fast pulse-check on a decision you have already mostly made. Used badly, it becomes a slot machine — the same question asked again and again until you get the answer you wanted. The discipline is to ask once, accept what came, and act on it.
Read how to lay the spread
Which Spread Should You Use?
- Yes/No (1 card): a binary decision you have mostly already made. Fastest spread, highest risk of being re-drawn.
- Love (3 cards): matters of the heart, existing or new. Reads you, them, the field between.
- Career (3 cards): work decisions. Reads current role, what is changing, the aligned next step.
- Celtic Cross (10 cards, Premium): when a single situation has too many currents for three cards to hold. Reserve 15–20 minutes.