Four Tarot Spreads, Explained

A spread is the shape of the question. One card answers a question. Ten cards show you why you keep asking it. All four are read by the same AI reader, in plain English, in about five seconds — and every reading names each card it drew and explains what it means in the position it landed.

One Card 10 credits · free with your daily allowance

One card, one position, one answer. This is not a weaker reading — it is a narrower one. With nothing to compare against, the reader has to commit, which is exactly what you want when the question is a fork in the road.

Use it for: yes or no, timing (“is this the month to move?”), and the question you already know the answer to but want confirmed out loud.

Positions: Your Guidance.

The Fool (reversed)The Fool rev.Your Guidance
One card, one position. The whole reading hangs on a single image — which is why it works best on questions you could answer yes or no to.

Past · Present · Future 20 credits

The default, and the one most people should start with. Three cards give the reader enough to describe a situation as a moving thing rather than a snapshot: what set it up, where it actually stands (which is rarely where you think), and the direction it is travelling if nothing changes.

Use it for: one situation you can describe in a sentence. A relationship, a job, a family pattern, a decision with a deadline.

Positions: Past — Present — Future.

Four of CupsFour of CupsPastThe Chariot (reversed)The Chariot rev.PresentThe WorldThe WorldFuture
Read left to right. The middle card is where you actually are, which is often not where the first card suggests you would be.

Four-Card Cross 30 credits

For decisions with two clear sides. The obstacle card is laid across the situation card on purpose: it is the thing sitting on top of the question, and it is usually not the thing you named. Then advice, then outcome — what happens if you take the advice, not what is fated to happen.

Use it for: “should I stay or go”, “do I take the offer”, “do I say it out loud”.

Positions: The Situation — The Obstacle — The Advice — The Outcome.

Ten of PentaclesTen of PentaclesThe SituationFour of Pentacles (reversed)Four of Pentacles rev.The ObstacleSeven of Swords (reversed)Seven of Swords rev.The AdviceEight of PentaclesEight of PentaclesThe Outcome
The obstacle sits on top of the situation, turned ninety degrees. Advice and outcome sit underneath it, side by side.

Celtic Cross 40 credits

Ten positions, and the only spread that has a slot for what you are avoiding. It takes longer to read (roughly 1,600 tokens) and it is worth it when a situation has been circling you for months and every three-card reading keeps saying the same thing.

Use it for: the situation you have been thinking about since last winter.

Positions: The Heart of the Matter — The Challenge — The Foundation — The Past — The Higher Power — The Near Future — Your Attitude — External Influences — Hopes & Fears — The Outcome.

The Lovers (reversed)The Lovers rev.The Heart of the MatterTemperanceTemperanceThe Challenge (Crossing)Four of Pentacles (reversed)Four of Pentacles rev.The Foundation (Below)Page of PentaclesPage of PentaclesThe Past (Behind)Page of SwordsPage of SwordsThe Higher Power (Above)The Star (reversed)The Star rev.The Near Future (Before)Two of Swords (reversed)Two of Swords rev.Your Attitude (Self)The High PriestessThe High PriestessExternal Influences (Environment)The MoonThe MoonHopes & FearsDeathDeathThe Outcome
The classic layout: the cross on the left, the staff on the right, read from the bottom up. Card one is the heart of the matter and card two — the challenge — lies across it, turned on its side.

Which one should I pick?

If you are not sure, take Three Cards. If you only have one question with a yes in it, take One Card. If the question has an “or” in it, take the Cross. If you have already asked twice this month, take the Celtic Cross — repeating a three-card reading is usually a sign the question is bigger than three cards.

What every reading includes

  • Every card named, with its position and orientation.
  • One connected interpretation, not a list of separate card meanings.
  • A concrete next step for the week, not “trust the universe”.
  • Follow-up questions — 5 credits each, free on Pro and Premium.

Start a reading — the first 20 credits each day are free

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