Best Tarot Spreads for Everyday Use
Updated by Sydney Bollinger
There’s something special about starting everyday with a Tarot reading. The intuitive practice can teach the modern witch more about themselves and also give them insight into the day ahead. For any Tarot beginner, a daily reading can help you become familiar with the cards in general and your specific deck.
“Learning Tarot is a huge undertaking, so don’t be discouraged if you can’t remember all 78 cards immediately,” says Chatonia Underwood, founder of Box of Shadows . “My main advice would be to understand the imagery first, then integrate the numerology. Once you have a relationship with the imagery of the cards, the messages will start to come through more intuitively.”
When you’re just learning—or trying to get into the rhythm of an everyday Tarot practice—you’ll want to lean on essential spreads that are also extremely versatile.
Essential Everyday Tarot Spreads
One Card Spread
The one card spread is the most ubiquitous for its simplicity. Use this spread by asking the cards (or the universe) for guidance or ask the cards a question. Next, shuffle the deck and pull one card. Meditate on the meaning of that card and what it means in the context of your life right now. You may even try journaling with the card you pulled as the prompt. See where it leads you and how what you write reflects your life in the current moment.
Three Card Spread
The three card spread is a Tarot staple.
“For me, the most versatile spread is the three card spread. It gives the most complete picture of a situation. In the beginning, the three cards would represent past, present, and future, respectively, but the placements have since evolved. I rarely have to pull more than three cards,” says Underwood.
When using the tarot, you can make the three card spread work for you. Some popular options—other than past, present, future—include strengths, weaknesses, growths; goals, challenges, solutions; and body, mind, spirit. If you’re having trouble deciding which spread might be the best one for you, consider what you’re wanting to hear from the Tarot.
Still need help deciding? Look through a list of different three card spreads to see which one might fit your current needs.
Four Card Spread
The four-card spread is another option for someone beginning with Tarot, but is also perfect for a person who has more experience and is looking for insight into the events and struggles of everyday life.
Lay your four cards in a row. The card on the left will represent the current situation for which you are seeking guidance. The next card represents the obstacle in your way. The next two cards will point you in the direction of a solution. Use the third card to intuit what you should do to overcome the obstacle, and use the last card’s wisdom to visualize the outcome of the situation.
Like a one card or three card spread, the four card spread can be adapted based on what you need and how you want the Tarot to guide you.
Deepen Your Tarot Practice
Once you’re familiar with the cards, you might consider finding ways to deepen your practice. Underwood’s ** Box of Shadows subscription boxes **will help you get started, no matter what you’re looking for. The box itself began as a way for Underwood to help other witches find their path.
“I came out as a practicing witch while attending Clark Atlanta University’s School of Business. Back then, my local metaphysical shops were too expensive for a broke college student just finding their path. Trying to afford supplies was really tough. Around that time, subscription boxes were starting to pop up everywhere, and I knew there needed to be one for Pagans,” explains Underwood.
There are many tools that can inform your Tarot readings. You might try crystals for more clarity or consider using oracle cards to supplement your practice. There are many subscription boxes, like Box of Shadows , that can also provide you with the witchy materials you’re looking for.
“Box of Shadows’ primary focus is education and spiritual growth, so we study various divination techniques, including Tarot reading,” says Underwood. “Every box we offer covers magical symbolism. This type of knowledge helps greatly with learning the cards. We even provide a box dedicated exclusively to learning Tarot once a year.”
