8 Easy Tarot Spreads for Beginners

Tarot card spreads are powerful tools for self-discovery, guidance, and clarity. However, with 78 unique cards and countless layouts, learning tarot can feel overwhelming and much more complicated than playing cards. The secret? Begin with easy tarot spreads that give clear insights without overcomplicating the process – that’s your key to smooth tarot practice.

This guide will introduce you to beginner-friendly tarot spreads, including one-card, three-card, five-card layouts, and yes/no tarot spreads. Drawing inspiration from the wisdom of Joanna Colbert’s book “Finding the Fool”, we’ll connect the dots on how to trust your intuition by connecting with your cards on a deeper level. Let’s get started!

How to Start With Tarot Spreads

Before you explore tarot card spreads, you must prepare both your space and your mindset. The philosophy outlined in Joanna C. Colbert’s Finding The Fool highlights the idea of approaching tarot with curiosity, creativity, and playfulness. As she explains, Tarot is not about set rules or memorization – it’s about trusting your intuition and allowing the cards to guide your journey. Let’s explore the main steps that will help you start your tarot journey to tarot spreads.

Choosing the Deck

Your first deck plays a crucial role in your journey. Your tarot deck is more than a tool – it’s a partner in your spiritual journey. For beginners, selecting the right deck can make all the difference in understanding and connecting with the cards.

Here are some tips for choosing your first tarot deck:

1. Go with a Classic. The Rider-Waite Tarot is recommended for beginners because of its clear imagery and symbolism from the basis for most modern interpretations which makes it easier to learn from guides and tutorials. Explore more decks in our tarot cards list.

2. Pick What You Like. Another great technique in selecting your tarot card deck is simply picking the one that you like. As simple as it sounds, it is one of the first steps in the journey towards strengthening the bond with your intuition. When browsing decks, pay attention to which ones resonate with you visually and energetically. Do the colors, artwork, or themes speak to you? Trust your instincts when making the choice.

3. Consider Your Learning Style. If you’re drawn to traditional meanings, choose a deck with a detailed guidebook. Alternatively, for a more intuitive approach, pick a deck with imagery that spans your imagination.

4. Start Simple. While thematic decks can be beautiful, their symbolism
may feel overwhelming for beginners. Choose something straightforward to build your confidence. 

Once you’ve chosen the deck, take time to familiarize yourself with it. Flip through the cards, observe the artwork, and reflect on how the images make you feel. Building this bond will enhance your confidence as you explore beginner tarot spreads. 

Create a Calm Environment

Setting the right tone for your tarot reading helps you connect deeply with the cards. Choose a quiet, comfortable place where you won’t be interrupted and can indulge in some self-care. Increase your focus by incorporating calming elements such as:

• Lighting candles to create a soft, reflective atmosphere.

• Playing soothing music or nature sounds to relax your mind.

• Use crystals like clear quartz or amethyst to amplify your intuitive energy.

This sacred space becomes your gateway to gaining insight into self-discovery, allowing the tarot reading spread to reflect your energy and current state more clearly.

Cleanse Your Deck

Before working with your cards, it’s important to clean any energy they may have absorbed making your way to you. Colbert compares this to creating a blank slate that allows your personal energy to imprint on the deck. Popular cleansing methods include:

• Sage: Smudge the cards with smoke to clear old energy.

• Moonlight: Place your deck under the full moon for a natural recharge.

• Gentle Knocking: Tap the deck gently to symbolically “reset” its energy.

These practices ensure your tarot cards are attuned to your intentions and ready for accurate readings.

Set an Intention

The philosophy behind Finding the Fool accentuates the importance of approaching tarot with ease, authenticity, and self-reflection. Before you shuffle your deck and pull cards, take a moment to clarify your focus, be it past, present, or future. Ask yourself:

• “What am I seeking guidance on?”

• “What energy or insight do I need right now?”

A clear intention ensures the cards mirror your energy accurately. Instead of vague questions like “Will I be happy?”, formulate clear queries like:

• “What steps can I take to bring joy into my life?”

• “How can I navigate this current challenge?”

Aligning your intention with your intuition transforms tarot into a powerful tool for self-awareness.

Practice Intuition

Intuition is the key to finding the connection with tarot. Moving beyond the rigid tarot reading layouts and set meanings for general tarot spreads, and trusting the initial impressions of a card – is where the magic happens. While it’s helpful to learn traditional card meanings, the real power of tarot lies in the personal connection you create with your deck.

Here’s how to wake your intuition and tune it to your card reading:

• Observe the Imagery: What emotions or thoughts arise when you see the card?

• Notice Symbols: Which symbols catch your attention, and what do they mean to you personally?

• Listen to Your Inner Voice: Pay attention to the first impressions or feelings the card brings up.

For example, pulling The Fool might traditionally mean new beginnings, but if you’re drawn to the carefree energy of the figure of the card, it could also suggest a spontaneous leap of faith you need to take.

So, embark on your tarot journey full of curiosity, openness’s and willingness to explore without fear or making mistakes. This mindset is crucial for anyone starting with beginner tarot spreads. 

Approach your readings as an adventure. Allow yourself to experiment with simple tarot spreads like the one-card pull or three-card spread, and trust that your connection with the card deepens over time. By doing so, you’ll discover that tarot is less about predicting the future and more about reflecting on the present to make empowered decisions. 

List of 8 Easy Tarot Spreads for Beginners

When starting with tarot, it’s best to keep things simple. While there are countless tarot layouts, beginners should focus on easy, structured spreads that are intuitive and straightforward. These main spreads help build confidence and allow you to form an understanding of tarot without feeling overwhelmed. 

Here’s a list of simple tarot spreads for you to get a hold of first:

One-Card Tarot Spread

Three-Card Tarot Spread

1. Past-Present-Future Spread

2. Situation-Obstacle-Advice Spread

3. Mind-Body-Spirit Spread

4. Tarot Spread for Guidance

Five-Card Tarot Spread

5.  Love Spread

6. Career and Finance Spread

Yes/No Tarot Spread

7. Yes/No Tarot Spread (1 Cards)

8. Yes/No Tarot Spread (3 Cards)

Let’s dive into each spread with more detail.

One-Card Tarot Spread

The one-card tarot spread is a great place to start for everyone new to tarot. The single-card spread is quick, and effective, offering straight insights and helping you to connect with your first deck and develop higher self-awareness in your practice. This spread is perfect for daily guidance, getting clarity on a specific issue, or setting intentions. It is also great for learning how to interpret major arcana cards.

When to Use It

• To reflect on the energy of the day.

• For clarity on a single question.

• To get a quick answer during decision-making.

Here’s How To Do a Tarot Spread with One Card

1. Set Your Intention. Reflect on your question or focus. For example, “What energy should I focus on today?”

2. Shuffle the Deck. Hold the deck and shuffle while focusing on your question. Relax and let your intuition guide you.

3. Draw One Card. Choose a card intuitively or from the top of the deck.

4. Interpret the Card. Examine the imagery and symbols. Reflect on its meaning in relation to your question. For instance, The Fool might suggest embracing new beginnings with a sense of adventure. 

5. Reflect and Record. Write down your interpretation in a journal to track patterns over time.

Three-Card Tarot Spread

The three-card tarot spread is versatile, offers the big picture, and provides more depth than a one-card pull while still keeping it simple. It’s a favorite among beginners and experienced readers for its ability to offer a well-rounded perspective.

When to Use It

Three-card tarot spreads are great for exploring relationships, transitions, or challenges.

Here’s How To Do a Tarot Spread with Three Cards

1. Set Your Focus. Decide what you want the cards to address.

2. Draw Three Cards. Lay them in a row, assigning a position to each (like past, present, or future).

3. Interpret Each Card. First, refer to the traditional card meaning – does it resonate? Only then reflect on the meaning of each card in its position and how they relate to one another and to your present situation. 

Let’s dive deeper into the main three-card tarot spreads that will help you ease into tarot practice and practice listening to your inner voice. 

1. Past-Present-Future Tarot Spread

Explore how past experiences influence your present and shape your future. For this, the Minor Arcana suite alone, consisting of the first 56 cards of the tarot card list, and representing the four different suits (Cups, Pentacles, Swords and Wands), can guide your interpretation. For instance, a Cup card reveals a feelings-driven question, while a Pentacles card suggests underlying ideas about material gains or security. But let’s get into more detail on this tarot reading and tarot spreads:

Card Positions:

• Card 1 (Past): Past influences or events.
• Card 2 (Present): Current situation.
• Card 3 (Future): Likely outcome. 

Example: Pulling The Lovers (Past), The Fool (Present) and The Chariot (Future) shows a past relationship shaping your current choices, with future success followed by a clear action.

2. Situation-Obsticale-Advice Outcome

Some of the most popular tarot questions include finding an answer to a certain challenge or something linked to your identity. Situation-obstacle, advice tarot spread is exactly for that – to find out actionable steps towards the proposed challenge.

Card Position:

• Card 1 (Situation): The current issue or context.
• Card 2 (Obstacle): What’s blocking progress.
• Card 3 (Advice): Guidance for moving forward.

Example: Pulling Five of Cups (Obstacle) might indicate lingering regret while The Star (Advice) encourages optimism and focusing on opportunities.  

3. Mind-Body-Spirit Tarot Spread

The purpose of the mind-body-spirit tarot spread is to assess the balance in your mental, physical, and spiritual well-being. It’s one of those easy tarot spreads for beginners because the interpretation based on intuition comes more naturally when it’s directly linked to your core essence.

Card Position:

• Card 1 (Mind): Thoughts and emotions.
• Card 2 (Body): Physical health.
• Card 3 (Spirit): Spiritual connection and guidance.

Example:  If Nine Swords appears in Mind position, it might indicate stress, urging you to seek clarity through meditation and journaling.

4. Tarot Spread for Guidance

Tarot spread for guidance helps you gain clarity and direction on a specific situation.

Card Positions:

• Card 1 (The Situation): Current energy or challenges.
• Card 2 (What’s Helping): Positive forces or strengths.
• Card 3 (What’s Hindering): Obstacles or risks. 

Example: Let’s say you’re asking “How can I improve my career?”. Pulling The Magician, Eight Pentacles, and Five Swords might mean that you have the skills to succeed but need to put in hard work to avoid competition.  

Five Card Tarot Spread

The reason why the five-card tarot spread is good for beginners is because it provides more detailed insights, making it ideal for exploring complex questions with more clarity. 

When To Use It

• To gain a deeper understanding of a complex situation in areas such as relationships and careers.

• For more comprehensive guidance on specific topics than what a one or three-card spread could provide. 

Here’s How To Do a Tarot Spread with Five Cards

1. Define Your Focus. Clarify the topic or question for your reading.

2. Draw Five Cards. Put them in a line or cross. Assign positions such as present, obstacle, advice, opportunity, and outcome. 

3. Interpret The Cards. Reflect on each card’s meaning and how it contributes to the overall message.

5. Love Spread

The Love Spread is one of the key tarot spreads designed to help you explore the dynamics of your relationship, whether it’s a romantic partnership, a close friendship, or a family connection.

Card Positions:

• Card 1 (Your Role In The Relationship): Your energy, behavior, or perspective within the relationship.
• Card 2 (Your Partner’s Perspective): How the other person views the relationship and their feelings toward you.
• Card 3 (Strengths in the Relationship): What’s working well in your relationship.
• Card 4 (Challenges or Obstacles): Difficulties or areas of tension.
• Card 5 (Guidance or Future Potential): Where the relationship is headed. 

Example: The Combination of The Empress, The Hermit, The Ten of Cups, The Five of Wands and The Lovers could suggest that while you’re the nurturer, your partner values space and your bond is built on mutual happiness and goals that are interrupted by conflicts which could be resolved in deeper commitment. 

Tarot spreads for love is an endless source of wisdom, and is often the primary reason people get into tarot, so explore more with a little guidance above!

6. Career and Finance Spread

Career and finance spread is ideal for solving professional challenges or financial decisions and helping move forward by gaining invaluable knowledge about tricky situations. It offers a comprehensive look at your current situation, highlights opportunities, and offers actionable advice for achieving your goals. 

Card Positions:

• Card 1 (Current situation): This card reflects where you stand in your career or finances right now.
• Card 2 (Strengths): Your skills, or upcoming opportunities.
• Card 3 (Challenges): Obstacles or risks that may hold the process.
• Card 4 (Next Steps): advice to help your career growth.
• Card 5 (Long-Term Outcome): likely result of your efforts. 

Example: Pulling The Two of Pentacles, The Ace of Pentacles, The Seven of Swords, The Knights of Wands and The Ten of Pentacles might be read like this… While you’re struggling with juggling multiple responsibilities, there’s a new job offer on the horizon, with the potential deceit in your current workplace, you might need to take a decisive action that could lead to financial success. 

Discover about this spread and more in our five-card tarot spread guide.

Yes/ No Tarot Spread

The yes/ no tarot spread is good for beginners because it’s perfect for quick decisions. While it provides straightforward answers offering a clear “yes” or “no”, it also leaves room for interpretation.

When to Use It

• For simple, direct questions.

• When seeking clarity on a choice.

• When you feel stuck and need simple guidance.

There are two variations of the Yes/No Tarot Spreads: the One-Card Yes/No Spread for quick answers and the Three-Card Yes/No Spread for more complex insights and deeper level of understanding. By interpreting the majority of three piles of cards as upright or reversed, you receive a balanced response with added context.

Here’s How To Do a Yes/ No Tarot Spread

1. Formulate a Clear Question

2. Decide Between 1 or 3 Cards

7. One-Card Yes/No Spread

• Shuffle and pull one card. Upright may indicate “yes”, while reverse suggests “no”.

8. Three-Card Yes/No Spread

• Pull three cards. The majority of upright cards indicate “yes”, and reverse cards mean “no”.

Example: Pulling The Fool (upright) The Star (upright) and The Moon (reversed) might suggest a “yes” with some uncertainty.

Conclusions

Starting your tarot practice journey with easy tarot spreads is a fantastic way to build confidence and develop your intuitive abilities. In this guide, we explored:

• One-Card Tarot Spreads: Perfect for daily guidance and quick insights.
• Three-Card Tarot Spreads: Versatile and ideal for understanding past, present and future.
• Five-Card Tarot Spreads: Great for more tarot spreads for relationships, career and decision making. 
• Yes/ No Tarot Spreads: Quick and direct answers for focused questions.

Each spread offers unique benefits, allowing you to tailor your readings to your needs. Remember, mastering tarot is a consistent practice in trusting your intuition. If you’re just getting started, the classic Raider-Waite Tarot Deck and main layouts like the one-card spread are excellent entry points. For more inspiration and guidance, explore resources like those provided in the comprehensive article above. As Joanna Colbert highlights in Finding the Fool, tarot is less about perfection and more about the journey of self-discovery. Approach your practice with curiosity and an open heart, and you’ll unlock the wisdom and clarity the cards have to offer.

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Curious to learn more? These articles provide insights into other essential Tarot Cards:

• Reveal the power of Three of Swords Tarot Card
• Discover Love, Career, Finances, and Health with The World Tarot Card
• Be inspired and unravel the meaning of The Page of Swords Tarot Card
• Discover the meaning of The Seven of Pentacles Card