Tarot Cards: The One-Card Tarot Spread

The One-Card Spread of the Tarot is the most simple of all Tarot spreads. Though not really a spread, strictly speaking, it does have its place and serves a very specific purpose. The One-Card Spread is a problem solving spread, typically used when a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ is all the answer that is sought.

Preparing to Lay Out the One-Card Spread

As with any spread, care needs to be taken when preparing for a reading. Traditionally, Tarot cards are stored wrapped in a black cloth. The cards should be unwrapped, and the black cloth should be draped to indicate the place where the spread will be laid. This protects the cards from any dirt or debris that might be present.

Because this spread is limited to a single card, it is important to focus very clearly on the immediate question. This question must be framed very clearly in your mind. The more clear and concise the question, the easier it will be to interpret the answer.

If you have difficulty concentrating enough to frame your question, trying meditating as a method for focusing your mind.

Reading the One-Card Spread

This spread is known for its ability to give simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answers. It can even provide guidance on how to approach a specific situation. However, it is important to follow the correct procedure if you wish to obtain clear answers.

To begin your reading, shuffle the cards thoroughly, including both the Major Arcana and Minor Arcana. How much you shuffle, or even how you shuffle, are matters of personal taste. You’re finished shuffling when you feel that the cards are shuffled enough. When shuffling, be sure to clearly focus on your question. Do not let you mind stray from this question, even for a moment.

Divide the deck into three piles. Study these piles for a moment, then chose the pile that seems to draw you to it. One will stand out from the rest. Shuffle just the one pile. Spread the pile face-down in a fan-shape before you, and choose just one card. Place this card face-up before you.

This is the card to be interpreted for the One-Card Spread. In terms of ‘yes’ and ‘no’ questions, typically a reversed position indicates a ‘no’ response, while an upright card would indicate a ‘yes’. However, the specific card must be taken into account as well.

The One-Card Spread is the most simple of all Tarot spreads. Many people choose this spread as a daily way to ask for guidance about the coming day. Others employ this spread when one of the more detailed spreads seems to need a little more explanation. How and when you use this spread is up to you.

Tarot Cards: The Star Tarot Spread

The Star Spread of the Tarot is a spread that is typically used when further insight and clarification is needed in a situation. It uses seven cards, usually laid out six-point star pattern. While not all Tarot readers use this spread, it is a quick and easy way to gain information regarding a particular situation.

Preparing to Lay Out the Star Spread

Before drawing the cards for the spread, a black cloth should be placed upon the reading surface. This helps to protect the cards from any dirt or debris that may be present. The cards can be wrapped in this cloth when not in use.

Shuffle the cards thoroughly. Both the Major Arcana and the Minor Arcana should be shuffled together. All seventy-eight cards of the Tarot should be spread in a fan-shape, face down. The individual may then pick a total of seven cards, which are positioned, in the order they are chosen, in the Star Spread.

The Positions of the Astrological Card Spread

Each of the seven positions of the Star Spread has a specific meaning. The positions and their meanings are:

1. The Problem: This position describes the current situation, positive or negative.
2. Positive Influences: This card indicates what influences might be affecting the situation in a positive way. These influences should be encouraged.
3. Negative Influences: This card indicates what influences might be affecting the situation in a negative way. These influences are to be minimized, if possible.
4. Past Influences: This position shows what influences are losing their potency in the situation. These things should be released, as they no longer are important.
5. The Present: This card reveals what is presently occurring in the situation. This position also usually indicates whether change is necessary or not.
6. The Future: The card that occupies this position indicates the immediate future of the present situation. It is essentially a culmination of the influences of the last four cards.
7. The Final Outcome: This card indicates how the situation will ultimately resolve itself. The term ‘final outcome’ might be a little misleading, since the Tarot tend have only a six-month time frame.

The Star Spread is incredibly simple. It can be used on its own, or to gain further insight into particular cards in other Tarot spreads, such as the Celtic Cross Spread or the Magic Cross Spread. The Star Spread is a creative way to gain clarity from a situation that is perhaps all too complicated.

Tarot Cards: The Magic Cross Tarot Spread

The Magic Cross Spread of the Tarot is one of the more obscure of the Tarot spreads. It uses thirteen cards, laid out in a cross pattern. Though many Tarot readers are not familiar with this spread, it can be useful for those seeking detailed answers to a problematic situation.

Preparing to Lay Out the Magic Cross Spread

Before the cards are laid out, care should be taken to ensure that the reader is in the proper mindset. For most readers, this involves laying out a black cloth upon which the cards can be placed. This is done to protect the cards, and is also a part of the Tarot-reading ritual for many people.

The individual must focus very clearly on the situation at hand. The cards need to be shuffled. For this spread, both the Major Arcana and Minor Arcana are shuffled as one. The method of shuffling is not important. How long the cards are shuffled is not important. Instead of focusing on a specific method of shuffling the cards, they should be shuffled until the reader is satisfied.

All seventy-eight cards of the Tarot should be spread in a fan-shape, face down. The individual may then pick a total of thirteen cards, which are positioned, in the order they are chosen, in the Magic Cross Spread.

The Positions of the Magic Cross Card Spread

Each of the thirteen positions of the Magic Cross Spread has a specific meaning. The positions and their meanings are:

1. Position One: This card reflects those things which may have had a great impact on the situation in the past, but now have little or no meaning. These things should be released, as they no longer are important to the situation at hand.
2. Position Two: Sometimes, there are things which still have power over a situation, but are beginning to lose their potency. This card still warrants some attention, but soon all the things that this card represents will become obsolete.
3. Position Three: This card reflects the situation as it is at the present moment.
4. Position Four: The fourth position of the Magic Cross Spread indicates those obstacles which are hidden from the individual. This is the card that may contradict the rest of the spread.
5. Position Five: This position reflects those things which are obviously causing conflict and obstruction in the immediate situation. The individual is usually aware of these things but may not be ready to deal with them at the present time.
6. Position Six: This card expresses the hopes and fears of the individual. As all cards in Tarot can have multiple meanings, both hopes and fears can be expressed in a single card.
7. Position Seven: This card describes the general atmosphere that hangs over the immediate present. This card is neither positive nor negative, but simply is.
8. Position Eight: This card usually refers to attitudes or inner qualities that have yet to be developed, but are essential to the positive resolution of the situation. This card should be given particular attention in a reading.
9. Position Nine: This card represents how the present situation appears to those who view it from the outside. Sometimes, the individual must work to change appearances so that the true situation is reflected in the minds of others.
10. Position Ten: This card is the immediate future card. It is so short-term that it is highly unlikely that the individual will be able to alter this outcome with such short notice.
11. Position Eleven: The eleventh position is a card of suggestion. It gives hints and clues as to what actions need to be taken to help ensure a positive outcome. On the other hand, this card could also be a warning of those things that should not be done.
12. Position Twelve: The situation as it might appear should the qualities of the eleventh card manifest is indicated by the twelfth position of the Magic Cross Spread. As a result, this card could either be positive or negative.
13. Position Thirteen: The final card of the Magic Cross Spread indicates the final outcome of the situation. It is important to remember that the Tarot generally only applies to a period of six months, so the term ‘final outcome’ might be misleading.

The Magic Cross Spread is not widely used, but it can be highly useful. It can apply to many complex situations, and offers a total of thirteen positions. These allow the individual to gain a fairly comprehensive view of the situation, and can be used in conjunction with the Celtic Cross Spread.

Tarot Cards: The Celtic Cross Tarot Spread

The Celtic Cross Spread of the Tarot is probably the most common of the Tarot spreads. It uses ten cards, five laid out in a cross pattern, and four placed vertically beside that cross. Most Tarot readers are familiar with this spread.

Preparing to Lay Out the Celtic Cross Spread

Most readers will choose to lay out a spread, any spread, on a black cloth. This is usually the same cloth the cards are wrapped in when stored, as most readers will take great care with their cards. The ritual of unwrapping of the cards and the spreading of the cloth helps to focus the mind.

The individual should focus very clearly on the question or situation in question, even if the situation is vague and unformed. Once this is firmly in the mind of the individual, he or she shuffles the cards, both the Major Arcana and the Minor Arcana together. It is impossible to say exactly how long the cards need to be shuffled. It is better to say that the individual should shuffle these cards until he or she feels that they have been shuffled sufficiently.

At this point, the cards, all seventy-eight of them, should be spread in a fan-shape, face down. The individual may then pick a total of ten cards, which are positioned in the order they are chosen in the Celtic Cross Spread.

The Positions of the Celtic Card Spread

Each of the ten positions of the Celtic Cross spread have traditional names that help to understand what each position means. In addition, each placement relates to a particular area of life, and also has an influence on the entire reading. The positions and their meanings are as follows.

1. "Significator" – This card reflects the situation that the individual finds himself in at the present moment.
2. Crossing Card – This position reflects what is causing conflict and obstruction in the immediate present. It is the card which ‘crosses’ the individual, but this doesn’t necessarily make it negative. It simply is.
3. Crowning Card – This card describes the atmosphere and situation that hangs over the immediate present. It is the reflection of what is on the surface, and immediately apparent in the individual’s life.
4. Base of the Matter – This describes what is really behind the situation in question. It represents that which is often hidden from even the individual. It is often a surprise, for this card reflects the very root of the psyche, that part which is not normally accessible to the conscious mind. Sometimes this card will reflect the subconscious motivations of the individual, and it often will contradict the rest of the spread.
5. Past Influences – This position reflects the part of the situation that is now passing out of the individual’s life. It was once important, but has since lost its potency. It is something that the individual must let go, for the future cannot fully develop without releasing the past.
6. Future Influences – This card describes the situation that is about the manifest in the individual’s life. It is not a long-term card, but rather describes the immediate future.
7. Present Situation – This position is an extension of the Significator card. It describes the state of affairs in which the individual will soon find himself. It usually refers to a set of attitudes or inner qualities, and often represents those things that need to be developed.
8. Opinions of Others: This describes the way others close to the situation — usually friends or family — view the state of affairs. This card can help predict what the likely response of these people might be to the particular situation. It can also reveal the kind of face the individual has been projecting regarding this matter, and that perhaps this might be changeable.
9. Hopes and Fears – The ninth card in the spread, this card reflects the hopes and fears of the individual. These can both be expressed by one card, as all cards in the Tarot have a double face.
10. Final Outcome – Though nothing is absolutely final, this card describes how the situation may resolve itself. Remember, that Tarot generally apply to a period of six months, so it may not reflect a truly ‘final’ resolution.

The Celtic Cross Spread is widely used and regarded as highly useful. It can apply to many complex situations, and offers a total of ten positions. These allow the individual to gain a fairly comprehensive view of the situation.