Mastering Tarot Spread Interpretation: A Diviner’s Guide to Reading with Fluency
Foundational Tarot Skills › Interpreting Tarot Spreads
Many beginners look at the cards in isolation but it is more insightful to look at how the cards interact with each other in the spread. In this guide, I will give you a step by step process to mastering this so that you can give fluent, deeper tarot readings to yourself and others.
Please note: this guide is designed to be followed alongside my staged tarot card memorization method.
Interpreting Tarot Spreads: The 3 Essential Factors
The Spread Position: The role of the card in the spread (e.g., the situation, the advice).
The Card Meaning: The keywords and concepts associated with the card.
The Question: The nature of the original enquiry.
Limitations of This Method
As a quick disclaimer, let me point out that this method is neither a fixed rule of tarot nor the method that I teach to my intermediate and advanced students. I only teach these three factors as necessary when tutoring beginners.
Intermediate students will quickly learn that a question (nevermind a specific one) is unnecessary for accurate tarot readings and cards can be laid out not just in spreads, but lines and tableaus as well. This does not imply that a tableau or line is more advanced than a spread. It’s just the order I teach things in.
Example Tarot Spread Interpretations
Let's apply this method to a simple spread using two positions: Situation and Advice. For this beginner exercise, we will use only the 22 Major Arcana cards.
Imagine we ask a question and pull The Tower and The Star.
Some keywords for each card are:
The Tower: Sudden upheaval, crisis, revelation, destruction of false structures.
The Star: Hope, inspiration, healing, calm after the storm, guidance.
First, let us look at the cards in their positions without a specific question. If the situation is The Star and the advice is The Tower, possible interpretations are:
The advice is to radically disrupt your current peaceful situation.
The advice is to shatter the illusions that are giving you a false sense of hope.
The advice is to introduce a shocking truth into a situation that has grown stagnant.
Now, let us add the third factor, the question, to give more context.
Question: "What is the best way to handle my current work situation?"
The Cards: The Situation is The Tower and the Advice is The Star.
Full Interpretation: "Your current work situation is one of sudden upheaval and the destruction of old structures (The Tower in Situation). The advice is to remain hopeful, focus on healing, and trust that there is a guiding light to follow during this difficult period (The Star in Advice)."
When we remove unnecessary words to summarise the reading, we get: "Stay determined at work."
Until you become fluent, it is helpful to write out the longer version first. You can then edit it down to a concise summary.
Stage I: Major Arcana Only
Let's apply the method using a "Situation, Advice, Outcome" spread. The "Advice" position should be read not just as a suggestion, but as the pivotal energy or action that will influence the outcome if taken.
Question: "What is the outcome of my current work situation?"
The Cards:
Situation: The Tower
Advice: The Star
Outcome: Strength
Keywords:
The Tower: Sudden upheaval, crisis, revelation, collapse of false structures.
The Star: Hope, inspiration, healing, calm after the storm, guidance.
Strength: Inner courage, mastery, patience, self-control.
Interpretation: Your work situation is currently undergoing a sudden and disruptive collapse (The Tower). The path forward involves a period of calm, healing, and following a new, inspiring vision (The Star). The predicted outcome is that you will successfully master this chaotic situation and emerge with greater personal authority and resilience (Strength).
Summary: A workplace crisis will be overcome by taking a hopeful approach, leading to newfound inner strength.
Stage 2: Adding the Numbered Cards (Ace-10s)
Example 1 (Major + Minor)
Question: (From a querent) Please give me a love reading. Will I find love soon?
Situation: Three of Swords
Advice: The Hermit
Outcome: Ten of Cups
Keywords:
Three of Swords: Heartbreak, sorrow, painful truth, separation.
The Hermit: Introspection, soul-searching, solitude, inner guidance.
Ten of Cups: Emotional fulfillment, harmony, family, happiness.
Full Interpretation: It seems like you are dealing with a lot of emotional pain at the moment. It may be worth staying single for the moment to deal with these difficult emotions. But it looks from the cards that this is the main delay and you could actually find a partner shortly after you recover from the pain that is troubling your heart.
Reading Given: Abbreviation might be brusque.
Question: "Will I ever resolve the conflict with x?”
Spread: 7 of Wands (situation), 4 of Cups (advice), 9 of Pentacles (outcome - if advice taken)
Keywords:
Seven of Wands: Defensiveness, holding one's ground, being under attack.
Four of Cups: Apathy, contemplation, refusing offers, emotional withdrawal.
Nine of Pentacles: Self-reliance, independence, enjoying the fruits of one's labour.
Interpretation: You are currently in a defensive struggle against opposition from your colleagues (Seven of Wands). The winning strategy will be to refuse to engage with their provocations and to strategically withdraw from the drama (Four of Cups). The outcome of this tactic will be that you secure your position and achieve a state of respected independence (Nine of Pentacles).
Summary: Your independent spirit challenges groups power dynamics; disengage and victory will be yours.
Reading Given: I feel that if you just ignore their provocations then they will come to respect you. It seems like you have an independent spirit that can sometimes isolate you from a team? [let querent confirm or deny] I would just focus on demonstrating your competence.
If you are inclined, please let me know in a month or two how it has gone.
Stage 3: Reading with the Full Deck (Including Court Cards)
Example 1 (Major + Court)
Question: "Will I get the job?”
Spread: Knight of Swords (situation), Strength (advice), The Empress (outcome - if advice taken)
Keywords:
Knight of Swords: Hasty, intellectual, direct, cutting, a critical environment.
Strength: Inner courage, compassion, patience, self-control.
The Empress: Nurturing, creativity, abundance, fruition.
Full Interpretation: The environment surrounding your interview will be intellectually aggressive and highly critical (Knight of Swords). To succeed, you will be required to demonstrate immense self-control and preparation, mastering both your nerves and any difficult questions (Strength). The predicted outcome is that your project will be received with great approval, leading to a period of growth and creative abundance (The Empress).
Summary: For likely success, prepare well and remain calm.
Reading Given: It looks like you are capable of getting it. Thorough preparation and calm professionalism will really impress the company. I think, based on the cards, that you are likely to get it.
Example 2 (Minor + Court)
Question: "Will my business be successful?"
Situation: Two of Pentacles
Advice: Queen of Cups
Outcome: King of Wands
Keywords:
Two of Pentacles: Juggling priorities, managing resources, adapting to change.
Queen of Cups: Emotionally mature, intuitive, compassionate, a key relationship.
King of Wands: Visionary leader, charismatic, takes bold action, inspiring.
Full Interpretation: The initial phase of your business will be defined by adapting to constant change and juggling limited resources (Two of Pentacles). The pivotal factor for success will be your ability to remain intuitive and emotionally centered, possibly with the help of a key compassionate partner or advisor (Queen of Cups). If you master this, the predicted outcome is that you will successfully establish yourself as a charismatic and visionary leader in your field (King of Wands).
Summary: Manage your conflicting priorities with emotional resilience and you will emerge as a successful and visionary entrepreneur.
Reading given: I got the 2 of Pentacles with the Queen of Cups and King of Wands. I feel like you are struggling with some administrative challenges. It seems like a mentor might be particularly useful to you in overcoming this and actually gaining significant merit within your organization or even your wider field of work.
Intermediate Spread Interpretation Exercises
These intermediate exercises follow a logical progression so please do them in order. Also, I recommend that beginners use only the 22 Major Arcana before adding the Ace-10s of the Minor Arcana, and then finally the Court Cards.
Exercise 1: List Position Combinations within a Spread
Choose a small tarot spread you know well (five cards or less).
List all the possible combinations of the positions, then cross out the ones that you think do not work well together.
This is a tedious exercise, but it will force you to master the spread’s structure.
You might want to do this again in a few years to see if your experience has changed how you see these connections.
For example, the combinations for the "Situation, Advice, Outcome" spread are:
Situation + Advice
Situation + Outcome
Advice + Outcome
Situation + Advice + Outcome
In this example, all of the combinations work well together.
Exercise 2: Interpreting Card Pairs in A Celtic Cross
The original celtic cross spread is excellent for learning to interpret tarot spreads. A good reading requires the reader to interpret how the various positions relate to one another. Here are some important pairings to consider.
Covering and Crossing. This pair describes the general situation and what is opposing it. For example, the situation may be in a state of balance (Justice), but this balance may be threatened by people’s vices (The Devil). These two positions are of great significance and indicate the overarching theme of the reading. Significant cards do not always require a lengthy explanation. These positions tend to present a broad view.
Crowning and Beneath. Compare the root cause of the issue with the overarching lesson. The card beneath represents the foundation or root of the matter. In occult terms, this can be a causal influence. It can also be what is below the threshold of awareness.
Behind and Before. Compare what is waning with what is waxing. Was the change dramatic or only superficial? This pair can show if unhealthy patterns might be repeating themselves. It also speaks to the seasons of things.
Querent (Position 7) and Environment (Position 8). This pair reveals how the person is interacting with their circumstances. Is the querent making the best use of their resources? Are they limited by their situation? The harmony or discord between these two positions may reveal things about the querent’s resourcefulness.
Hopes & Fears (Position 9) and Outcome (Position 10). How do the person's expectations compare to the likely reality? If the querent is wrong, are they aware of their error? For example, The Sun (hopes) and the Five of Pentacles (outcome) may indicate that overconfidence leads to disaster.
There are many other complex combinations. For instance, you can combine the Querent, Hopes & Fears and Environment positions. This may give a deep understanding of how the querent’s attitude is affecting the situation.
If you are wondering how the environment helps to indicate this, it is because the querent is not an isolated figure but is acting within the context of objective things, such as their immediate friends and family.
To put it another way, it has been said by sages that self-reflection is to be done based on how we impact the environment rather than just our own feelings and opinions of a situation. This does not imply that the environment (people and situations) are always right. But it does suggest that looking at the environment position in the celtic cross spread can provide us with actionable insight for the querent.
Exercise 3: Reading the Golden Dawn Spread
This is a 15-card spread divided into five sections of three cards each. This spread is excellent for reading tarot combinations because of its sections. The five traditional sections are: Querent, Headspace, Karma/Destiny, Path 1, and Path 2. Once fluent, a reading may only take 5 to 10 minutes. At first, however, it may take much longer.
Note: for the purposes of this exercise, it is not necessary to interpret this spread with the complexities of elemental dignities that technically come with it.
Exercise 4: Using Correspondences
I recommend saving this exercise until you are comfortable with the full 78-card deck. Every tarot card has other correspondences, such as with Elements, Numbers, and Astrology. The exercise is to combine correspondences to gain information. I will give some examples from simple to complex.
I was once asked to find a lost object. In my pre-shuffle, I got cards which all corresponded to Saturn. In astrology, Saturn corresponds to contracts, justice, responsibility, and lessons. My intuition honed in on the issue of contracts/promises. I asked whether the object was properly paid for. The querent said it was. I then asked whether any promise made in relation to the object had been broken. For confidentiality I cannot go into details. But it turned out that the Saturnian correspondence, narrowed down by the intuition, was correct.
A celtic cross spread spread had lots of positive cards but an outcome (culmination) position filled by 5 of Pentacles. Reversals were not being used. Since the culmination position is the result of the previous positive cards, their overall interpretation was altered from very positive to a little more negative.
Thankfully however, the presence of lots of Cups cards, especially in external spread positions, could justifiably be interpreted as making the querent’s challenges emotional, internal and subjective. Not to dismiss that challenges definitely existed, but to give hope that the challenges could be overcome. This is especially encouraging given that the prevelance of subjectivity would make the culmination card highly volatile.
