SPREAD GUIDE

Card spread guide

Tarot lays out an order for exploring a question; Lenormand reveals connections between cards. This guide introduces layouts and reading methods suited to each system.

A map drawn from your question Before adding more cards, map the route toward what you want to understand.

HOW TO CHOOSE

Place only the perspectives your question needs.

A more complex spread does not necessarily produce a better answer. Clarify what you want to know now, then choose only the perspectives you need.

Spreads come in many forms and interpretations, and the layouts here are only examples. You are free to change the meaning of each position to suit your question and reading style.

1–2

When you want a clear focus

For short, specific questions such as today's theme or one step you can take now.

3–5

When you want to see movement or compare

For change over time, cause and advice, or comparing two possible choices.

When you want to organize the whole picture

For a wider view of several factors, including background, surroundings, inner state and outlook.

TAROT SPREADS

Read by combining the themes of each position

In Tarot, each place where a card is laid has a role such as “present situation,” “obstacle” or “advice.”

ONE CARD

One-card oracle

One question and one symbol. Without adding confusion, this spread brings the perspective that matters most right now into focus.

1: The message you need nowThe central theme of your question, or what to keep in mind today.

Questions it suits What would be helpful to keep in mind today? / What is the first step I can take in this situation?

TWO CARDS

Two-card spread

A simple, adaptable layout that looks at one question from two perspectives. This example uses “present situation” and “advice.”

1: Present situationYour current circumstances and the force at work at the center of the question.
2: AdviceWhat to keep in mind as you meet the situation, and a step you can take next.

Other combinations You can replace these with self / other person, strength / point of caution, option A / option B, and many more.

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THREE CARDS

Past, present and future

A foundational three-card spread that organizes events as a flow through time. Change the positions and it can also become cause, current situation and advice.

1: PastThe background that led to the current situation, and what has already been experienced.
2: PresentThe force working now and the central theme you are facing.
3: FutureWhat may happen if the present course continues, and what to keep in mind next.

Questions it suits How is this relationship changing? / What should I know as I move this plan forward?

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FOUR CARDS

Four-card spread

This layout organizes the present and reads a continuous path from the cause of a difficulty to the next step. When three cards are not quite enough, it adds one more perspective.

1: Present situationYour current circumstances and the central theme surrounding the question.
2: ObstacleWhat is stopping the flow, or a challenge that is easy to overlook.
3: AdviceWhat to keep in mind or a perspective to adopt in order to move the situation.
4: OutlookThe possibility that opens when you proceed with the advice in mind.

Questions it suits How can I move beyond this standstill? / What should I review in order to move toward my goal?

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TWO PATHS

Two paths

Rather than declaring A right and B wrong, compare what each choice offers and what each asks you to watch. This five-card layout places your current position in the center and uses two cards for each path.

1: Where you are nowYour present self as you face the choice, and the basis on which you are deciding.
2: Potential of option AWhat you may gain by choosing A and the course it opens.
3: Challenge of option AWhat to be mindful of or face if you take path A.
4: Potential of option BWhat you may gain by choosing B and the course it opens.
5: Challenge of option BWhat to be mindful of or face if you take path B.

Questions it suits Which of two jobs should I choose? / I want to compare taking action with waiting.

1 2 3 4 5 6

RELATIONSHIP

Relationship spread

Lay out the feelings and perspectives of two people to explore a relationship that is hard to understand from only one side. This six-card example works not only for romance but also for family, friends and professional relationships.

1: Your feelingsHow you feel about the other person and the relationship.
2: The other person's feelingsThe feelings and interests the other person may have.
3: The relationship as you see itHow you understand this relationship and what you expect from it.
4: The relationship from their sideThe relationship or circumstances as they may appear from the other person's position.
5: The relationship's challengeWhat contributes to misunderstanding or stagnation between you.
6: The relationship's potentialA direction the relationship can grow while respecting your differences.

Reading tip Do not treat the cards as proof of the other person's inner life. Read them as perspectives that can help you understand differences and care for the relationship.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

HORSESHOE

Horseshoe

Seven cards form a horseshoe and give a broad view from the past to the outlook. Traditions differ in the meaning and order of the positions; this is one common example.

1: PastEvents that led to the current situation and influences already received.
2: PresentWhat is happening now and the theme at the center of the question.
3: Near futureThe change most likely to appear next if the present course continues.
4: Approach to takeA way of thinking or acting to keep in mind as you meet the situation.
5: Outside influencesForces working from outside you, such as other people and your environment.
6: ObstacleWhat deserves caution as you proceed, or a challenge not yet visible.
7: OutlookOne possible destination in the overall flow and what may develop from here.

Questions it suits I want to understand the whole situation and where it may be going. / I want to organize several factors in a clear sequence.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

CELTIC CROSS

Celtic Cross

This well-known ten-card spread looks at one subject from many angles. Use it when you want to understand the structure of a situation carefully rather than reach a simple conclusion. There are many traditions for the Celtic Cross, with different placement orders and meanings; this is one common example.

1: Present and coreThe current situation at the heart of the question and the theme working most strongly now.
2: Crossing forceA force that helps the present situation or a challenge that hinders it. Read this across card 1.
3: Foundation withinA motive not readily visible on the surface, or what fundamentally supports the situation.
4: PastEvents that led to the present and influences that are beginning to recede.
5: Goal and potentialThe ideal or goal in your conscious mind, and potential you can currently see.
6: Near futureEvents or changes approaching if the present course continues.
7: Your positionYour own approach, self-perception and way of meeting the situation.
8: Surrounding circumstancesInfluences coming from outside, including other people and the environment.
9: Hopes and fearsExpectations and anxieties within you. Read both sides together.
10: OutlookOne possible destination along the present course, not a fixed future.

Questions it suits I want the complete picture of a long-running concern. / I want to organize a situation with several intertwined factors.

LENORMAND READING

One card is a word; the line is a sentence.

Lenormand does not usually assign a detailed role to every position. Instead, nearby cards combine to make the meaning more concrete. Reversed cards are not normally used.

The Rider Lenormand card — News · arrival

The Clover Lenormand card — Small good fortune

The Ship Lenormand card — Journey · expansion

EXAMPLE READING

Read from left to right as one continuous sentence: “Welcome news arrives, opening an opportunity to set out for a new place.”

You do not need to use every possible meaning of every card. Choose one word from each that fits the question.

Two-card reading

The smallest unit: read card 1 as the subject and card 2 as its description. Turn “what” and “in what state” into one sentence.

Three-card line

Make the center the core of the question, the left its background and the right the movement ahead. At first, simply reading from left to right is enough.

Five-card line

Anchor the subject in the center. Read nearer cards as more direct influences and the outer cards as background or a longer flow.

DistanceThe closer a card is to the center or significator, the more directly it tends to have an effect.

DirectionNotice which card a person or movement faces.

CombinationBefore deciding whether it is good or bad, make a noun + adjective or subject + verb.

See the meanings of all 36 Lenormand cards

MAKE IT YOURS

Arrange your own spread exactly as you see it.

In NTTarot, you can set the number of cards and the name and theme of every position, then drag each card to edit its place and orientation in the layout. Save arrangements you want to use again, or use Free Tarot for a one-time layout. Shape the spread itself around your question.

A white cat holds out a paw toward the completed spread

Create a spread in the app

QUESTION & SPREAD IDEAS

Build a layout around your own question.

If you are unsure what to ask or which positions to prepare, explore ten examples based on familiar concerns.

See question and spread examples