The Layouts Explained

When we talk about the “layout” or “card spread” in Tarot, we are referring to how the cards are physically placed on the table during a reading. The photo above shows a three card layout.

Some layouts are ancient and ubiquitous and no one really knows how they originated. Others are brand new and purpose written by the tarot reader. All are equally valid.

Regardless of its origin, the layout adds context and structure to a reading. It is the framework that connects the different cards into one, larger, cohesive message. Each place in the layout has it’s own meaning and connotations, regardless of the card in that place

The key to understanding any layout is to have a clear idea what each position signifies before the reading begins. You need to have to have a clear, fixed intention for the layout positions before you even pick up the cards. It serves as a solid foundation, which allows the individual card meanings to adapt and flow with intuition. Those two things together elevate the quality of the reading as a whole. The card layout (along with a consistent overall reading format) helps to communicat the purely intuitive Tarot message in a way the sitter or client can use.

Here are some of the layouts that I’ve written over the years for my professional private Tarot readings:

Year Ahead
  • five cards
  • gives advice, not predictions. The intent is to help navigate the flowing, changing energies in the year ahead.
  • four cards for each upcoming season in order, no matter what time of year the reading is done
  • One card above the others summarizes the year as a whole
TaoCraft Path
  • Five cards
  • Intended for understanding the current situation and guidance navigating your life path ahead.
  • It goes right to left: influence from the past, the current situation, advice to move forward, how to keep this path, how to change this path if you want.
Action Eases Anxiety
  • Three cards
  • “What it is” – the current energies or situation
  • “What to do” – ideas about what to do or how to plan
  • “How to do it” – clues how to bring these ideas into real action
Yes or No
  • Three cards
  • Straightforward yes or no answer plus advice
  • fun and lighthearted, “Zombie Cat” style

Image credits: “Seasons”photo by the author using Witches Tarot deck by Ellen Dugan and Mark Evans copyright 1996 used with permissions on Llewellyn publishing. Top image from the public domain. Other card photos by the author using public domain Tarot cards.