Tarot Spread with the Major Arcana

Tarot Spread overview

This tarot spread is a very practical and easy way to obtain an overview of the situation or person to be consulted. I learned it about 20 years ago from one of my mentors, and since that time I use it as the first spread in every session. I use only the major arcana because in this spread it is important to find out the main principles or energies that dominate the person or question; details will be looked upon later based on this first overview.

What makes this tarot spread so special to me is that it takes into account “how an event is perceived” as a complement of “how it really is.” How something is perceived is not necessarily reality, and it helps to see the difference.

What kind of questions can I ask?
You can find out about the elements involved in an event or obtain a description of it. You can also ask about people: here you might want to know how you or someone else is doing.

The place or “atmosphere”
First you should choose a quiet place to spread your tarot cards. You will need a cloth to spread your cards on; it is not a good idea to spread your cards directly on the table surface. This cloth marks the territory where your cards can act. Placing a glass of water near you and/or flowers together with a lit candle or some incense is a way to get connected with the energies of the universe and with the collective-subconscious. Water is the main element of intuition-readings; water is analogical to the mass of information in the universe. I always feel like if I’m diving into a vast ocean where I can find the information I’m looking for. A flower is a product of the earth, and its beauty always inspires. The fire of the candle and incense are also ways of getting in touch with those universal energies: light and aroma. These are nice elements but not indispensable. A quiet and “nice” atmosphere is really important.

Before you start: visualize
Close your eyes for a moment and visualize how a string or ray of light that starts inside your mind extends itself so long that it connects you with the stars and cosmic energy in the universe. Visualize your mind already being in connection with the universal stream of information; feel that your mind has free access to that information and be thankful that you are able to experience this.

Mixing and asking
Mix the cards and at the same time think about your question. Think about the overview you wish to have in relation with the topic you chose. When you’re finished mixing, place the cards – face down – in a pile on top of your table.

If you read the tarot cards for yourself, take a small amount of cards with your left hand (the hand of your subconscious) and place this new pile of cards before you. Then, place the remaining ones back on top so that you have one pile again. If you do this spread for someone else, let him or her make a second pile of cards in their direction and place the remaining ones back on top. Don’t look at the cards yet.

The tarot spread
Now take each card from the top of the pile and place them – face down – in the order shown in the graphic, from 1 to 15. After you’ve done this, take the last card from underneath the pile and place it on the left upper corner of the other cards.

Reading and interpreting
First of all turn the 16th card around. This card will give you the general “atmosphere” of this spread, of the reading and of the topic you’ve asked about.

Then turn cards 1, 2, and 3 – faces up. These represent the present and also how the person feels inside; they show elements that are important for him or her at this moment. If it’s an event or situation, these three cards will describe what is happening at the moment or which energies are involved.

Turn cards 4, 5, and 6 around. They represent what is in that person’s mind, wishes and hopes included. Here you can see which opinion and feelings the person has regarding the main topic revealed in the first three cards. If this spread reveals information about an event, it portrays how you see it and what you think about it or what you wish for.

Now turn cards 7, 8, and 9 around; they describe the reality of an event or situation; what it is about and how it is developing. When consulting a person, these cards represent the place where you stand in life at that moment and related to the main topic read in the first three cards.

Cards 10, 11, and 12 give you a glimpse of the place you came from, the situations that preceded your present moment (the present is described by cards 1, 2, and 3). In case of reading about an event it describes where this situation started.

Cards 13, 14, and 15 give you an idea of what the future will bring.

All three cards in each place are related to one another, sometimes even chronologically.

But, there are also some other relationships to look up:
After reading the cards in their normal place, relate cards 4, 6, 7, and 9; this gives you a better idea of what’s happening and where this situation is headed for.

Cards 6, 3, and 9 give you an idea of which energy is going to make the change that is seen in the three future cards. I see these cards as a door to the future; it can be an open door or a closed one, with the features that need to be worked out before going ahead into the next stage.

If you’re new to Tarot try not to push yourself into understanding all that has been laid in front of your eyes. You can observe them and ask the universal mind for help in order to understand the hidden messages, ask for help to uncover these mysteries. If you still find it hard to understand, write the question or topic down on a piece of paper and place it facing down on the table. Leave the spread as it is and then come in an hour and look at everything again. I sometimes take pictures of the spread so that I can relate the spread with reality as time goes by.

In order to have a better idea of which energies each Tarot Major Arcana has, you can read the information in the following links:

Practical Tarot guide: Major Arcana card meanings – Introduction

Practical Tarot guide: Major Arcana card meanings – Part1

Practical Tarot guide: Major Arcana card meanings – Part 2

Practical Tarot guide: Major Arcana card meanings – Part 3

Tarot Major Arcana: a story of spiritual growth – Part 1

Tarot Major Arcana: a story of spiritual growth – Part 2

Tarot Major Arcana: a story of spiritual growth – Part 3