In Tarot divination, results can be achieved with analysis of just one card, but, for more thoroughness, combinations of several cards in set patterns are usually used. These patterns are called spreads or layouts. There are many different spreads, although the Celtic Cross is one of the best known, and is often taught to beginners as their first spread, despite the complexity of it and the availability of simpler, more easily manageable spreads. More experienced practitioners will sometimes use their own spreads, assigning their own meanings to the relevant positions represented.

The Great Cross ("Celtic Cross") Layout

This layout generally consists of 10 cards, or 10 cards plus an optional, 11th card [as a significator card]. The significator card represents the person or the situation. The first 6 of the 10 cards are laid out in the shape of a cross. (If there is a significator card, the first card of the 10 is placed atop the significator card.) The final 4 of the 10 cards are placed in a column to the right.

The Celtic Cross was possibly used by the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn for outer-order members of the Order and was later made popular because of its description by A. E. Waite in his book, A Pictorial Key to the Tarot. Note that, for tarot layouts for its inner-order members, the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn used a more complex system which included The Opening of the Key spread .

The Five Card Spread

This spread uses cards from the major arcana only and is arranged in a specific order. There are five cards arranged in front of the querent. Cards can be right-side up or upside down, as long as the meanings are readable. The first card represents what is behind the querent or their past. The second card represents their present state. The third card represents what can happen in their future whether it be bad or good. The fourth card symbolizes what can stop or prevent the previous card from happening. The fifth card, also known as the final result, is what will happen if the fourth element is avoided or never played. This spread can use the minor arcana as well, but the fortunes that it tells are more powerful and persuading with the major arcana and it can allow more creativity and abstraction in the fortunes.

The Romany Draw Layout (or Past/Present/Future Layout)

The card-reader shuffles the deck, then spreads out all of the cards, asking the querent [the person for whom the cards are being read] to pick three cards, one at a time. The card-reader then flips the cards over, the one on the left telling of the past, the middle one telling current events, and the one on the right telling the future.

"Crowley's" Thoth layout

The Thoth Tarot deck was created by Aleister Crowley and Lady Frieda Harris. Those who buy the deck are instructed as follows. The deck is shuffled by the querent. The querent concentrates on the question and then returns the deck to the reader. The reader lays out the cards in five categories. The center category (three cards) represents the motivations of the querent. The top right hand category (three cards) represents things that will happen in the near or most likely future. The top left hand category (three cards) represent what will happen in the distant or less likely future. The bottom left hand category (three cards) represents forces that help the querent. The bottom right hand category (three cards) represents forces beyond the querent's control. Many readers avoid the Thoth deck because of Crowley's alleged affinity for black magic

This layout does not in fact have anything to do with the way Crowley read the deck he designed. In any case, this spread was invented by the publisher of the small book accompanying the U.S. Games Systems version of the deck. Crowley used the Opening of the Key spread developed by the Golden Dawn which consists of five stages.

The reader invokes Iao, then Hru, then traces the unicursal hexagram upon the deck, before shuffling and handing it to the querent. The querent "asks" the deck a question, then cuts it into four piles. These four piles represent the four letters of the Tetragrammaton, or, if you will, the four elements. The reader turns these piles over and gets a general feel for the situation.

The reader looks through the piles to see which pile the querent's significator is in. This is determined by their birthday, and would correspond to a Queen, Knight, or Prince card. When the reader finds the significator, tell the querent for what s/he has come, and continue. If it is not what the querent has come for, abandon the reading for now, or try in a little while after focusing on the issue some more. If in the fire pile, the matter concerns energy, quarelling, and force. If in the water, the matter has to do with pleasure, enjoyment, and emotions, etc. If in the air pile, the matter concerns communications, problems, thinking, and tact. If in the earth pile, the matter deals with possessions, material objects, money, and the like.

The reader spreads the pile containing the significator in a horse-shoe formation upon the table, from right to left. Then s/he looks for patterns: two or three of a kind indicates certain things, and majority of an element indicates certain things. Three 3s indicates deceit, for instance, while 4 Kings indicates authority and influence. Starting from the significator, the reader card-counts.

All card-counting strings start from a significator, which must be a court card. In the Crowley deck, the courts are Knight, Queen, Prince, and Princess. Count in the direction the card faces (usually left for Princes and Knights, usually right for Queens and Princesses) until a card is hit twice.

Count: 12 for Zodiacal trumps 5 or 11 for Aces 9 for planetary trumps 7 for Princesses 4 for Knights, Queens and Princes 3 for Elemental trumps

With this string, you can tell a story. All the while, pay attention to elemental dignities. A card will be well or ill dignified by the cards surrounding it. Each card can be attributed to one of the four (sometimes five) elements. Fire and water weaken each other. Air and Earth weaken each other. Other elemental combinations are friendly.

Court cards can also be attributed to elements, but personal preference usually has variability in this.

Kings usually represent mutable signs (usually air), queens fixed signs (usually water), and princes cardinal signs (usually fire). Elements are fairly constant, so when applied there are double elements involved which gives depth to the reading. For example, the king of cups would be mutable water which is pisces. Since it is a king of a water suit, this is 'air of water'. Similary, a knight of swords would be cardinal air, which would be libra. It is fire of air. They can act as a buffer if it is next to a suit in which part of it is ill dignified, but the other is neutral. If one is well dignified and the other ill dignified, this is somewhat of a dichotomy, and is usually frustrating in action because it works in different ways.

Hi DJ,

I was hoping from some clarification. In the Thoth spread how are the cards chosen? Is it done by the reader or by the querent? Is the deck cut after it's shuffled? If so by whom? Are the cards fanned out & then 3 cards chosen & then another 3 etc...?

Thanks!

Paulette

The deck will be cuted by the client,yes they cards will be turned in formations of 3 and it's done by the reader after you've cuted.

Here are the meaning of the cards in Thoth spread and the way they are arranged:
Card 1: Represents the client and the nature of the question. It also represents the primary influences upon the situation.

A court card in this position refers to a dominant individual, influence, or personality trait affecting the situation.
Cards 2 and 3: Read this combination with reference to Card 1. All three cards are keys to describing the nature of the situation and the personality of the individual.
Cards 13, 9, 5
and 4, 8, 12: These two sets of cards indicate potential futures.

If the two sets compliment each other, the cards on the upper left are a development of the cards on the upper right.
If the two sets are in conflict, the cards on the Lipper right are the direction the individual will naturally follow. The cards on the upper left represent actions that could change the natural direction.
Cards 6, 10, 14: This set indicates the psychological basis of the issue.
Cards 7, 11, 15: This set shows the operation of forces beyond the individual's control (destiny or karma), and how he can adapt to them. They are personal advisory cards.

The Thoth Spread


13    9    5                                                     4      8      12
                            2         1         3
14   10   6                                                     7      11     15

Do you have a deck that you prefer to use?