Tarot for Beginners: 3 Simple & Effective Tarot Spreads You Need to Know

A Tarot Spread is the term given to a pattern of cards used in a tarot reading. The spread design determines the number of cards used, the order in which they are drawn and the pattern that they are placed in once drawn from the deck.
There really are endless possibilities when it comes to tarot spreads but I’m going to focus on three more traditional spreads for this post:

1. The Half Celtic Cross
2. The Full Celtic Cross
3. Three Card Draw

Half Celtic Cross Tarot Spreads

The half Celtic cross is a traditional tarot spread with six cards. It’s a shorter variation of the full Celtic Cross and it provides the querent with a view of their current situation and the near future. I find this spread works best with tarot cards rather than oracle cards.

1. The querent (the person the reading is for)
2. The current situation/challenge or obstacle
3. Influences that the querent needs to be aware of
4. The root of the issue/distant past
5. Recent past
6. Near Future

Full Celtic Cross Tarot Spreads

The full Celtic Cross is a very traditional tarot spread and it provides a comprehensive reading for the querent (the person you are doing the reading for). It works with any tarot deck and perhaps some oracle decks but I personally don’t use this spread with my oracle cards.

1. The querent (the person the reading is for)
2. The current situation/challenge or obstacle
3. External influences that the querent needs to be aware of
4. The root of the issue/distant past
5. Recent past
6. Near Future
7. How the querent sees themselves
8. How others view the querent
9. The querents hopes and fears
10. The distant future/final outcome.

Three Card Tarot Spreads

The three card draw is ideal for beginner tarot readers. It’s also a great reading to do for yourself on a regular basis.

The three cards can represent almost anything but the most common variations I use are:

1. Past
2. Present
3. Future

Or

1. Reason for my current situation
2. What I need to focus on
3. What the outcome will be.