✦Introduction

Today I'd like to introduce some spreads that even total beginners can use for tarot readings.

A spread refers to the way tarot cards are arranged and laid out, and there are many different types.

First, let's talk about the kinds of tarot cards and how to choose one.

The basics of tarot reading come down to reading the cards you draw.

Once you understand how the cards are structured, your readings will go much deeper too.

☾Choosing a Tarot Deck as a Beginner

Tarot cards today are said to come in thousands of designs, but broadly speaking they fall into two categories.

the "Waite" style and the "Marseille" style.

For beginners, the Waite deck — the most popular style in Japan — is recommended.

Its imagery is basic and straightforward, which makes it great for practicing how to read the meaning of each card.

Marseille decks share the same basic card structure, but the reading can get more complicated because the artist's own interpretation is often reflected in the artwork, so they're not as beginner-friendly.

There's also one other difference between the Waite and Marseille styles.

In the Major Arcana, card 8 ("Strength") and card 11 ("Justice") are swapped between the two systems, so be careful.

A tarot deck consists of 22 Major Arcana cards and 56 Minor Arcana cards.

Together, those 78 cards are called a full deck.

Since it's easier to learn the fundamentals, beginners should choose a full-deck tarot card set.

There are also three common sizes — mini, standard, and grande — but for your first deck we recommend the standard size (typically 7cm × 12cm).

✧Shuffling and Cutting

Another essential part of tarot reading is the shuffle and the cut.

Calming your mind and focusing while you shuffle helps ensure the card that comes up truly fits the reading.

Let's make sure we understand exactly how to shuffle and cut properly.

How to Shuffle and Cut

1. Cut the cards the same way you would for a trump card deck (an overhand-style riffle is fine too).
2. Turn the illustrated side face down, place the cards on a table, and mix them well (you can mix either clockwise or counter-clockwise — just focus your feelings while you mix).
3. Once well mixed, gather the cards together and even up the edges.
4. Split the deck into three piles (this is the "cut").
5. Stack the three piles back together in whatever order you like.

Tarot cards each have an upright and a reversed position, and each carries its own meaning.

For example, an upright Fool card represents freedom, new beginnings, and other positive-leaning meanings,

while in reverse it represents escapism, irresponsibility, and other negative meanings.

When looking at a card, always view it from the same side, so that up and down don't get flipped by accident.

☀Spreads Even Beginners Can Do

Once you can shuffle and cut confidently, let's actually try a reading.

For beginners, the One Oracle — a reading done with a single card — is recommended.

"Oracle" carries the meaning of "a message from the divine."

It's used when you want to divine the near future.

<One Oracle>

1. Shuffle and cut the cards.
2. After silently asking yourself a question that can be answered with YES or NO, draw just one card.

You can use the card on top of one of the piles, or fan the cards out in a straight line and choose whichever card you're drawn to.

3. Read the meaning of the card you chose.

This method is really simple.

Simple as it is, since a single card carries so many possible meanings, you'll need to read out one specific answer from it, so it may take some time at first.

Try starting out easy — draw a card each morning to check your luck for the day, or draw one before bed to see what tomorrow holds.

So how should you go about reading the card?

Here are a few pointers to keep in mind as you read.

• What is depicted? Is it a person? Or something else?
• What kind of expression does it have? Which direction is it facing, and what is it looking at?
• What kind of scenery surrounds it? Is the color bright or dark?

Look closely at the card and try to find your own interpretation.

There's no single correct answer — everything you feel is valid.

First, practice until you can confidently read a single card on its own.

Also note that with the One Oracle, you can only ask one question per card drawn.

<Two Oracle>

Once you're comfortable with the One Oracle, the next recommended step is a spread that uses two cards.

If you want to read both "the present situation" and "the future," draw two cards for "present" and "future."

Placing them side by side turns this into the Two Oracle spread.

1. Shuffle and cut.
2. Just like the One Oracle, ask your question silently, then draw two cards.
3. Lay the cards side by side, horizontally.
4. The left card represents the present situation, and the right card represents the response or countermeasure.

The Two Oracle is a spread used to divine two related matters at once.

This is the spread where you can clearly separate the answers to a problem involving yourself and another person, or the present versus the future.

Tarot cards can reveal plenty about the future or things you want to know, even with just a few cards.

Combining two cards to draw out an answer is important, but if it's difficult, it's also fine to simply interpret the left card as "the current situation" and the right as "the solution."

The more times you practice, the more natural it will become.

Next is another two-card draw like the Two Oracle, but the cards are placed in a different arrangement.

Depending on the position the cards are laid in, the resulting shape is said to hold its own power, which some believe draws out the most fitting reading for the situation.

<Two Mind>

1. Shuffle and cut.
2. After silently asking your question, draw two cards.
3. Place the drawn cards one above the other this time.
4. The top card represents conscious awareness — the feelings the other person is aware of. The bottom card represents subconscious awareness — the feelings the other person doesn't realize they have.

The Two Mind spread is also known as "Yin and Yang."

It's used when you want to know the true feelings of someone you like, a partner, or another person close to you.

<Simple Cross>

1. Shuffle and cut.
2. After silently asking your question, draw two cards.
3. Place the first card facing vertically, then place the second card horizontally on top, forming a cross.
4. The first card represents the current situation, and the second represents the obstacle.

This spread is used when you want to know how to resolve a problem you're currently facing.

If you're stuck on something and not sure how to proceed, try the Simple Cross.

<Three Cards>

The method of reading with three cards is called the Three Cards spread, and it's a development of the Two Oracle.

For beginners, it's also good practice for reading how three cards relate to one another.

Since it uses three cards, it lets you read the flow of time and cause-and-effect relationships, so it's also called a Chronological spread.

1. Shuffle and cut.
2. While silently asking, "Please show me the flow of past, present, and future," draw three cards.
3. Line them up in a row from left to right.
4. The first card represents the past, the second the present, and the third the future.

When doing a Three Cards reading, you can also assign meaning to each of the three positions ahead of time and read it in other ways, as shown below.

1st card: Present / 2nd card: Future / 3rd card: How to respond

1st card: Cause / 2nd card: Result / 3rd card: How to respond

1st card: Your current state / 2nd card: The other person's feelings / 3rd card: Advice

The Three Cards spread is used when you want a look at the flow going forward.

You can ask for a forecast of the future, or advice on what you should do right now.

It's a simple method, yet it lets you ask fairly broad questions.

Because its accuracy is high, this is a practical spread that even advanced readers use.

<Four Cards>

The Four Cards spread is used to read and untangle the flow and cause-and-effect of a situation, then further identify solutions or countermeasures.

You can use only the Major Arcana or a full deck, but beginners should start out using only the Major Arcana.

1. Shuffle and cut.
2. While silently asking, "Please tell me about the past, present, what's currently getting in the way, and the future," draw four cards.
3. Line them up in a row from left to right.
4. There are many ways to interpret this reading.

For example:

1st card: Past / 2nd card: Present / 3rd card: Obstacle / 4th card: Future

1st card: Finances / 2nd card: Trouble / 3rd card: Love / 4th card: Career

1st card: Yourself / 2nd card: The other person / 3rd card: Obstacle / 4th card: Result

The Four Cards spread is aimed at times when you're in a difficult situation and want to find a way through.

Since it's a simple reading using four cards, it's an approachable spread even for beginners.

Because it allows so many different interpretations, advanced readers can use it to read a wider range of questions.

Since each card carries its own meaning, you can use it either to trace the flow of events over time, or to read your overall fortune the way you might in a horoscope.

<Diamond Cross>

When you want to divine the future for both yourself and another person, you can use a four-card spread called the Diamond Cross.

1. Shuffle and cut.
2. While silently stating what you want to divine, draw four cards.
3. Lay them out in the order left, right, top, bottom.
4. The left card is the current situation, the right is the other person's situation or feelings, the top is the challenge both of you share, and the bottom is the two of you together in the future.

The Diamond Cross is used when you want to read the nature of a relationship between two people.

It's especially good at reading love, so it's useful when you can't tell how the other person feels, or when you're unsure about a potential marriage.

You should be able to get advice on how to make the relationship between the two of you even better.

<Jupiter>

Finally, let's introduce a spread called Jupiter.

Jupiter is used to divine your fortune for a particular day.

1. Shuffle and cut.
2. While silently naming the day whose luck you want to know, draw four cards.
3. Lay them out in the order top, right, left, bottom.
4. The top card represents the morning, the right represents the afternoon, the left represents the night, and the bottom represents the overall fortune for that day.

This is a reassuring spread to use on a make-or-break day, since it lets you clearly divine the flow of a single day.

Try reading it in a way that combines each time period with the overall fortune for the day.

⧗Spreads by Purpose

The spread you should use changes depending on your purpose.

Use this as a reference.

Love	One Oracle · Two Oracle · Two Mind · Four Cards
Marriage	One Oracle · Two Oracle · Two Mind · Simple Cross · Four Cards · Diamond Cross
Career	One Oracle · Two Oracle · Two Mind · Simple Cross · Four Cards · Diamond Cross
Future outlook	Three Cards · Four Cards
Self-analysis	Two Mind · Simple Cross
Money	One Oracle · Two Oracle · Simple Cross
Health	One Oracle · Two Oracle · Simple Cross · Four Cards

⚖Conclusion: What Matters Most in Tarot Reading

When doing a tarot reading, make sure to set up your space properly first.

Tarot always requires shuffling and cutting, so it helps to have a table with some reasonable amount of surface area.

And cover the table with a cloth or a tarot cloth.

There's no strict rule about this, but using an item you're fond of, or one that holds meaning for you, lets you put more power into the reading.

Using a cloth also protects your important cards from damage and helps build up their energy.

Once your space is set, the next step is purification.

Some people burn incense or ring a bell, but first, purify yourself. Wash your hands thoroughly and make sure you're clean. In the beginning, this alone is enough.

Inspiration matters a great deal when reading tarot cards.

I said this about the One Oracle too, but there's no single correct answer. Everything you feel is valid.

Also, if your question isn't clearly defined, the cards can't give you a clear answer either.

Decide exactly what you want to ask beforehand.

Tarot reading is oriented toward divining the near future.

Start by reading the near future first.

And what matters most of all is your relationship of trust with the tarot cards.

If you read with a doubtful attitude, you won't receive the right message.

Treat your cards with care, and trust the outcome of the reading enough to act on it.

Finally, here's one thing you shouldn't do in tarot reading.

Don't ask the same question over and over.

If you're not satisfied with the result, wait until the situation changes, or wait until the next day.

Anyone can start tarot reading easily.

Today we introduced spreads that even beginners can use, but there are many more spreads out there.

Some use ten or more cards, and there are many varied ways to read, so if you're interested, please check out our other articles as well.